PERIODICAL

My word, her whisper startled me!

as did the closeness of her eyes magnified by my readers!

“I simply have to share this with you, ” words breathed in utter confidence.

I nod, trying to place her.

“I love to crochet…and I love all the crochet magazines, not just this one I’m holding.”

“uh hunh.”

I cannot back up since we are so close to the counter…

“Well, it is the same every month, every month, in every magazine, see?

She holds it open to me, tapered fingers sliding down the spine,

“See?”  dark eyes boring holes in mine.

I do.

I see it!

Someone has torn out an entire section of an article!

Someone has had the nerve to rip apart a library magazine, stealing the patterns, no doubt about it.  Slight panic…I dart a look back into her eyes, trying to remember if I had done it.  Then I remembered I don’t crochet, so…

“I’m going to tell this librarian over here right now.  I’m going to tell her.”

I nodded,

“good idea,”

slowly inched away, gathered my books, then hurried out the door, barely waiting for the automatic door to open… I do not know which librarian she nabbed.

“Ma’am,” she whispered, “I love to crochet…”