Free Labor

Libraries are the town center. The help desk, the knowledge base, the relaxing temperature controlled space in town that everyone can use. They are the park except the trees have been converted into shelving and ephemeral lessons. But not everyone can get to them, so sometimes the library has to go to them.

     "I need a bookmobile," the children's librarian said.

     The circulation librarian said, "You haven't even done a story time yet."

     "It starts in a few minutes. But I can go to my cousin and get it fixed quick."

     The circulation librarian pushed up her thick glasses and said, "Better take the director."

     So that is how I found myself pulling up to a lone house out on a dirt road with a sign that said, "Carol's Repair."

     "This is a mechanic?" I said.

     "Carol does overall repair. Man can fix just about anything," Childrens said. She had her bright red hair tied back under a bandanna. It was a hot day and getting hotter.

     "You ever seen Cujo?"

     "Hush. It ain't like that."

     "No, the dog's a… what is that?"

     Childrens was out the car and squealing at a large greyish brown animal lumbering toward her. "Hey, Brady," she said as the dog leaned on her leg to get a few pats.

     "That Sara?" a man's voice said. He had a deep drawl that somehow develops fifteen minutes outside of town. The kind of voice that still says "Chi-car-go" when talking football.

     "Hey Carol. Been a minute," Childrens said, giving the little man a hug.

     He was fifty at least, small and wiry with a faded tattoo on one muscled arm. Might have been a mermaid or an anchor at one time. He said, "Who you brung you?"

     I shook the man's iron grip and said my name. He nodded, looked down at my Converse, and hooked an eyebrow at Childrens.

     She said, "This is my boss at the library."

     "You got the job," Carol said, his face splitting into a grin that matched Childrens. "I saw you post on the Facebook."

     "I did. And we got a little bit of a problem."

     "Uh oh," Carol said.

     I handed over the bookmobile's owner's manual. He thumbed through it while I explained. "Had a guy look at it a while back. He said the alternator's busted. That the wiring rotted, been eaten by mice, or both. I'm afraid, though, we don't really have it in the budget to fix it."

     "Mister, you gave this girl her dream. Ever since we was little, she had all these books and put them in order and read to the little ones. If I could help, I'd do it and you'd only pay for parts. Free labor."

     "If?" Childrens said.

     Carol said, "It's Candi." He spit.

     "What's she got to do with it?"

     "She took ole Tom and the manuals. I can still do most stuff, but for wiring like this I'll need the full schematics from the manual, and she took them."

     Childrens chewed on her lip. "We can get them back."

     "Who's Candi?" I said. 

     Carol spit again. From the look on his face, this would not be easy. From the look on Childrens face, she would do it with or without me.