#44 Patronage

Dear diary,

Since being promoted to Library Officer I’ve had only a couple of shifts at the desk. I picked up the check-out system quick enough – it’s just checking-in in reverse – and have served a number of patrons. I have to keep calling over Boudecia to help whenever something new, though I really hate to do it because she looks like she’s got enough on her plate already. I talk about what kind of things I’ve come across with Talia or, if there’s no-one else around, not even one of the patrons, Shannon.

Already I’m getting to know the ‘regulars’; the patrons who come all the time and are well-known by the staff. Here are some of them:

Ukulele Patterson – He’s a busker who, well, busks on the street, his usual spot being a few doors down from the library entrance. He borrows two DVDs every time he comes in, and brings them back the next day. Sometimes he’ll hum a tune while I check the DVDs out to him. He’s chatty and impossible not to like.

The Twins Adagio – These two old women are inseparable, dress alike and one of them has the surname Adagio. Go figure. They chat nonstop to each other about books they’ve read. Eve after they’ve left the building you can still smell their heavy perfume scent in the air, and hear their chatter off in the distance.

Toilet Woman – She brings her kid in the pusher in all the time, to use the toilet. Talia reckons he’s got a weak bladder, and that his mother, whom we gave the unfortunate nickname to, borrows random kids books to try and mask her embarrassment. It’s kinda cute.

Mr War – We call him this because he always borrows books on both World War II. Goldie says he’s researching them for a novel he’s writing, while Shannon claims wholeheartedly that he’s a neo-Nazi because he’s bald. Either way, he always talks to me about the atrocities of the war, which kinda freaks me out.

Lester – This is the guy who made fun of Sylvia. He’s a nasty piece of work, incredibly sarcastic, racist and sexist. I’d heard about him ages ago, from Ernesto. Apparently he’s annoyed every member of staff over the fifteen year period since he’s been coming here. Ernesto told me they can’t find enough suitable grounds to ban him permanently, although a former member of staff, Colin Harper, once tried.

Bronson – Bron’s son comes here all the time. It’s school holidays and he spends probably more time here than his mother. He and I get along pretty well, we have lots in common, but he takes my love of graphic novels and video games to the extreme. Surely spending as much time as he does in fantasy worlds can’t be good for you.

-Jay

(Author’s note: Most of these characters are based on regulars at the library where I work. I could’ve gone into much greater detail about a certain individual who is a lot like Lester, only much worse, but for the sake of making this not an essay I think I’ll keep it simple. For now.)