Heather in Small Heath

'Coincidental' Collision

"When the going gets tough,

the tough get a Librarian." ~ Joan Bauer

August, 2005. Pennsylvania. Victorian-Styled Apartment.

The sound of shattered ceramic echoed in Heather's ears as she felt the broken pieces rain down upon her crouched position. The shards were blue in color, and they had come from the bowl her mother had held just moments ago.

Heather slowly brought her head up, while still keeping her arms up to block her face, and she glanced at her mother's trembling form. Emily Duvall stood a mere four feet away from Heather, and she could hear her mother's breath come in and out in frustrated puffs. Emily's hazel eyes burned into Heather's brown ones for a few seconds, and then her mother turned her body away from her.

"Go," her mother spat. "Get out of my sight. I need space."

Heather paused for a few seconds and, not hearing her daughter's retreating footsteps, Emily jerked her body around.

"I said leave, child!"

Heather felt as if electricity shot straight through her entire nervous system. She was out the door in close to three seconds, and she felt her feet hit the cracked sidewalk in less than fifteen. Heather noted that her mother's eyes were filled with tears before she fled, and that made two of them.

*******

A few minutes later...

Turning around the familiar corner, Heather began to walk faster towards the white door of the red-bricked building.The Moorstown Library had two stories, many windows, and sat in the heart of the town. The front lawn of the library boasted numerous, well-trimmed bushes and trees and, as she walked under the weeping willow that stood guard in front of the building, Heather ran her fingers through the drooped branches. She would sometimes read a few stories underneath the shade of the tree, but today was simply too hot. The heat and the humidity seemed to stick to Heather like caramel on teeth, and all she craved was the coolness of the AC she knew was inside.

Heather pushed open the door, and she felt the sweat that had accumulated on her head begin to cool down almost immediately. The scent of old books and coffee greeted her like an old friend. Heather breathed in a sigh of relief.

She quickly walked past the foyer which hosted colorful posters advertising library activities for kids, and she instead walked confidently into the main room of the library.

The main desk of the library was circular and at least ten feet wide in diameter, and this made it the focal point of the entire room. The wooden bookshelves seemed to almost surround the desk , as the shelves were in rows with the books always facing the desk. There were at least five library workers in the circle conducting various jobs: checking books in, repairing older books, reading books themselves, or talking to various patrons.

The sounds of people typing, flipping books, and whispering in hushed voices eased Heather's tensed shoulders, and she started to search the workers for a certain bob of gray hair. Heather almost immediately found who she was looking for.

Danielle Maris wore a lavender shawl over her thin shoulders, and Heather watched as Ms. Maris picked up and moved hefty tomes with more speed and skill than her seemingly-dainty hands gave away. Her red lips curled upwards when she smiled, and her brown eyes gleamed with mischief as she spoke words Heather couldn't make out to one of her co-workers beside her. Ms. Maris' pearl earrings, which matched her white shirt, were just visible to Heather, as the Librarian's gray hair was just long enough to tickle the tips of her ears.