While writing The Ghostwriter of New Orleans, I thought a lot about relationships and connections and all the different ways they look. James and Margot’s connection was so strong that they both did not know how to continue on without the other. When they were together, they had their routines like meeting on the 26th step and at the coffee shop. Margot barely noticed his stutter and James wasn’t bothered by how much she talked. What are some of the important connections in your life?
I am lucky to have so many that are special to me but here is a particularly cute one. Meet Stella.
You’re going to see a lot of her because I adore her and take too many pictures of her. Many times she wants nothing to do with me. She is not your typical fawn all over you with love type of dog. In fact, a friend recently commented that she’s kind of like a cat in dog form…But, we’re serious friends, and she adores me back.
How do I know this? Mostly because whenever I get home she acts like she hasn’t seen me in years and wants to throw a parade in my honor. These enthusiastic moments are limited to my arrivals, but that’s okay. She sleeps next to me every night. She quietly follows me from room to room, and she likes to sit on me a lot.
We have some understandings. I understand that she’d leave me in a split second if there is the promise of food scraps anywhere. I understand that she hates the wind. If it’s windy she’s going to need to hide under the bed. Period. I understand that she is just naturally skittish and doesn’t love to be pet on top of her head. She’ll take some good belly rubs, though. She understands I love to talk to her. She sweetly tilts her head at me to give me the impression of listening.
What I think that we both agree on is that our daily walk along the river levee is our favorite part of the day. It’s our routine, our thing. For me, it clears my head, makes me appreciate the beauty around me, and sometimes lets me work out writing ideas. For her part, she loves to keep her nose to the ground smelling all the smells, peeing everywhere, acting twice her size when she sees other dogs on a leash. If nobody is around and I can let her run free for a while it’s pure joy. My girl is fast and there is nothing I love more than watching her speed to catch up with me. Because no matter how far ahead of her she lets me get while she stops to explore when I call her she always comes. And it’s one of my favorite sights to watch that sprint coming at me until we’re reunited.
“She thinks about the playground, and she remembers his eyes watching her from that swing that he loved while she waited for him to join her on the seesaw. And then she remembers how he always did.” –Margot, The Ghostwriter of New Orleans