In this story by Penelope Lively, a sixteen-year-old boy regularly visits the Pitt-Rivers museum to “mooch around and be on his own”. One day, he notices a woman of about thirty waiting for someone. Although ordinary looking, her face glows in a way that makes him feel good. His views on “correctness” in relationships are challenged when she greets a man in his fifties she obviously loves. The couple meet frequently at the museum. He watches as their relationship grows and, one day, crumbles. Her glow fades to a look of despair. Themes include beauty, teen dating, non-traditional love, disillusionment.
Through his observations, the boy learns that love is not about looks or age, but rather connection. One of his favoured pastimes at the museum is writing poetry. On witnessing the break up, he tears up his current poem (about a conversation between a boy and an old man sitting on a park bench), realizing that he still has a lot to learn about life.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (3,150 words)