When Children Are Unexpectedly Nice And Excuses Are Offered To The Power Of Five.
That's one way to pay your fines...
Today marks another day full of statistics in the circulation binder, and as any day at the library, it was full of public caused amusement and wonder.
I find myself in a rather elated mood this evening, which is quite odd for a Tuesday. On this day every week I help with story-time, open the library, work through two batches of courier deliveries, and my favorite, help facilitate the after school program.
The saint of a woman that runs the after school children's program every week deserves at the very least a six figure salary and her own personal masseuse. I exist to help her with whatever aid she needs, from clean up to bouncer and everything in between, but she has to plan and deliver programs to children in two libraries every day of the week. Like I said, masseuse, money, etc...
Today after a rousing set of Book Bingo with twenty-six vociferous children, I found myself picking up bingo tokens off of the carpet while Miss M handed out books to the attendees. This one fifth grade girl came up to me and said:
"You look more like a teenager than an adult."
"What?" I replied in a bit of shock, for as I was hopping around on the floor picking up little paper circles I was feeling every one of my thirty-five years.
"Yeah." her friend piped up, "You act like a teenager instead of an adult too."
Normally I would have some wise crack for the kids in response, but here lately I have begun to feel what I guess could be called the side effects of age. That some almost teenagers think that I am like a teenager soothed some of the pain in my volleyball damaged knees...
My amusement peaked a short while later when my coworker brought back this book for me to look upon:
She opened the classic bit of prose to its cover page and lo this is what I beheld:
"How did this even happen?" I squealed with glee as I grabbed my phone to take a picture. "Something this amazing must be archived!"(Sorry, I am a librarian 😜)
Sarah went on to explain that a mother had returned the book on behalf of her son. She said he accidentally spilled super glue on it. This was mom's explanation, I kid you not!
"He accidentally spilled the glue in a straight line!" I was giggling pretty good at this point, for the placement of the coins in perfect intervals screams the concept of a complete and total accident.
"Yes." Sarah replied,"That's what she said."
"How did she explain the coins?" I queried.
"She didn't." Sarah responded in her dead pan way, "The super glue excuse was a far as she got by means of explanation."
I now have a new goal in life. I want to level up to Excuse Level Super Glue and Coin. One isn't living until they can do something obviously intentional and yet claim it was an accident with a straight face. Better yet, have your mom deliver your lines for you! I still can't talk about the things that other people do with a straight face, let alone works of my own idiocy. My excuse-fu is weak, challenge accepted.
And as always, the images in this post were taken by the author on her binding glue residue-covered iPhone.