Toast

~ Live & Learn

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What do we need to know about a person in order to like them? Before she wrapped her leftover buttered toast inside a paper napkin, I didn’t know whether I liked her or not. Then, when she wrapped up her toast in the napkin, I suddenly loved her. Before she wrapped up her toast, she had been making an effort to show herself to be a sophisticated and an impressive young editor from a respected magazine. Then, when she did that, the performance dropped; not only was she underpaid, the gesture said, but she really liked toast. She liked toast even more than she liked being admired.

~ Sheila Heti, Motherhood: A Novel (Henry Holt and Co., May 1, 2018)

Portrait: Sheila Heti

29 thoughts on “Toast”

  6. Nothing more delightful than the ruminations of a keen observer. This is wonderful, pal, and not for nothing, but it made me think of your writing. You have a wonderful way of watching and describing the world around you, noting behaviors or sartorial details that help to tell a story….

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    3. Lori, you took the words out of my mouth – I had the feeling I should read the comments before giving my thoughts away (on the reader only where one can’t see the comments!). I am glad I did that – because we are truly on the same wavelength! 😉

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      1. I would love to have learned to be an expert in interpreting body language. I know it’s not exactly the same as what you’re saying in this post, but little actions say a lot and people’s facial expressions and movements of head, arms, legs, hands – they all send non-verbal messages. I find it a fascinating subject.

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  13. My mother always wrapped up the toast and took it. Not for herself, but for the birds and squirrels. Her heart was big and kind. How I miss that little gesture, and her.

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