Page 2 of Kate & Frida

The Puget Sound Book Company

101 South Main Street??Seattle, WA 98104

10/14/91

Dear Frida,

My name is Kate Fair. I’m not the one who opened your letter, but I was told I’m the only person here who’s perky enough to respond to you. It’s not midnight (the store closes at eleven), and I don’t have romantic rooftop views, but it’s nice here at night, too. I’m at the information desk, which is actually two big old desks facing each other on a low platform in the middle of the store. When it gets really quiet like now, it feels like I walked through the wardrobe into Narnia, but instead of magical creatures I find magical books in big quiet caverns with creaking wood floors and soaring brick ceilings. It smells homey like my Bumpa’s trailer because there’s a café in the basement with coffee brewing all the time. We can have as much as we want for free.

Confession: When The Face of War arrived I was just going to peek at the first few pages, but I couldn’t put it down. Talk about awesome eye-opening. My brain is jittering with wars I’ve never even heard about. I was careful, but I guess it’s technically a used book now. I gave you my employee discount to make up for it and hopefully keep the store from losing #1 status with your friend Kirby.

How awesome exciting to live in Paris. When I was in junior high I had a poster of the Eiffel Tower on my wall. I planned to live in a garret in Montmartre. Obviously that didn’t happen. How did you end up in France? Where are you en route to? How many moules marinières did you have to eat to find to-die-for? How many bookstores have you been to? (I’m a bookstore addict, too. I just looked up Shakespeare and Company in a Time Out guidebook in our travel section and added it to my wish list.) Sorry for all the questions. I hope you don’t mind. If you do, don’t feel like you have to answer.

If you need more books, I promise I won’t read them first. Your credit is on your receipt.

Sincerely,

Kate