Thanksgiving

“You know,” says the homeowner as I scout his palatial home media room, “this is the largest privately owned digital screen in all of Southern California.” I take pictures, having trouble fitting it in a single shot.

The homeowner’s mansion is located on a bluff on the Malibu coast. It is one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever scouted. You would know it instantly from its appearance in a series of commercials for a particular high-end product featuring a celebrity.

We move upstairs to the bedrooms. First, the master, with a panoramic view of the Pacific.

Then, we step into his 12-year-old daughter’s room. My eyes are instantly drawn to the wall-spanning, 15-foot tall bookcase.

It is nothing short of a child’s dream library. The shelves are lined with complete collections of every series you could ever want to devour as a kid. Harry Potter. Lord of the Rings. The Unfortunate Events books. The Narnia volumes. The copies are not paperbacks, but rather, the hardcover, fully illustrated, luxury limited editions released for each series. You could spend a year with this collection and still have more to read.

“Wow,” I say. “Your daughter has a very impressive library.”

But as I take pictures, I notice something strange through my viewfinder: none of the books have been read.

All are in mint condition. Not a single bent spine. The Harry Potter collection is still in its plastic wrap, along with numerous others. The shelves suddenly look more like a bookstore display than a kid’s bedroom.

“Yeah, I bought those for her,” he says. “Thought she’d like them. If she ever wanted to come see me,” he says. “She lives with her mom,” he adds, forcing an odd laugh. Then, he trails off.

I look back to the hundreds of unread books. The pristine white desk, an unused pink journal and rainbow assortment of pens ever-so-perfectly arranged on its unmarked surface. The unopened chemistry on one shelf.

An awkward silence pervades as I finish taking the pictures.

“Hey,” he says as we step out of the room, enthusiasm suddenly returning to his voice. “Have I shown you the infinite pool yet? It’s one of the biggest in the state.”