Dear Future Husband: Touch my books only if you want to be kicked where it hurts.
Seriously. Don’t touch a woman’s books. A Brooklyn husband learned this lesson the hard way this past week, but he was in luck because Judy Blume is the patron saint of lost causes. Well, at least that’s what I’m convinced she is as of today. Here’s the story:
On Friday, Leonard Lasek did what he thought was a good deed by putting some old books out on the curb for passers-by to look through and adopt. (Side note: This is a time-honored tradition in NYC. It’s how I got my first Neil Gaiman book three years ago.) What he didn’t realize was that one of the old books he had put out was a cherished keepsake that belonged to his wife, Judy Blume’s classic YA novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. He put up the sign in Greenpoint and thanks to the sharing power of Kickstarter publishing pro Maris Kreizman (she also runs the awesome Slaughterhouse90210 Tumblr), the image went viral. Blume herself saw the post circulating and reached out via Twitter like a superhero to save the day.
Trying to make contact w/Husb who gave away wife’s copy of “Margaret.” Need snail mail address & wife’s first name. [email protected]
— Judy Blume (@judyblume) July 30, 2015
Packing tonight. Leaving town in morning. But will check in regularly to follow story.
— Judy Blume (@judyblume) July 30, 2015
And thanks to the power of the internet, Lasek was alerted and got in touch.
@judyblume I’m the terrible husband!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart…marriage saved!!!
— Leonard Lasek (@reddsauce) July 31, 2015
The internet waits with baited breath to see the fruit of their labor in the form of a signed book, but we don’t actually live in a time of teleportation and instant gratification so that is totally and completely understandable. Lasek is probably thanking his lucky stars for the internet and Mrs. Lasek (assuming she took his name) is hopefully feeling better about the loss of the book her mom gave her even though it can’t really be replaced. Though, to be honest, the only thing that could possibly come close to replacing such a thing would be a personalized gift from Blume herself.
What would you do if someone accidentally gave away one of your most cherished possessions? Tell us in the comments below!
ht & Image via Buzzfeed
