A Book Nerd's Guide to Falling in Love

Chapter 12: Sometimes Eavesdropping was Helpful

Plenty of the town's produce was sold in Littleton Farmer's Market, an open field where local vendors put up stalls. The commercial space was open from summer to fall, from June to the last day of October. It was their last month before winter, and the townsfolk were making the most of it.

My mother preferred going to the Farmer's Market instead of the grocery stores. She planned to purchase pumpkins today, and I didn't mind accompanying her after school.

It was still too early, but my father asked my mother to buy some pumpkins to practice on. He got hyped about the Gathering of the Jack O'Lanterns, which was a big thing in Littleton. People came together with hundreds of carved pumpkins every year to display them on the river rocks. I remembered the first time I watched it—all those glowing orange orbs on smooth stones against the rushing water as the sky darkened in the early evening. It was breathtaking.

My father had always said he wanted to contribute a masterpiece someday, but his work didn't give him enough time and energy to carve up a face on a vegetable. In a few days though, he'd be retired and free to do whatever he wanted.

We parked on the side of the road and walked across the grassy field to the vendors. My mother went straight for a pumpkin stall.

"Mrs. Watson," the seller greeted my mother. "It's a little early to purchase your pre-carved pumpkins this year." He gestured at the crates in front of him, filled with whole and carved pumpkins.

"Not pre-carbed dis year. I want da presh ones," my mother said to the vendor. "I'll get two today and come back por more next week."

"Are you finally going to carve up some pumpkins this year?" the vendor asked.

"My husband is. He's going to hab more time now dat he's retiring," my mother said.

"Good for him. He should contribute to the Gathering of the Jack O'Lanterns."

"Dat's da plan." My mother nodded as she picked up a pumpkin to inspect it. "So, how much?"

I stood by and waited as she haggled with the price. It was one of the reasons why she liked going to the Farmer's Market. She could bargain here, unlike in grocery stores where prices were fixed. She kept saying it was a Filipino thing, but I think it was a thrifty person's thing, which was a trait implanted in most Filipinos.

As I waited, I checked around. The market didn't only sell farmer's products. Some stalls offered trinkets and all sorts of stuff. My favorite was the one that sold second-hand books, and it was the reason why I liked coming here.

"Mom, I'm just going to look around," I told my mother while she picked the pumpkins.

She glanced at me. "Okay, balik ka agad. We won't be long." Balik ka agad meant come back soon.

I made my way between the stalls and found the shelves of books. There were mostly paperback copies wrapped in plastic so they didn't get damaged by the humid chill of the day.

"Hello." The vendor, a familiar lady with graying hair, smiled at me. "You've come back to buy another book?" she asked.

I smiled in return. The last time I checked out this stand, I bought a novella and enjoyed reading it for an hour. After I finished it, I wished I bought more. "I hope so." I nodded and began to browse the books.

I found the Fantasy and SciFi novels. It wasn't an extensive selection, but there's usually treasure to be discovered from the lady's collection of pre-love stories. My eyes glazed over the colorful spines—most of the titles I already owned.

A peculiar last name caught my attention, and I stopped and paused at a book with a dark blue spine. "The Shadow Desert by Althea Basilio," I read. I had never heard of that one before. Basilio was a name I remembered reading from Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal, a novel by a Filipino activist during the Spanish Colonial Period in the Philippines.