SETTING: My "liberry" some hours before my arrival, though reported in detail later on. A male patron approaches the circ-desk, turns in five Dick Francis novels and marches off to the mystery section, presumably for more. Mrs. A checks them in and notices that the man has a sixth Dick Francis book still out. She steps out toward the mystery shelves where the patron is browsing through the Dick Francis section.
MRS. A— Excuse me, sir, but I just wanted to let you know that you still have 0dds Against by Dick Francis checked out and overdue.
MAN— 0dds Against? No, I don't have that book.
MRS. A— You brought it back?
MAN— I never had it. I never checked it out.
MRS. A— Are you sure?
MAN— Yes. I don't read Dick Francis.
MRS. A— (Glancing at the other books in our Dick Francis collection on the shelf in front of which the man is directly standing) Uh... Didn't you just bring back five Dick Francis books?
(Pause)
MAN— Yes... But I never had 0dds Against.
MRS. A— You're sure?
MAN— Yes. I brought that back last week.
MRS. A— You never had it... but you brought it back last week?
MAN— I saw it on the shelf here today.
MRS. A— (Glancing again at the Dick Francis shelf where 0dds Against is clearly NOT located) It's not here now, sir.
MAN— (Stares blankly at her)
MRS. A— Do you think you could have a look at home?
MAN— All right.
4 comments:
I love this post. I've been in that time-warp before. I feel your, er, her pain.
Do you think he's trying to pick up tips from the books and failing miserably?
Normally when this type of thing happens at our library we find the book in the book drop later in the week, or we never see that patron again. Sometimes it's worth the $30+to replace the book just to never have those patrons return to the library.
Maybe he was going for a Jedi Mind Trick . . .
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