The twins have been rereading one of their favorite series of all time. They invited me to join them. It is a toss up whether I am enjoying the story or their enthusiasm more. Knowing how it ends does not diminish their pleasure in the slightest.
We are still in the first book and while they have come to know the characters well, over the evolution of multiple journeys and heroic deeds, I am just figuring it out.
"Why is he going along? Will he get his freedom?" I want to know.
They smile. How much is enough but not too much to reveal to me? The first book is titled The Thief, and is reminiscent of a television series we were enthralled with called White Collar. The thief, whose name was Neil Caffrey, was charismatic. It is a tad embarrassing to admit how much we celebrated illegal activities. I even made a quilt to cuddle under while we watched it. There were fabrics with Egyptian artifacts, and cash, and gold jewels. And hats. Neil loved hats.
Amazingly White Collar is moderate on violence. Neil could charm a museum guard into letting him in so why use his fists?
The book we are reading aloud however has had some graphic descriptions of beatings. Last night there was a scene where the thief was tied up to the point that his hands were turning blue. The adrenaline started coursing through my body as Hope read. Aurelle smiled at me even as I squirmed.
"It'll be alright."
She who has read ahead was less troubled by the current suffering than I was. I wanted to believe her. They have decided to give me an overview of a few places in the second book when we get there. Spare me the angst.
I wonder if there is a similar aura of serenity floating in heaven even as those of us here on earth ricochet between anxiety, hopelessness, and foreboding.
"It'll be alright."
