A Day of Reading |+ Open FINISHED

[christine]

The rain hit against the apartment window. It was a very nasty day outside. Sitting up on her bed Christine, grabbed her laptop. Turning it on, she rubbed her head and tried to wake up more. After checking her emails and such, she closed down the lid and went into the shower. The warm water felt good to her. For it was a very nasty morning, she needed to wake up. Turning off the water, Christine got changed into something comfortable. After changing she brushed her curly hair, and looked at herself in the mirror. Taking a elastic she tied her hair up and left a few strains of hair in her face.

Christine turned too the window again. A flash of lightening occurred and then came a thunder. The rain then began to pour harder than it normally did. After heading out the door, she ran into the cab that was waiting for her. Christine told her to go to one of the local libraries in New York. Once she got there she said "Thank You" and paid the cab owner twenty dollars. Getting out she headed into the nice warm library. It was very big, and beautiful all at once.

"Good Morning" she said in a gentle voice to the woman behind the counter. Christine wandered in and looked around her surroundings. She loved to read, and it always helped her on long flights, and also helping her to go to sleep. As she went through a row of books, she thought she saw someone that looked familiar to her. Christine shook off the feeling and continued to look through the lovely row of books they had in the store for her.

[joannejefferson]

There was something about a good storm in New york that just altered Joanne's mood. It wasn't necessarily a bad mood, but it wasn't a good mood either. Clients tended to cancel on rainy days because traffic was too heavy, or they simply did not wish to brave the wetness of the streets. Joanne's clients had a tendency to be the group of people with specific demands and really odd quirks, or were the divorcing couples that were disputing over who got what half of the multimillion dollar insurance settlement. In Joanne's opinion today was just too beautiful a day be spent with squabbling corporate officials and their apparent victims. Yes, she loved her job, but the lawyer was just tired of being forced to endure the pettiness that was her docket of clients for the day.

Thus, Joanne had done something she only did in dire situations. She called in to her secretary, had all of her appointments postponed or canceled, and took the day off. That had taken about an hour of phone conversation but she'd managed to do so with minimal flack from her boss, also known as her father. That was the occasional benefit of working with her father, simply saying "Dad, I need a break." could get her out of working every once in a while. After pattering about in her apartment for a few hours, Joanne had pulled on a pair of jeans, and a simple shirt and headed for the library. Due to the time constraints of her Job, Joanne didn't get to visit the library as often as she liked, but today had seemed like the perfect day to do so.

The woman who was working the day shift recognized Joanne easily enough, and they held a quiet conversation before Joanne wandered off into the stacks. The lawyer easily found the section she was looking for and happened to see a young girl standing there, browsing the same books. Not wanting to endure the awkwardness of staring over the seemingly younger girl's shoulder, Joanne smiled and spoke softly.

"Hi. See anything good over here?"

[christine]

It was a very dark day in New York. Christine folded her arms lightly across her chest as she browsed the aisles of the library. So many good books to choose from. Christine didn't know what else to do that day except to have gone to the beautiful library. Brushing a strain of hair out of her face, Christine gave a sigh. Picking up a book that caught her eye, she read the back of it and flipped through the book. It wasn't to her liking. Turning to the next aisle she browsed.

A few people had scattered into the library with little ones. Most of them are soaked. It was a horrible day, but a good day for reading. Christine continued to browse the books. A few whistles could be heard by young gentleman that were walking through the library. Sadly there were no books in this section for her liking either. Once she made it to the last aisle of the row of books she looked to a woman who had startled her.

Christine smiled in return. The woman was of high class of some sort. Seems to be a lawyer. Christine knew what uniform she was wearing for she saw them on the television. "Im not sure" she responded softly. "I've been browsing for two hours now trying to find something good to bring back home" she said giving out a light laugh.

[joannejefferson]

Joanne smiled as the girl answered and paused for a moment to take in the girls appearance. Granted, Joanne wasn't the type to leer at women when she saw them. She supposed that came from being rather shy about her sexuality in most cases, except those during which she had to affront herself to men. Sure, she was gay and proud, but that didn't mean she had to be flamboyant about it. Looking at the girl in front of her, Joanne noticed her long flowing hair first. It fell just at her shoulders with its large curls twisting in and out of themselves in an erratic fashion. She could see that the girl was young, a few years younger than herself. She had an etheral beauty about her, and a strange innocence that Joanne didn't encounter much at all.

Glancing up at the titles of the books, Joanne made a guess as to why she wasn't finding anything she liked. Call it judgemental, but the girl just didn't seem to type to enjoy a good whodunit novel. She seemed more fit for something like Shakespeare, Marlowe, or some dangerous romance like the Bronte sisters. None of which would be found in the mystery and crime novel section. Chuckling, Joanne reached up and pulled down a copy of Ann Rule's "The Stranger Beside Me." She'd been wanting to read it for some time, but hadn't been able to get a copy of it.

"Well, unless you're a fan of mysteries and crime novels, you're probably not going to find anything here." She glanced around at the signs that hung about the library directing the people to different areas.

"What genre do you like reading? I'm a true crime, philosophy, romance person myself." She said as she looked back at the girl.

[christine]

Christine had her arms folded lightly, and then felt a chill come to her. Though she didn't mind it really. Christine looked around her surroundings trying to find herself a good book. A flash of lightening, and then another loud crack of thunder came afterwards. She looked at the woman beside her. A lawyer perhaps. Her eyes continued to examine her as she looked through the row of books. Then she looked back and tried to find a good one.

She watched the girl beside her, finding a book called " The Stranger Beside Me " it did look inviting, but Christine was more of a romantic person. Sometimes she liked other things but romance was her big thing. Then the girl spoke to her, as she held the book in her hands.

A light laughter escaped Christine as she spoke. "Though I think I would enjoy mystery but I think Im a big romance fan sometimes a mystery girl. I do enjoy solving puzzles as well" she said softly. Then a sigh escaped from her. This would be harder than she thought.

Brushing a piece of hair out of her face, Christine looked at the girl and continued to study her. She was very interesting. "Like I said before, I think I like Mystery or Romance. But Im not sure." she said with a light laughter in her voice. "Though I think I might take upon a mystery novel back home" she said to her. "I never caught your name. Im Christine" she said softly. Suddenly introducing herself to the young woman.

[joannejefferson]

Joanne glanced up at the sound of the thunder and the pinkish blue flash of lightning. It was definitely a grim day weather-wise. Of course, Joanne wasn't the type of person who needed to see the sun to have a good day, but the storm outside seemed to be getting worse. She listened as the other girl spoke, nodding her agreement as the younger woman explained what type of books she liked to read.

"Well, that makes a certain amount of sense. You'd think I'd get enough of anything related to law at work, but of course, I don't." She shook her head mockingly, laughing at herself. "I have to be the only lawyer in New York that doesn't get enough of law at work." She scanned the shelves again and tried to think of a novel that might look good to the girl with her. It wasn't until the girl said it that Joanne realized they'd never exchanged names. Smiling, she turned back to Christine.

"I'm Joanne." Her smile turned into a lopsided grin as she chuckled again, a title coming to her.

"Agatha Christie is good for an easy mystery. Her stories are pretty complex, but they're easy to read through if you're looking for something light. As far as romances, well I'll admit i typically pick up the Harlequins because that's all I have the time for so I can't really speculate on what might be good there until you hit maybe the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen, neither of which is light reading."

Her words caught up with her a moment after said them and she frowned before recovering with another grin.

"That is, of course, only if you're looking for a light easy read."

[christine]

Christine looked at the girl beside her once more. Definitely a lawyer of some sort. Turning her attention back to the books she saw something that caught her eye. It was an interesting title. Christine payed no more attention to it, it seemed a little disturbing for her taste. The young woman then spoke to her again and she looked at her for a moment.

Though, she did like a few mystery books as well. It seemed she had loved reading almost all her life, Christine sighed once more and she looked at the girl as she continued talking. Christine enjoyed her company very much. "Its nice to meet you Joanne. " she said with a small smile. Joanne. she repeated in her mind. Christine will certainly remember that name.

Her eyes darted from Joanne back to the books. Catching something by the Agatha Christie woman Joanne mentioned she picked it from the shelf and looked through the pages. It seemed intriguing and all but it wasn't Christine's taste of book. Placing it back, she continued looking through the books.

Christine looked at Joanne once more and said "Somewhat. I enjoy rather hard books as well. I've read many chapter books and mystery novels. At times, my husband would wake early in the morning, to find me still reading one of them" she said with a light laugh in her voice. Christine had basically stayed up all night. Turning her attention back to the row of books she noticed a book called "The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo" she bent down and picked it up. It was heavy, and she looked through it. "Hmm. Ever read this one?" she asked curiously looking to Joanne. Unsure if she's read it or not.

[joannejefferson]

Joanne smiled as she watched Christine scan the bookshelves for something good to read. It was interesting to see what caught her attention and what she avoided. Not wanting to seem like a weird creep for staring at the other girl, Joanne leafed through the pages of the book she'd pulled down excitement growing in her as caught a glimpse of what the novel had to offer. It would be a very interesting read.

When Christine showed her the book she held in her hand, Joanne smiled brightly. She remember Victor Hugo very well. He was an excellent writer, very dark at times though and the Hunchback had the potential to be a very disturbing novel. Still, the novel was a very good read. It had been a while since Joanne had read the book though so the real details were a little sparse in her memory.

"I've read that before. It's a pretty good read, a little dark at times if I remember right. It's been a few years since I've read it. You might like it." She glanced at the shelves a bit longer and saw the Grapes Of Wrath. She picked it up with a chuckle.

"Most interestingly boring book I've ever read. How John Steinbeck managed to make a chapter about dirt interesting I will never know, but somehow he did it." She slid the book back on the shelf and continued skimming the titles. She hoped another would jump out at her, but if it didn't she was satisfied with the book she had.

[christine]

As Christine flipped through the pages, she listened to what Joanne had to say about the book. "You say its dark? Hmm...perhaps i'll check it out" she said as she continued to flip through the pages. Then she flipped over the book to read the back of it. It seemed very interesting and didn't know what else to look for.

Turning to Joanne, she listened to her speak. "John Steinbeck?" she repeated the authors name and she looked back at the Victor Hugo book. It seemed very interesting. However, she might take a gander at this book. "Hmm, I think I could take a few days to see if I like this book. If I do not. I might come back and look for something more exciting" she said to Joanne.

[joannejefferson]

Joanne nodded and pulled another book from the shelf. She'd never seen the title before, but she'd heard the author's name a few times. It looked to be something she might enjoy. Romance without the usual sap of the Harlequins would be a nice change for her. Her trips to the library for pure enjoyment were few and far in between. Usually she sent her secretary in to pick up some reference material for her.

"Well, that sounds like a good plan." She said in response to Christine. Joanne rarely had the luxury of returning to the library.

"I don't get to come in here often because I'm so busy with work. This is the first time in months I've been here. The last few times I've checked out books I just sent my assistant in to pick them up for me." She smiled as she thought about Jennifer coming in asking for her mountain of books. The woman's agitation with the librarian was always a source of amusement for Joanne.

[christine]

The sound of Joanne's voice was interesting as she skimmed through the book. It was a beautiful put together book too. Every detail was in it, and the picture of Notre Dame Cathedral was on the cover. It was a beautiful reminder of home. Christine gave a soft sigh and looked upon Joanne with a soft smile.

Then Joanne mentioned her work. "I was very curious about your job" she said softly moving out of the aisle of the book shelves. Christine held the book in her hand and she walked with Joanne. "Please, tell me, what do you do for a living?" she asked for a moment. "Do you reside here in New York?" she asked softly looking upon Joanne. Her voice was in a soft whisper. Trying not to disturb anyone who was in the process of their reading.

[joannejefferson]

Joanne decided that she liked Christine's smile. It had a certain innocence about it that she wasn't used to seeing very often. Christine had the kind of smile that made one feel very comfortable and at ease, almost as if her smile could quiet the demons in the most hellish of minds. That made Joanne wonder where the girl was from. After all, she hadn't met many New Yorkers that could claim to have such beautiful innocence about them.

Walking beside her, holding the two books in her hand, Joanne chuckled slightly when she heard Christine's question. She hadn't realized she'd been mentioning her job so much. Apparently, she really was as much of a workaholic as all her friends thought. She couldn't even go to the library without thinking of the office.

"I'm an attorney." She answered softly with a smile. "I work mostly civil cases, although sometimes the cases will cross into the criminal territory. As for where I'm from, I was born in Rochester, which isn't too far from New York City, but it's not too terribly far away. I came here after college to work in the new chapter that my father had opened of his law firm." For a moment she was silent, her mind reflecting on the early days in New York City. It had been a very lonely time, but a busy one.

"What about you, Christine? Are you from New York, or some other exotic place?" Something about the girl made Joanne think she was from somewhere else. She couldn't say what it was, but the only sure way of finding out was to ask, and so she had.

[christine]

The girl beside her was very friendly. Joanne, seemed like some kind of business woman. That is why she had asked what kind of job she had. Once she got her answer she studied her once more. Christine tilted her head once more. "Ah, an attorney. That sounds interesting..." she said softly. Christine continued to walk through some more shelves with Joanne and tried to see if there was anything else that caught her interest.

Christine turned her head to Joanne, and said "I am form Paris France. I had moved here about a year ago after what had happened to the Opera House. That was my only home." she said softly. "I used to be a singer there and I still am, but I am taking a break from singing" she told the girl a moment later. Then she became quite for a moment once she spoke of what had happened to her home. Her eyes darted to the ground then back at Joanne.

[joannejefferson]

Joanne honestly had no other real reason to be in the library beyond talking to Christine. She knew well enough that the two books she had in her hand were going to take a good amount of time to read, and she wasn't really interested in adding to her mile long reading list. The conversation, however, she was very interested in continuing. usually seen as an abrasive person, Joanne didn't exactly make friends all that easily. She wasn't a social person by nature, and tended to keep to herself. Christine was the first person in a long time to break through that, even if all they had in common was books.

"I enjoy it. The hours are long, and sometimes that can be murder on my non-work related life, but I really love helping people, and my job is the best way I can."

She followed along as Christine continued searching the shelves, listening as she talked about her home. Paris was definitely an exotic place, and it seemed to fit Christine's quiet persona. The girl seemed to sadden slightly as she mentioned something happening to an opera house, which Joanne guessed to be a horrific event.

"I've never been to Paris. It's strange really, rich as I am, I've never been outside this country." There was a pause and Joanne glanced around the library, a brief check to ensure their conversation wasn't disturbing anyone. Despite being well acquainted with the librarian, Joanne knew the woman wouldn't be happy about a load of noise making.

"So you're an opera singer? That's cool. My girlfriend's a singer... well, I guess technically she's a performance artist, but every show I've been to has involved lots of singing so I guess it still counts." She chuckled slightly, remembering some of Maureen's various displays of brilliance.

"So what's it like being an opera singer? It must involve a lot of work." Joanne had been to a few operas in her short lifetime, and while it wasn't something she'd enjoy on a daily basis, she appreciated the level of talent it took to perform. She'd been amazed by it every single time, despite not always getting the full picture of what was going on.

[christine]

Holding the book in her hand, she gazed around the Library. It seemed the storm was finally letting up just a bit. Christine looked at Joanne as she said she had never been to Paris. Her eyes widened just a bit and tired to hold back a laugh. "Well, if you ever get a chance to go, I might be there. I can show you around. " she said smiling upon Joanne lightly. Christine was loving this new friend of hers. She seemed very interesting and she wanted to know more about her. Christine then remained silent for a while. Joanne was speaking quite a lot but she didn't mind.

A light giggle escaped Christine when she asked if she was an opera singer. "Yes, I am. Well, not technically. I haven't sang over in a year since i left home with my husband" she said softly to her and it was true. "Oh? Your girlfriend is a singer?" she asked curiously. "What is her name? i might know her." she said softly.

Nodding her head she said "It takes a lot of practice and hard training. I've been singing since I was around six or seven years old" she told her. "My father, used to play the violin. He would play and I would sing" she said smiling at Joanne. "He passed when I was only seven years old though. But I feel him every time i sing out in shows at the opera. I've been the lead in almost every production after one of the stars walked out" she told her. "But...its all in good fun as i always say" she said softly looking around.