sell a car on tv.

There are few things in life I value and prioritize with a level of loyalty that borders on sinister: self-discovery, music and books. Somehow, through realizing my often overwhelming love for each of these entities, they manage to easily spill over their dividing fences and merge into a glorious mutant form of thing I like to dub life itself. Music and fiction often lead to my reflective side being provoked, and through that, from there, I live. Straight facts and reality cripple me; a large factor that will probably crush all naïve ambitions of being a journalist (something I gave up on a long time ago anyway, after knowing that I deal far better with things that don’t make much sense).

It sounds remotely deep and all, but really, what I’m trying to say is, simply, this: Neil Gaiman thinks my name is ‘lovely’, and that’s how I will introduce myself from now on – “Hello, my name is Husna, and Neil Gaiman thinks it’s a lovely name.”

I should probably be all conventional and start from the beginning. When I found out that Neil was coming down here again for the Writers Festival, I basically decided that I was going to say one of these three things:

1)      Hi Neil, when I grow up I wanna be just like you!

2)      Hi Neil, I think you’re a fucking genius – can I eat your brain?

3)      Hi Neil. Ho my god.

Like all things planned and rehearsed, I never said such things. Though I was probably close. I spent the next few weeks since I found out the great news, and the 2 and a half hours I stood in line, in the sun, with a bee-stung foot that swells sporadically, thinking of what I can say that’ll be worthwhile/witty.

I considered telling him that it’s tres apt that I got stung by a bee at the very weekend I wanted to meet him – and the man is obsessed with bee-keeping. I toyed with the possibility that, like everything else that I play in my head, this may not come out as suave, manly and cool as I’d like it to. So at the very last minute, I threw this option out.

I should also mention that I brought along V-Chan, who – and don’t start playing the elitist card – isn’t exactly a fan (but in my defence, I did offer my spare ticket – no one wanted it. Might as well I bring along someone who harbours the potential to eventually be a fan, no? I think he won her over), and I told her to get a book of mine signed under my middle name (Husna) because you were only allowed to get one item signed. This wouldn’t go down well with Singaporeans, who might grow suspicious of a person like Vanessa having a name like Husna, but we stupidly figured that he wouldn’t care.

When it was her turn, he said, “Hi Husna.”

I giggled behind her.

“That’s a lovely name.”

She smiled awkwardly, trying to be a convincing Husna. I was basically hyperventilating at that point.

V-Chan said something like “Thank you so much” – sounding rather sincere and completely like a fan, I might add – and he said, “Thank you for standing in the sun and queuing.”

I think she giggled at some point, but I’m not quite sure where, because I was pre-occupied with the fact that my copy of The Graveyard Book was being drawn on by Neil Gaiman – with the name ‘Husna’, and a heart, as included in Vanessa’s writing, on a rather intricately drawn tombstone – intricate for a quick signing anyway. Vanessa: that heart is the best idea you came up with in your lifetime. <3 And you come up with good ideas all the time (I’m not sucking up, I swear).

When it was my turn, I said, “Hi Neil!”

So that’s part of what I planned.

And he said, “Hi…Nabilah!”

I grinned. (Probably stupidly too).

And while he signed my book I said, “Can I ask you a quick question?”

“Sure, go for it!”

“I haven’t had a chance to buy it yet, but I heard that you penned the introduction to Umbrella Academy: Dallas for the trade paperback?”

I said this all very fast and nervously, and he leaned forward and said, “Sorry, for the what?”

“The Umbrella Academy.”

“Oh yes! I did!”

“So how did that come about?”

“Oh, how it came about was, I was at the Newbery Medal event, and I was doing a radio interview – ”

Oh my god, I was thinking. He’s actually answering me properly.

“ – and I was asked, what I was reading at that point, what comic was I into that I would love to work on sometime – ”

Shit. I thought he was just going to say, Oh I was asked to do it. Oh wow oh crap, he’s still talking.

“And there was this long…silence…because I grew completely blank – ” he gesticulated blankness, somehow, in the way that writers like him do. “Which was really awkward because it was, you know, a radio interview, and there was just a stretch of silence. And I was trying to think of what I was reading at that point, and the first thing…that popped into my head was The Umbrella Academy.”

In between all of this, which in actuality is longer than it seems because he paused a lot, I was trying to arrange my expressions so I didn’t look too stupid (which I failed at, because I looked really stupid – see pictures for proof). I was basically just in awe over the fact that he actually took the time to answer my question as best as he could, while still signing the other books for the people behind me. Man.

“So, that was really how it came about – because I really like The Umbrella Academy, and I would’ve liked to work on it.”

“Wow.” I said, or something similar/equally stupid and anti-climactic.

“Then, you know, Gerard – Way, the writer – he called and asked if I wanted to write the introduction for the paperback. And I said yes.”

I took that as finality and I said, “That’s so cool. Thank you so much.” Rather profusely/desperately. Then I asked, “Oh can I have a hug?”

And his reply was a very enthusiastic, “Absolutely, you can have a hug!”

And he hugged me, while saying “Thank you very much” or something like that. And that was it. Being hugged by a genius 49-year-old fantasy writer and having his stubble cheek press against your non-stubbled one, is too much for my vocabulary to justify.  

So this is how my introduction comes into play:

I knew of Neil through Gerard (I know, lame way, no pun intended), and through both of their creations, I definitely did some reflection to lead to my eventual self-discovery. It totally makes sense. It does, it does.