Untitled piece lovingly titled "The Secret lives of Librarians" by the staff at RCFF

By Audrey the Librarian 

She stretched and crept out from behind the seat where she was hidden, disguised as an airport worker readying the plane.  Ahhhh there he was, lying there, reading THE BOOK.  He actually had a beer on the floor beside him and he was smoking!!  With THE BOOK!!  His hair curled softly around his sculptured face.  His beard helped define his strong features.  He took a drag on the cigarette and exhaled the smoke through his nostrils.  She winced.
 
He reached for the bottle and took a sip.  She held her breath.  No drips.  His strong thighs were encased in sweatpants and he was wearing a muscle tee.  “Keep your mind on your work, Audrey,”  she advised herself.
 
He looked up with a start when he saw her standing there in the aisle, her jump suit fitting in all the right places.  Her short brown hair was neatly combed around her face.  Non-nonsense glasses framed her light brown eyes.  She didn’t look happy.
 
“Hello, luv”, he said.  “Who are you and what are you doing on my airplane?  Want a beer?”
 
“Not while I’m on duty”, she said firmly.
 
“Duty, luv?” he asked.
 
She flipped out her wallet and flashed a card at him.
“Coff’s Harbour Public Library,” she stated.  “I’m on special loan from the U.S.  That book you are reading is two years overdue, sir.  Please hand it over.”
 
“Oh well, “ he said, smiling.  “I guess you’re right.  Are you going to take it from me now or can I have it until we land?”
 
She hadn’t thought of this. She sat down in the seat across from him, trying not to show weakness. Her only mission had been to get the delinquent book from him and return it safely, minus burns and beer splotches, to the library shelves.  “You may continue to read until we land,” she said.  “I’ll just sit here and take possession of the book when we disembark.”
 
He looked at her calmly, with a twinkle in his eye.  “I suppose I owe one helluva fine, don’t I?  Anything we could do about that?”
 
She returned his gaze.  “Fines are sometimes negotiated down if certain other considerations are met.”
 
“Such as?” he asked, smiling.
“Volunteer work,” she said soberly.
 
“Well,” he said, “I’d like to volunteer.  I volunteer to check out something else.”  His eyes danced. 
 
“I’m very sorry, sir,” she said, “but there will be no further ‘checking out’ until all materials have been returned or……..what did you want to check out?”
 
“The librarian.”  He smirked at her and took another drag of his cigarette.
“Volunteer work is usually done on library premises,” she stated, slowly standing up.  Her hand reached for the top snap on her jump suit.  “But, in this case, I might make an exception.”
 
And she did.
 
 
Audrey the Librarian