esprit - Academic Scranton - The University of Scranton

Covers
Lauren Shuleski
The key turned easily in the lock and Katherine held the door
open as four patrons filed in. She watched them carefully as they glided
past her: the old lady who came to the library every Tuesday and Friday,
checking out exactly two books every time, nodded at her. A pimply
teenage boy with spiky blond hair and three earrings in each ear strode
past her without looking, and two flashy-looking women walked past, too
engrossed in each other to notice someone holding a door. She looked
outside to make sure there was no one else, then let the door swing shut
behind her.
Katherine, librarian, aged twenty-seven, adjusted the hornrimmed
glasses on her face and smoothed a pleat on her skirt before taking
up her post behind the checkout counter. The two chic-looking women
from before stood at the counter, looking at the glossy maps of the library.
Katherine gave them both a once-over and decided they were probably
“together.” Being located in the center of a major city meant that lots of
eccentric-looking people passed through. Sometimes Katherine wondered
what these people could possibly be looking for, trotting up and down
the aisles between shelves full of literature, reading words through their
expensive designer glasses. These women fit that stereotype. They wore
too much make-up and too little clothing for a simple visit to the library.
Katherine watched as the blonde woman with purple high-heels leaned in
and heard her say something smart about some Russian author to the other
woman. Purple Pumps placed her hand on her companion’s back as she led
the way toward the stairs that ascended to the second floor.
Throughout the day, over five hundred people came in and out of
the library, and it was Katherine’s duty to stand behind the desk, smile,
and check out books for every one of them. But for now, she grabbed
the top book off the stack of six that had to be checked in, the new
Connie Buckets novel. She began flipping through the book, looking for
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