I've Been Robbed

Growing up these two books illustrated by Tasha Tudor were on my list of favorites. Her drawings are so intricate and warm, I must have spent hours trying to soak up every detail. And I wasn't the only one who loved them. Katie claimed them as hers for years, although we all knew they were every ones. As you know, my parents moved to China. Well, Dad is there. Mom has her claws in the floor and will be drug there in a bit. Anyway, Mom asked us what books we wanted as she was cleaning out the house. I asked for Big Sixteen.

She gave it to my little sister.

I didn't ask for too much else since the books I wanted were family favorites, I didn't want to make anyone upset. Fast forward to last week when the packers were there. I decided what was left was fair game since everyone had four months to pick and choose books. I went upstairs and opened a box... picked out some childhood favorites that were leftover... and then found these two. I was thrilled. I took them downstairs, flipped through them, and smiled at my find. I felt a little guilty, since I knew how much everyone loved them, but hey they all had their chances to take them! And, I couldn't believe my luck, I never get anything like this, it always goes to someone else. Right as I was getting ready to leave the house I heard Katie come in the back door. I hid the sacred books under the stack of other books, but she saw them right away. She demanded to know why I had them-I said, "Because I got here before you did!" And then ran away. As I got into my car I was pleased as punch that I got the books. I smiled the whole way to my sister's preschool. I dreamt of reading them to my kids, and pictured them flipping through them the way I did as a child. I was still smiling when I pulled up next to the door where Tiffany was standing. She came out to say hi, and then asked how things were going. I showed her my books. "Look what I got!" I happily exclaimed.

You see-when I was a kid, Tiffany was a teenager. She didn't care about kid books then, so I didn't think she even knew these two books existed, which is the only reason I showed her I had them. Otherwise, I would have covered them in book jackets that said, "Trigonometry and Other Lame Things" on it. Immediately she yelped, "These are MY books! Mom bought them before you were born!"

And then she took them.

I snapped that picture as she tore them from my little hands.

I called my Mom crying that I only had them for ten minutes before Tiffany took them. She said she'd ground her, but I don't think Tiffany will listen.

All I know is that she's gotta sleep sometime....