Date Posted:21:26:38 03/07/04 Sun Author: Rabid, considering parallel lives.... Subject: Do you already have your own Toyota? In reply to:
Kande's Sis wishing her cybertwin happy middle-age!
's message, "KS gazes out the window at the library" on 07:20:49 03/05/04 Fri
"OH, another present," Rabid sighs, in evident delight. "Thank you sooo much." She bestows an air kiss in the direction of the gift-giver's cheek. The librarian doesn't even glance at the package, she just shoves it into the huge pile of festively wrapped boxes towering behind her.
"I hope you like it. I made it myself," the giver exclaims. "It took almost four months."
"I'm sure it will be adequate," Rabid remarks, carelessly. "Now, let's have your library card and take a look at those fines."
The gift bearer hands over a plastic square with a barcode on it. Rabid scans the code with her lightpen and her computer screen serves up a list of charges.
"I never had a fine before," the giver babbles. "But my sister was sick and I had to fly to Newark and then my house burned down and my neighbor rescued the books but he forgot to tell me."
"Nineteen dollars and twenty-three cents," Rabid exclaims in a shocked tone. One well manicured hand flutters to her breast as she gapes at the bearer of her latest birthday gift. "Did you bring me the first Season of Starsky & Hutch?"
"Uhm...no...I told you..."
"Ah, yes," Rabid nods, recalling. "Handmade. You did say...it took you four months. Is it something decadent and rich? Some rare dessert?"
"Uh!"
"Not a dessert," Rabid pouts. She glares at the giver. "You expect me to waive a $19.23 fine for some musty old afghan or tatted sweater?"
"But there was a fire...and my sick mother..."
"You said, it was your SISTER!"
"She caught whatever it was from our mother."
"Oh, for heaven sake," Rabid snaps. She pushes a few buttons and the screen clears. "There, the fine is gone. But next year...I won't be so lenient. Remember to bring chocolate." That said, she turns to the next person in line. "Well, well, this is a bit more like it." The next person is almost hidden behind a huge box topped by an enormous bow. Rabid slaps the counter with one hand. "Heft that up here before you strain something...and drop it."
The mountain of gifts behind the librarian shakes violently. Rabid is too involved with the big box, which she learns is a plasma tv, to notice the tremors. On the far side of the library, Kande has burrowed far into the pile and is busy toting away presents with the help of a few bookcarts. It is like a mining operation. One by one she excavates brightly wrapped packages.
She carts the purloined gifts to the surface and hands the cart off to JD, who hands off to Bubba, who hands off to Bubba Two, who unloads the booty into a dump truck parked just outside the emergency exit. Slowly but surely Kande is mining out the best of the librarian's birthday presents. She has also diverted the group with the cake, sending them scurrying for the Klub.
"A surprise birthday party isn't as hard to do as I thought it would be," Kande remarks to JD as she shoves a heavily laden cart at him and takes an empty in return.
"And you've managed to surprise both of them at once," JD nods.
Rabid/Raeann
happy to hear you are living the librarian life KS. Have you gone mad yet? If you are living my life...you soon will...just letting you know!
