Books--another way to say "commitment"

So you'd hope that you share tastes and values with your mate, right? And that includes liking a lot of the same books? I'm thinking about this because L'Ailee's assignment for the day is to get us a copy of the "V for Vendetta" graphic novel. (We loved the movie and want to compare and contrast.)

L'Ailee and I have a lot of duplicate books from our single, long-distance days. We think it's stupid now to waste money and space by each getting our own copies of books we both want, but I have to say, if space wasn't an issue (and it always is in NYC), we'd each be getting our own copies. It feels like yet another way to say "commitment"--we are trusting that we will not have to divide up the book collection anytime soon, if that makes sense.

That's what marriage does--it turns two individual lives into a shared one. That's not unique or profound, I know, but I think most people have to learn that for themselves, in a variety of small ways. It's harder to leave when you do or buy things together. It used to be we could break up and get back together in the course of a week, no harm no foul. Now we'd have to decide who gets Hello Kitty (our youngest cat), who gets the washer and dryer, who gets the one copy of "V for Vendetta" or the complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...

Speaking of "V", I found a transcription of Valerie's inspirational letter, the one that pumped Evey up and changed her. This version comes from the novel, and it made me tear up and made the blood just surge up in my body like sap through a tree. Click here!