My first....

When I first saw her, she was three aisles away. There were others besides her, but she caught my eye because of her shiny yellow colour. I walked towards her, nervously, wondering whether today would actually be the day. The tension grew, the distance shortened. There was an uncomfortable silence in the air. I was now right in front of her. I could almost touch her, but would I dare to do so? My heart was racing, I knew not what to do. It had been a long wait spanning many, many years. I had heard people raving about her humour, her depth of knowledge, her obsession with cricket and the trust everyone had in her. I had craved for her for a long while now, but somehow I was still not prepared for what was happening today. I started talking to myself,

"Should I?"
"Yes"
"But that would seem so presumptuous, almost... rude. What if it doesn't work out?"
"That's a risk you must be willing to take"
"But this is not a one-off, it will be permanent. It will continue till I die"
"Come on. Grab her. Don't be afraid"
"All right"

So I picked her up. Just like that. It was a swift move, I don't think anybody even saw it. And before I could change my mind, I rushed to the counter, placed her on the counter-top and said

"I'll buy this"


This is how I finally bought my first Wisden Cricketer's Almanack.