Page 50 of Only After We Met
Subject: RE: RE: The Little Prince
Right now, I’d rather you tell me. Things are always better from your perspective, Ginger. Didn’t I ever tell you that? Well, they are.
From: Ginger Davies
To: Rhys Baker
Subject: RE: RE: RE: The Little Prince
Fine, but in exchange, you have to promise me you’ll read it one day. It’s a sweet parable about friendship and the meaning of life, like one of those magical stories from childhood, except this one is for adults. The first time I read it, I actually was a little girl, and I didn’t understand any of it. I found my copy in Skoob Books, a secondhand shop in Bloomsbury. It was a very old copy, and I’ve held on to it like a treasure, obviously. I bought it despite my mother’s protests. She wanted me to pick something else; she didn’t like that it had pictures. Imagine my disappointment when I started it and realized it was for grown-ups. But luckily, I got bored years later and decided to grab it off the shelf and take a look. I must have been fourteen. And it fascinated me, and I had no idea it would keep on surprising me when I reread it. That’s one of the secrets ofThe Little Prince: you can reread it a dozen times, and you’ll always learn something new.
If you’re still reading this message and haven’t died of boredom, I’ll tell you this: It’s the story of a man who ends up in the desert in the Sahara when his plane goes off course. There,he meets the Little Prince, who’s left Asteroid B612 looking for answers to his questions and for a friend. When they meet, the first thing he asks is for a picture of a lamb inside a box. For the protagonist, who’s a grown-up with grown-up values, the Little Prince signifies purity, innocence, a return to his own essence.
From: Rhys Baker
To: Ginger Davies
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: The Little Prince
I admit it: It sounds nice. What happens next?
From: Ginger Davies
To: Rhys Baker
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: The Little Prince
If you read the book, you’ll find out. There’s a bunch more characters that symbolize different archetypes, like the fox the Little Prince manages to tame and become friends with, and the rose. I mean, the rose deserves its own whole chapter, but just so you understand, it lives on Asteroid B612, and the prince watched it grow up, watered it, took care of it, obeyed all its demands, because it’s a needy flower, but still, for him, it’s the only flower in the world. But then he comes to earth, and he discovers an entire rosebush…
From: Rhys Baker
To: Ginger Davies
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: The Little Prince
Aren’t you going to tell me more? Come on, Ginger, give me your whole version of it.
From: Ginger Davies
To: Rhys Baker
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: The Little Prince
Sorry, but no. Good night, Rhys.
24
From: Rhys Baker
To: Ginger Davies
Subject: Mental note
Don’t ever let me go out partying with Logan again. Seriously, if I ever end up telling you I’m going to go hang out with him, remind me of the November 14 when we wound up high and sitting in the police station.
My head hurts. I think I need some sleep.
From: Ginger Davies