Niko Meyer

“Glad I could provide you with something novel. Pun intended.” Jude quipped, and shifted her weight to one side as she considered the man’s question. Gesturing towards Tess of the Road, she said, “Hartman’s good at world-building, but the novel would be great even without her fantasy creatures. I don’t know when ‘ strong woman ‘ became code for ‘ uncomplicated and preferably wielding a sword ‘ but that’s not really Tess. She fucks up and embarrasses people and doesn’t live up to anyone’s expectations but the novel is … compassionate. She gets to forgive herself.” Jude trailed off and shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable with her accidental rant. “I don’t know, I guess I like an assertive woman.”

“And that one: take notes, read the footnotes. You’ll probably think it’s pretentious, gimmicky postmodern bullshit and it kind of is, maybe. But I guess the gimmicky, labyrinthine text is supposed to be like … like you’re exploring a house instead of reading a book. You’re scrutinizing every nook and cranny, walking its halls. It’s immersive. And haunting, definitely haunting. And hopeful. And about what it means to you, regardless of narrative or author’s intent.”

Jude stopped before she overwhelmed the guy, and tilted her head towards the other book he’d been holding before he spoke to her. “I guess I should have started by asking what you’ve got there.”

____

“Ha! Good one,” Niko chuckled a little at the pun. As the woman described Tess of the Road, he nodded a bit, liking the description of it more and more. He loved book where characters didn’t fit into perfect boxes of what you expect from them. Characters should be like real people. Complicated. “Well, you’re doing a great job selling me on it. I can’t wait to read this one,” he admitted.

“As for the horror novel... well, I think that’s what I want from it. I want to be a bit scared and not know what to expect from every line of every page. I think I’ll read Tess of the Road first, and then this one. Give my brain a bit of time to really prepare for something ‘pretentious.’” He put both books on top of is small pile and held them against his body so they wouldn’t topple over. 

Niko shook his head a little at the question about what else he had. “Oh these? They’re just for a class I teach at the university. They’re nowhere near as interesting as these novels you’ve handed me. There’s no world building. But there is probably a bit of pretentious language. But that’s most textbooks.”

It was quiet in the store, and because he was listening to some music Evie had given him, he was startled by the sudden question from another fellow customer.

“Oh, uh…” Saenoo paused as he took one earbud out. “I gained a fan base when I read Pride and Prejudice, so I guess that one…?” he shrugged.

____

Niko looked apologetic when he realised the other man was wearing earbuds and had to take them out after he asked the question. “Pride and Prejudice is a classic. Loved that one. I should go for another Jane Austen novel I haven’t read yet. They’re always good. And her main characters jump off the page. They’re never flat,” he grinned. “And I’m sorry for pulling you away from whatever you were listening to. I didn’t see you were wearing earbuds.”

Someone approached from the other end of the shelf, but Freddie didn’t look up until he said something.”I’m honestly not sure. I’m throwing myself in full force, but I haven’t read a lot that’s come out lately. I’m in the middle of the Prydain books right now, The Black Cauldron and all. I remember loving them as a kid, so I figured now is as good a time as any to give them another try. What about you?” He gestured with his chin to the book in the other man’s hand.

____

Niko looked at all the books the other man was holding, and he nodded a little when he explained what he was reading. “That’s always dangerous - going back to read books you loved when you were younger. I hope they don’t disappoint you this time around!” he said. He could only imagine how much that would suck. It’s why he didn’t typically reread books he read as a kid, or even a teenager. “Oh, this one is just for a class I teach at the university. It’s not too exciting, but I needed to get it,” he shrugged. “So I was looking for something else to read as well. Something for pleasure. I don’t read enough. I’ve been watching way too much Netflix.”

____

“Well then,” he chuckled. “Then they will be a challenge for me. And I rarely back away from the challenge of a tough book. And if that’s the case, I’ll purge the name Boccaccio from my mind,” he teased. “Yes, it was a book for pleasure. I wouldn’t bring a book for class to the beach. I don’t want to step on the joy being at the beach brings me with a boring book. I just hope the person who ended up with my novel will actually read it. Because it was quite good from where I stopped,” he said. Niko shook his head a little and laughed. “I like to think I am secure enough in my masculinity to enjoy one of those - though I have never stepped foot in that section of the book store.”

___

Niko grinned and nodded. That was why he asked for opinions on which books he should get. He didn’t know what was inside every cover, so it was nice to get some help. “That sounds great, honestly. I like a bit of world building. The first one just jumped into the thick of it and slowly revealed what happened. So I like that this one will add more to that,” he grinned. “I don’t think that makes you a monster. I think that’s actually pretty cool because you can look up at the covers on your wall and think about the different books or see that you’re well-read. As for where I keep them, it’s not a very exciting answer. I just prop them up on the book shelf. This way I for sure know where they are, and they are out of the way. Plus, if I forget to read a book for too long then it is there taunting me and encouraging me to pick the book back up.”

“Wait here.” She vanishes for a second behind the stacks and returns with two books. Jude holds each up in turn as she describes them. “Tess of the Road - a little bit of a Tess of the D’Urbervilles vibe, but really different too. It’s really good though, kind of a character-driven fantasy.”

Cathartic, she thinks and hands the book over.

“House of Leaves.” Jude pauses. “Are you a horror fan?”

_____

Niko was amused when the woman told him she would be back. And when she returned she had two books in her hand. She had obviously thought about the answer to his question. “I’ve never heard of either,” he said, taking the one when she handed it over. “But I’m certainly not opposed to reading them. I did ask for suggestions. So I hope I am still open minded,” he grinned. “You know, I don’t think I have ever read a horror book, but this could be the first,” he said and held out his hand to take House of Leaves from her. “You didn’t take that long grabbing these. What makes them good? And is there anything I should really pay attention to while reading them?”

____

“I’m sorry for disappointing you,” he laughed a little. “You know... you’re right about all of that. I don’t know your age. But you do look at least five to ten years my junior. And if you did wait all night for this particular fish and chips place to open, more power to you.” Niko shrugged a little. He wasn’t feeling uncomfortable as the younger man may have wanted him to feel. He just hadn’t considered all the things the other brought up. “Hm... I might grab some fish and chips for dinner. I already had a full breakfast today. If I ate another bite right now, I’d probably explode.”

“This one actually is,” the person told the man in front of her, a huge grin on her face as she spoke. “You’d have to read the first book though. But they’re both really good if you’re into dark dystopian fiction and politics.” She holds out the book and turns it around to show him the cover. “Plus, Atwood’s prose is to die for and always hits me right in the gut.” 

Niko looked at the young person and nodded. “I have heard of that one. It’s a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, right? I read the first one when I heard about the show coming out. And I had some friends posting on Facebook about how good it is. So I read it. And you’re right about the prose. Margaret Atwood is an excellent writer. If you say the sequel is good, I’ll get it,” he said and plucked one off the shelf. “I like the dust jacket of it. I tend to take them off when I’m actually reading the book, but I always keep them in a safe place so they don’t get flattened.” Niko was a believer in protecting books, so he always made sure his were in good condition. He also tended to get hardcover books - preferring them because they kept their shape much better than paperback. And they always looked so nice on his shelves.

Shiv heard a familiar voice in the next aisle asking for a book recommendation and peeked through a crack in the shelving to see it was Niko, a friend from work. “I’m not the person to ask that question to,” Shiv answered back, turning the corner into Niko’s aisle. “As you can see,” Shiv looked down and back up at the books in her hands “I don’t have nearly as much self control as you do,” she smirked. “But if you’d really like to hear it–Christine de Pizan’s Book of the City of Ladies might be a good shout for you, Professor Education,” she smirked, “It’s hard to explain–but it’s a fiction book that covers 36 historical and mythical women from the perspective of a 15th century woman, Christine de Pizan. It’s Boccaccio’s Concerning Famous Women if Boccaccio was good.”

___

Niko laughed when he saw Siobhan peek her head around the corner. She was absolutely the type of person he expected to see in the book store. He had seen her office. Books, books, books. That didn’t happen unless you were constantly buying them. The University should be proud to have a professor so dedicated to reading and knowing more history. He looked at the pile of books in her hand and grinned. “I think that is exactly why you are the right person to ask about this,” he said. “That sounds very interesting. I don’t know who this Boccaccio person is, but I’ll take your word for it.” He made a note to look for the book she mentioned. “I was just looking for some Ed books for one of my classes. But you know that’s never how it ends. I always bring home at least two more for pleasure reading. And I have to replace one of my books. I accidentally left it on the beach last week. It was sadly never to be seen again.”

Niko laughed a bit when the other man was fucking with him. With a Dutch mother, he felt like he was able to take a joke better than most typical Englishmen. “You’re messing with me there. Good one,” he chuckled. The other clearly knew that wasn’t what he meant about it. He simply meant that it was very English of him to apologise when something like that happened, even if it wasn’t his fault. “Bit early for chips, isn’t it? But then again... when I was your age, any time of day was good for chips. My metabolism isn’t what it used to be. Cherish it while you can and eat a lot of chips on my behalf.”

Niko stepped into The First Page in search of a book for one of the classes he was going to teach from this year. It wasn’t something he needed all of his students to have, but it was something for him to reference during the year. And if he needed them to know a certain passage, he would just scan a few of the pages to offer on the online landing page for his students. The problem wasn’t finding the book. He could make his own way around a book store with very few problems. What was the problem is that he could never just walk out with what he needed. The scent of old books just kept him stuck in the store much longer than he anticipated. 

Eventually, he was holding the book he needed in one hand. And the other hand was scanning the spines along yet another book shelf. He looked over at the person near him. “Do you have any suggestions? Because I’m stumped. And if I stay here much longer, I’m going to buy at least a dozen books because I can’t make up my mind. Any genre. Hit me with a favourite of yours.”

Niko nodded as he heard the man’s French accent. Clearly not from around here. He was always surprised when he heard other accents. He didn’t realise that The Cove was such a good place for people to immigrate to. “Yes, I’m absolutely fine. No harm done. Nothing dropped or anything,” he said. “And the apology is honestly a force of habit. I’ve apologised to chairs for bumping into them,” he grinned. 

open starter

When he rolled over, his phone read 9:42am, the sun was shining rays through the window onto his eggshell white comforter that hugged him gently. Eliott rolled over, groaning a bit into the bed as he realized another day was upon him; however, that could be a good thing if he wanted to look on the bright side of things. He hadn’t wanted that recently, though. His self-doubt was starting to sneak in. Sitting up in the bed, he threw the comforter off, and threw on a pair of his nearest Levi’s that sat in a pile on the floor– ah, he thought, laundry… that needs to be finished. They were covered in a few splotches of paint that he knew would never come out, but somehow, it gave them character. He found a t-shirt in his closet, pulled it over his head, knowing that a shower also needed to be in his future, but he couldn’t be damned to think about that now. Eliott grabbed his keys, wiped the sleep from his eyes, and threw on his dirtiest pair of Vans– they were supposed to be white, but they were definitely on the verge of dark grey. Eliott walked out his front door and down the steps to the courtyard that led to a small fish and chip’s takeout restaurant that sat under his studio. “Merde,” He whispered, his accent strong in the air, knowing that they didn’t open until 10. He rested his head on the glass, wishing they would just open since they knew he was probably out here waiting. Who wants to eat fish this earlier anyways? As he went to back up, he pushed his hair out of his face, and bumped into someone who was walking behind him. “Oh,” He exclaimed, turning around, “Pardon me. I was not looking.”

Niko was walking on his way to get some coffee in the morning. He didn’t have papers to grade just yet, so he figured he could wake up a little later. Then get a coffee in the late morning. He wasn’t paying attention - looking at his phone - when he collided with someone. “No, that’s my fault. I should have been paying attention. You all right?” he asked the younger man. 

OPEN STARTER AT THE GREY GULL. 

Taking a seat next to the other, Nolan raised a hand towards the bartender, fully aware that it was one of his own employees. “Can I get a beer?” Shifting slightly, he turned his attention towards the other. “This place any good?” He asks, copper hues moving about their form for a moment. 

Niko glanced at the man who sat next to him and he nodded after finishing the sip of his beer. “I think so. I come here all the time if that answers your question,” he said and took another sip. “The stuff on tap’s always cold, and the bartenders never pour the beer with too much head.”