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April 19, 2005
Traveling Mercenaries
Last Saturday, my friend Anne and I went to the Paperback Place, a used book and book exchange store here in town. Anne wanted to get some Anne Lamott, since we're reading Lamott's newest title, "Plan B," in our book group next month.
So the woman who owns the store looks up Lamott on her computer to see what she has in stock. Her father, meanwhile, is sitting a few feet behind the counter on a stool. The woman pulls up Lamott on her screen. "Here it is," she says. The woman's father leans forward, squints, and helpfully interprets the title.
"Oh," he says. "'Traveling Mercenaries?'"
I nearly fell over laughing from my perch in the "romance" aisle. Lamott's book, of course, is called "Traveling Mercies." Mercies, my friend, mercies. Not mercenaries. Important difference, no? Or maybe not. Somehow I think that Lamott wouldn't entirely mind this alternate title. I can see it now:
"Traveling Mercenaries: Some Kick-Ass Soldiers of Faith."
I see a book in which Anne Lamott meets "Dogs of War." I envision, as the main premis, a band of hired thugs assigned to accompany each of us to our battlefield of faith. When we get out of hand, they'd nudge us with the butts of their guns and put their slimy faces up to ours.
"You! Drop and give me twenty Hail Marys! Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, maggot!"
"I wanna see some kick-butt acceptance of God's grace around here, and I wanna see it now! Capiche?" Nudge, nudge.
Ah, to be kicked into accepting mercy from the soldiers of God.
Posted by Lisa at April 19, 2005 05:14 PM
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