The Jane Austen Plague

"I can't ever escape Jane Austen," He would say in exasperation.

 There we would be, Mom and I, on the couch with popcorn in our hands and tissues on the table. We were (yet again) watching the BBC versions of the Jane Austen novels.

 We'd smile hesitantly, almost guilty, for watching Pride and Prejudice for the third weekend in a row. Mom and I basically had the lines down for some of the scenes and were not ashamed to practice them in public, laughing and smiling uncontrollably.

 "Howard, we cannot help it if Colin Firth is perfection," I would say to him. He'd lift one of his thick grey and black brows and cross his arms.

 "How is this productive?" He'd say.

 "You're the one who bought these DVDs!" I'd say back. Mom would laugh at our bantering.

 And of course Howard would just mumble something under his breath and make a break for it to escape the English romantics. I always thought that was a little odd since he was the one who gave me the actual novels in the first place.

 He was a true romantic at heart too, no matter how much he liked to fake it.

 And then the week after it would repeat over again. This time Mom and I would be marathoning Sense and Sensibility or Persuasion. 

 "Not again," He'd mumble.

 I would point one finger at him and say something like, "Shh this is the best part."

 And there he'd be, watching the scene play out with us. 

 He could never escape Austen. Our eldest cat is named Jane, if that is any indication. 

 I believe I first read the novels when I was 13. I would lay out in the woods under the sycamore trees on summer nights, letting trees become the sound effects for the scenes. 

What was that quote that I liked? From Pride and Prejudice?

"What a shame for I dearly love to laugh."

How all of us used to laugh.... His laugh was one of the most contagious and comforting baritones. I wish we laughed more like that. It almost feels wrong to laugh without him here sometimes. He would think that was silly, though. He'd tell us to laugh. 

I hope I don't forget what it was like though. I hope I don't forget how to laugh as fully as we did. That would almost be as sad as losing him in the first place.  

 Written: 4.18.17

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