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Recently, I’ve been reading a book by Calvin Trillin called “Messages From My Father.” As you can probably guess, it’s a collection of stories about Calvin’s father, Abe Trillin, and also contains several observations about fatherhood in general. It’s a great book, but what struck me the most about this particular book wasn't even created by the author.
I found the above photo resting in between the final two pages of the last chapter. It’s fairly non-descript — just a photo of five little girls, probably from some sort of birthday gathering. It’s dated March 4 of last year, and was processed at the local Walgreen’s. Nothing to get excited about, really.
But then I got to thinking:
Who put this photo in the book?
Did that person use it as a bookmark, or place it in the back of the book on purpose for the next reader (me) to find?
Was that person a father himself?
Which girl is his daughter?
Where do they live? From the look of the staircase and layout of what I presume is an entryway, I’m guessing it’s somewhere in Brookside. The home I grew up in on 68th and Wornall looks almost exactly the same as this picture.
What did this reader glean from the book?
Did I interpret the book the same way?
What would the young father who left this picture have to give to me - a man who will have children of his own in the next year or two?
Should I leave a picture in the back of the book as well?
If I did, would the next reader see two photos and add a third?
Will I care enough in a year to go back to the Plaza Library and look?
The answers to this question are most definitely unknown, but they sure are a lot of fun to think about.
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by Nick Kinney, February 28, 2010 at 8:27 PM | Add a Comment |
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