The Notes in the Margins

In bold: key vocabulary. Tap any word in the text to see its definition.

Ivy found the book in a used bookshop, between a cookbook and a map of the moon. It was called The Sea and the Stars, and it cost two dollars. The margins were full of small pencil notes. On page nine, one of them said: "Best sentence of the year. Read it twice."

She smiled. She read the sentence twice, and it was the best sentence she had read in a long time. Because she was curious, she took her pen and wrote below it: "I agree. But the next page is better." On Monday, she put the book back on the shelf.

Two weeks later, the book was still there, but it was different. Under her note, there was a new line in blue ink: "You're right. Nobody told me about page ten. Are you always this honest?" Ivy laughed out loud in the shop. The owner looked at her, but she did not care.

So they began to write to each other. She answered every note and put the book back on the shelf. The owner, who noticed everything, started to keep it under the counter for them. The other person always wrote back within a few days. They talked about their favorite songs, their terrible jobs, and the rain that had not stopped all autumn. She never saw his face, but she knew that he hated olives and loved early mornings.

One day in November, the book was almost full. On the last page, there was a note she had not expected: "I think we should meet. I'm the person who buys the coffee at the café next door every morning. I'm the one with the big scarf. I've been waiting for you to write first."

Ivy looked at the clock. It was ten minutes to nine. She picked up her pen, and then she stopped. She did not write an answer. She put on her coat, left the book on the counter, and walked next door.