28 March 2012 The Stack

Sam had 64 books checked out to her from the library. These are the ones that were due today, minus one. We tore the house apart looking for it. Searched the car. Asked AC if Sam had left it at his office. It was nowhere to be found. Irritated that we’d probably have to pay for a replacement, I took Sam to the library. She was pretty sure we’d returned the book the previous week and suggested that we look for it on the shelf. Et voilà. It was there. The library staff apologized profusely for neglecting to scan it in properly and they commended Sam for thinking to look on the shelf. “That’s what we would have done!” Sam beamed. But not as hard as I beamed. I felt like a sack of bricks had been lifted off my back. There’s something so weighty about a missing library book.