Today she makes her first step toward becoming a teenager since 13 is the probationary period. Maybe it’s more of a transition, like being on a midshipman’s cruise in Star Trek, it’s not possible to fail at being a teenager. If it were something people could do, I am confident there would be a line of parents circling the Earth requesting the paperwork to have their kids “held back” a year.
As for Anna, I’m sure she’s a joy and a firecracker at the same time for Linda and Brian. I’m basing this assumption from what I recall of Brian’s behavior when we were growing up. He’s a decent guy and he was more often the more reasonable/manageable child for our parents. Throw in normal according to the definition in the Eighties and you have him all summed up. Truth is, she’s an enigma to me which is a bummer. Her older brother (and our nephew) Nick gives me bits and pieces about Anna’s tastes. Standard answers tend to be “I don’t know.” He’s definitely related to her! I would also say he’s a Maggi too; Brian and I lost track of these matters by the time I was half way through high school.
Nick did do us a huge favor this year. He said Anna loves to read. Somara must’ve somehow gotten her DNA to skip over into her. Actually, avid reading is a Maggi and Maier trait!
- Grandpa (Maier) loved to read Popular Mechanics and other Science-Technology publications.
- Our old man said Grandpa Maggi would read National Geographic from cover to cover.
- Grandma Maggi loved Sci-Fi and Fantasy. She had early US printings of The Lord of the Rings and Dune. As I’ve stated before, she left her vast paperback collection to me.
- Grandma used to read at some point. When I knew her, she limited herself to tabloids and the local paper. I was bummed to discover how much Grandma disdained contemporary fiction before she passed away.
- Dad devoured mysteries. One Christmas we had enough money to buy him an Agatha Chrisitie collection. Nero Wolfe was another favorite. Newspapers and magazines were another source. I do remember who he mastered catching up on things at the grocery store. If there was no rush, he’d pick a slow line to read the core stories from the stuff in the racks!
- Mom is all over the map and I probably share her inconsistency. She reads mostly biographies and in spurts.
- Brian is probably more well-read than I. The only thing I know he likes immensely are David Sedaris essays and James Ellroy’s novels. Hopefully, he’ll elaborate for me.
- Outside of our immediate family? Uncle Cliff liked Stephen King books. Cousins Matthew and Julie devoured Terry Brooks’ novels in the Seventies. Again, I would like to see the cousins jump in to clarify. I don’t think they’re dumb, lazy and uninterested. I’m just ignorant of their habits.
Back to the star!
Given the nice push from Nick, I followed up about genres and authors. He responded with getting a gift certificate from Barnes & Noble. If they lived in the boonies where the big-box chains are the only choice, sure but they’re in the San Francisco area! I’ve never been there yet I’ve heard of City Lights, SF’s version of Book People! I did go with another nearby indie called Towne Center Books. A very helpful lady named Genevieve let me purchase a $50 gift certificate for Anna. We even had some small talk regarding Book People.
Can’t wait to see if Anna likes this gift, but more importantly, will she gain the enjoyment of a local store with a friendly staff. I won’t be heartbroken should it go in another direction, the world is changing toward fast and cheap alongside a generation thinking all content is or should be free; this will inevitably maim the gold-laying geese as fewer people can make a middle-class living creating. Anna has to be her own person and I remember at that age, adults can be interventionists regardless of the benevolence behind their actions. Young people need to explore and exercise their independence so they can be functionally adults.
Fingers crossed I do get to finally meet her in the next year!