I went to high school many years before the advent of personal computers, so all my library research had to be done inside the library. Every Saturday morning, I packed a brown bag lunch and hopped the bus downtown, where I spent all day in the library “stacks” researching the topic for my current paper. As boring as it sounds, I loved it, and our central library became just about my favorite place in the world.

That old library was replaced 15 years ago with a new, modern library and although my husband works about three blocks from the new building, I had not visited it until today. I finally cleared my schedule and ventured into the enchilada-red ultra modern building, hoping I still knew how to behave in a library.

I wandered around till I saw a sign at the elevators pointing me to the used book store in the basement. I have no place in my house to put another paper book, but what the heck. I’ll just look around.

I came close to fainting when I saw a nicely dressed, distinguished looking middle aged gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair and a prominent mustache to match! He was perusing the “new arrivals” table, and had a couple of books in hand. One was a German cookbook. I immediately thought “That’s for Mildred.” I nearly stood on my head trying to see what else he was buying, but it would have been too obvious.

I wandered around some more and saw that the volunteer room door was open. I could plainly see the personally embroidered smocks hanging neatly on their individual hooks. I began to feel right at home. Sadly, I looked around for Dundee, but never saw a cat.

That didn’t keep me from dragging out five books and a canvas “Friends of the Public Library” tote bag. For good measure, I checked out a library book about cats and left with my loot and a smile. It's good to be back "home" again.
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Glad you liked it. I planned this topic for reading suggestions, but couldn't resist passing on my close encounter at the library. Perhaps I should have talked to the guy, but I didn't want to spoil the illusion!

I love librarys also Joyce. I remember in 1962, when my elementary school got a library. The teachers took their walk in storage closest in the hallway by the office and lined it with shelves They got a variety of fiction and non fiction books and an set of encyclopedias and fill the closet. They took us 4 at a time to browse and check out a book. The very first library book I read was about a family who had taken a wagon train west. They lived on a prairie. Johnny Appleseed planted a tree in their yard. Years later a large apple from that tree saved their lives when a girl in the famly baked it into an apple pie for marauding indidans who had broken into thier mud cabin. I wll never forget it in all these years.

In retrospect, I should have approached the man and told him that he was part of a scene from a book. I was afraid he would ask "Who the heck ar you?" and ruin my reverie. But in my experience, I have never spoken to anyone in a library or bookstore (especially a used book store) that was not super friendly with a great sense of humor. I could have also found out what other book he was buying.