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“That was quick,” Ithe name

I had only a vaguea bell in the deepest part ofthe sort of na and the structure underlying my sentences even more ESL than usual I really couldn’t explain it

My father was French, but one of the feho could speak English well My ual, at least in their version of French I’d grown up with both and couldn’t quite accord for the distinct French do to do withthe first 25 years ofeven h It was the practice when things tended to fall apart

I looked back over er At my count she had applied for fifteen different projects in the space of five un approach, no doubt Still, it was impressive, and I was pleased with her initiative The reply I’d sent connected back to her application

Out of sheer curiosity, I tapped it for a look Despite her apparent youth, 25 if I had my math correct, Ms Alejo had a very impressive resuested I hire her

The coh all major decisions still came down to me Under serious adviseht I would have ht people around me to tell me what my opinion was

Theabout her, even though it was only being coh text on a screen, the resonated withof a history that was at least interesting, if not tragic

It was the picture that did it The photograph that Vega had opted to send with her application

We couldn’t request it anyh applicants could do so if they chose I preferred it when they did Not for any prurient purpose I just found it easier to connect with someone when I could see their eyes Even if they were at a distance Especially then

It was a selfie Done on a phone An oldereffect I doubted was intentional She didn’t have much money Few people did in those days of sickness and strife Remote as an option, but that only went so far I was even

She needed to be working Not just for the sake of the economy or her health, but her soul The need in dark eyes, the desire, going beyond ied anile

Chapter Three - Vega

The tyranny of the blank page was never an issue for ot there My job as an editor, not a proofreader or a copy editorand pruning the thickets of text with uidelines and preference of the publishing coinal form intact

At least as intact as possible It was not for me to editorialize, despite the name attached to the job I was an aid to the story, meant to polish as there, not add ot this Like the jumped-up little toads who re-wrote Bukowski posthu their nose were he still above ground at the time

My eyes were doing that thing again Locked on the screen, unable toalong the lines, before bouncing back, for the beginning of the next Like an electric typewriter I’d been told it was creepy, but it had alorked for me

Not least as a sign that Iproperly Still, no one could bla on, the one that Hugo had assignedliterary experiences of my life

Considering I’d worked in publishing nearlyso

The prose was lean and visceral, putting way Yet, with a restrained poetic flourish The seuardian of arcane books It was left mostly open whether those who come after him, as well as his inventory are rival dealers, occult posers, or so more sinister