Jasmine Ortega
Mrs. Matsko
Writing Lab-Period 4
9 September 2013
The Beginning of a Lifetime Obsession: Reading I clung onto my grandmother’s hand so tightly that I could faintly feel the pulse of her wrist beating. Her long, crimson nails dug into my palm, and the scent of the knock-off Chanel perfume she was wearing felt like it was burning my nose, but I didn’t let go. I was still young at the time, yet even then I knew that if I let go, I’d receive an hour long lecture about the dangers of walking alone in the street, or, in this case, parking lot. Of course my grandmother had to be the first customer to arrive at the store, so it was still 9:00 when we got there; the massive parking lot was startlingly empty, save for a few cars that probably belonged to the employees. Once we reached the entrance, I took in a deep breath. The enormous sign loomed over the store, as if threatening to cave in on itself at any moment. The white block letters were outlined in a dull green, and read: Barnes and Nobles. As soon as my grandmother pushed open the glass doors, I had been transported to another world. All around me stood books-thousands of them- varying in colors, sizes, genres, and authors. There were so many that it took up two full floors, and nothing-not even the dull russet carpet or the blankets of dust on the shelves- could distract me from the Junior Readers section. The never-ending shelves of picture books, the multi-colored tables with matching chairs, the rug decorated with a map of the world; it was all so new and incredible to me, seeing as I’ve only ever been in a library before then. Joyfully, I made my way through the shelves, until I had read just about every picture book they had to offer. I was just about to grab my last book and head to the register with my grandma when it happened. A vibrant pink and yellow