Becoming Mike

On a whim, about a dozen years ago, I picked up Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" in the library. It was a fine, impressive read, enriching my Earthly experience. The novel has crossed the mind many times since and Miss Austen has emerged into a personal hero.

I watched a good film over the weekend, "Becoming Jane," with Anne Hathaway as the young scribe. The biography brought up a bit of a sore point, a situation I've noticed in other movies and literature.

In several scenes, requests are made to Jane Austen to perform verbal excerpts of her compositions. Here, I jotted down one of the direct quotes:

"Miss Austen, I understand you'll be favoring us with a reading?"

Huh?

I have outlived Jane Austen by 15 years! I have been a writer since childhood -- a full-time, professional, published author for a decade -- and not once, not once has anyone ever asked me to favor him or her or us with a reading. Not once!

This is the honest truth. The closest I have ever come-- Here, I jotted it down:

"Mr. Durrett, will you be leaving us a urine sample?"

Oh, sure, the (mostly) medical staffs love me, but it's not the same, except for the dribbling.