Humor me by reading this, and I’ll return the favor.  🙂

A few weeks ago, I was lamenting the fact that I hadn’t seen a favorite patron in months – a chatty, precocious boy who, since a very young age, had been allowed by his mother to come alone to the library and read whatever he wished.  He would request every book in a nonfiction series about baseball, basketball, football, or whatever struck his fancy.  Never shy about seeking assistance, he once came to me inquiring why we did not have a book about the Seattle Seahawks (we’re in NJ).  I explained that unless the team has superstar players or has won the Super Bowl, there aren’t always current books available about them.  The day after the Seahawks won their only Super Bowl, he came in to place his hold.

In any case, I was thrilled when he popped in on a quiet Thursday night.  With his mother’s usual trust, he was carrying her driver’s license for identification.  He needed to print some items for homework. We had a nice little chat.  I told him that I’d missed him and how nice it was to see him. I asked about school.

When his homework was finished, he came to the reference desk to pay for his prints.  The cost was eighty cents.  He gave me a dollar and I gave him his change, commenting that I hoped to see him again soon.  He distractedly began scanning the surface of the reference desk.  “What do you need?” I said. “Tape? Paper clip? Stapler?”

“No, ” he replied, still clutching his two dimes. “Where’s the tip jar?”

😀