Nonfiction Book Reviews

Okay, everyone who missed me this past week, stand up and be counted!

::crickets chirping::

Well, good, that’s nice.  Moving on now…

So I got asked out today by a patron, and for once, it wasn’t terrifying. His name is Michael, he is a regular patron at the library, he has Down Syndrome, and he also has a huge crush on me.  He’s a cute kid - I would guess that he’s physically about my age, but mentally and emotionally, he’s probably around a 5 - 7 year old boy.  Let’s just say that life is much simpler in Michael’s world.

He didn’t always love me.  When I first started at the library, Michael didn’t want anything to do with me.  He always wanted to be helped by Marsha (my boss).  I remember one time asking him if he needed help, and he told me no, he was going to wait to talk to Marsha.  I was a little sad - I’m not used to people not wanting anything to do with me.  (I have one of those personalities where I always want EVERYONE to love me.  True story).

So I started working extra-hard at being outgoing and friendly with Michael, and sure enough, he started being my friend too.  Ahh…All is right in the world.  One day he asked me if he could call me Mom.  I told him sure, Michael, you can call me Mom.  After all, who could resist Michael?

Then today, he comes up to the front counter.  “Hi!!!” he said, bubbling over with excitement.  Turns out he was going to Jackpot with his (real) mother this weekend to go to a Teri Clark concert.  I was thrilled for him - he’s a huge fan of Teri Clark, and I knew this was a huge deal for him.

And then he asked me to go to the concert with him.

Yeah…Not so much.  I told him I couldn’t go out to a concert with him.  So he changed tactics, and told me that he was going to bring a video camera with him to the concert, and that he wanted to show me the tape afterwards.  I told him I’d love to watch the tape.

“So you’ll come to my house and watch it with me?” he asked eagerly.

“No, hon, I can’t come to your house.  I can’t date people who come to the library.  It’s a rule.”

“Well, I want to talk to Sally!” he half-shouted.  He has been a patron long enough that he knows that Sally is the big boss of the library, and he was just sure that if he talked to her, she’d let me go on a date with him.  “But I loooovvveeee you!” he howled.

I finally got him calmed down, but then he started asking me, “Do you have a girlfriend?”  He meant boyfriend, of course, but it made me smile nonetheless.

“No, I don’t have a boyfriend,” I told him.  “I am married.”

“Oh, you’re married?” he said sorrowfully.  “How long have you been married?”

“Seven years.”

“Seventy years?!  That’s a long time!”

This time I couldn’t hide the smile.  Yeah, considering I’ve only been alive for 28, 70 years would be quite a long time.

“Are you going to break up with him?” Michael asked, serious as can be.

“No, I’m not going to break up with him,” I told him.  “I love my husband.”

“Oh.” Silence for a moment.  “What’s his name?”

“Doug.”

“Can you ask Doug if I can take you out on a date?” he asked earnestly.

I just wanted to give him a hug right then and there.

“No honey, I can’t go out on a date with you.  I’m sorry.”

“Well…….tell Doug I told him hi.  Can you tell him that?”

“Yes, I’ll tell him that,” and I watched Michael walk out the door.

Working at a library is so rewarding.  I can’t tell you how much I love knowing that I am making a difference in the patron’s lives, especially the regulars like Michael.  Michael wasn’t threatening or obnoxious - just imagine a seven-year-old telling his mom that someday, he was going to grow up and marry her, and then you’ll get the picture.  It was just cute.

I tried to get my husband jealous over my new boyfriend tonight at dinner, but he didn’t fall for it.  Perhaps I’ll have better luck next time.

Hava
Who’s not sure how many more boyfriends she has that she can drag out of the closet to make the hubby jealous with, but is going to go check right now to see if she can’t round up one or two…