That Little Place in the Corner

I never thought it’s going to be like that. The construction of the site started like when I was in 1st year college and I couldn’t comprehend the future of the said site. A year after, a structure has been emerging slowly. When I first saw the signs, my heart jumped. I saw the cream wallpaper, the glass wall and the dark brown shelves wrapped in cling wrap or something similar. That moment, I knew instantly what it was.

It was 8:30 in the morning when I woke up. My class starts at 8:30, as well. That was the first time: I haven’t felt any adrenaline rush after discovering I’m late for a class. (Maybe because I know it is opening that day, on that special and ordinary (at the same time) day.) I took a slow bath and got dressed. Walked a little towards that new place in the corner. Little did I know that this was the beginning of an attachment to something.

It’s ten minutes before 9am, the scheduled opening time of the new book shop in Katipunan and I was there, waiting for the opening. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. So I walked and walked around it. Then two girls came and together, the three of us waited for the door. It felt like an eternity.

And the guy, a soon-to-be friend, opened the glass doors and it’s one of the best feelings in the world. I sniffed the smell of paper and walked straight inside. And yes, I was the first, the very first customer, who was so eager to get inside.

It was a great experience, you know. It’s like opening a gift but something better. I grabbed all the books I know and felt the sensation of the covers and the pages. And it was the Aleph by Paulo Coelho, one of my favorite authors, which first caught my attention. I was waiting for this new book of Coelho and I never imagined I’m going to find it that day, the opening day of Fullybooked Katipunan. It was an awesome feeling and I don’t even know where the sensation is coming from. One thing is for sure: I’m in Euphoria.

I’ve been in Euphoria since September 23. And whenever I miss the chance to enter this wonderful store, I feel incomplete. There’s something missing, like a piece of me or something. I like it that way. There’s this sort of an attachment to the store, to the books and even to the people working there. Even to the quotes posted on the walls there.

Now, after two and half months, nothing has changed. My attachment is as strong as before and I guess it won’t change, even if I’m seeing the same books every time I go there because it’s not just about the books, it’s about the comfort and the idea that people are still reading.