Read Online All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith - Free Book Online Page A

that every goodie I’d brought to Guatemala came directly from hallowed ground, either from the Winchester Cathedral gift store or the shop at Chawton Cottage.
    â€œWow, thank you, how adorable!” cried Flor, holding up her Austen key chain, a small portrait of Jane carved onto a delicate oval of wood. Soon an Austen tea towel was revealed and passed around to be admired, then some Austen stationery, a set of Austen coasters, a fancy Austen pen.
    They all seemed taken aback—not that I’d given them presents, as Guatemalans are great gift givers, but that these Austen items existed . I tried to explain about Janeites, those devotees who write sequels, set up websites, hold dances and tea parties. The ladies could understand the novels themselves being popular, but since the notion that anything people like is ripe for marketing hasn’t taken hold in Guatemala, they remained puzzled but pleased about the fan toys. Needless to say, I never ran across any “I’d rather be reading Milla” bumper stickers or Miguel Asturias coffee mugs.
    But now came the beginning of the end, because Flor did have to go. I was so happy she had been in the group, keeping things light with her musical laughter.
    â€œ Que te vayas bien ,” she smiled, departing with a kiss and a hug. This friendly send-off translates literally as “go well,” but the idea is more a general wish that things work out smoothly for you, that your trip (whether one block to your home or 3,000 miles to Chile) is all you hope it will be.
    â€œYou’re going to learn so much when you travel in South America,” Mercedes said, giving me a hug. “When you come back, my home is your home. You just tell us when you’re ready to return!” She hailed a tuk-tuk , one of Antigua’s noisy little golf cart taxis, with space for two passengers (or three, if you really like each other). On the rutted cobblestone streets a trip in a tuk-tuk is like riding on a donkey running at top speed, but they’re cheap and popular. “ Hasta pronto! ” she called out, disappearing into the night.
    Since Élida had back problems and couldn’t ride a speeding donkey, Nora and Ani were going to walk her home then catch a tuk-tuk themselves, heading south while I went north. Nora and I had lunch plans for the next day, but I knew it would be quite some time before I’d see Élida and Ani again. “I’m so glad you liked the novel,” I told them, “and I’m so happy I could talk with you about it!” If only I had more eloquence in Spanish to show them how much I appreciated their insights, their ideas, their personal stories, their laughter, sharing a chummy girls’ night out.
    But I think they could tell—we don’t only communicate with language.
    â€œI’m not sure exactly when, but I will be back,” I promised earnestly. “And with better Spanish!”
    ***
    That final Sunday morning, as I waited at the café for Nora to join me, I enjoyed the memory of how well the group had gone. But I also thought about the price. For weeks, Nora confessed, she’d had to steal moments for Austen, because she shared her house with twenty people. Twenty . Guatemalans take care of each other—so if your sister needs to move in with you, you let her, without staring at the calendar and waiting for her to move along. Austen would have approved. This means that cousins get to know each other better and are often more like sisters and brothers.
    It also means that both privacy and time for books are a luxury. How can you read with a houseful of people who want to be fed, to have their clothes washed, to visit and talk? To finish the book, Nora had to wake up before anybody else, hide in her cubicle during the coffee breaks at La Escuela , and come home an hour later than usual, lingering in the school gardens to see if Darcy would lighten up, if Lizzy would learn about