3 - Being Mr Lampton's Assistant

The sound of my alarm startled me awake and for like five minutes, I was trying to figure out why I woke up in a strange room instead of my house. I started looking around when all of a sudden, the events of the previous day rushed into my memory and I remembered that the library basement was my new home. I looked at the time and noticed it was already 8 am and the library is supposed to open at 8:30am.

I immediately jumped out of my bed and raced to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and probably took the fastest shower I have ever taken in my life. I picked out a checkered shirt and my blacked washed jeans pairing with it my converse before picking up my phone and checking the time. It was 8:20 am. I almost heaved a sigh of relief as I walked out of my room into the main library.

Immediately I opened the library doors for the day, Mr Lampton walked in with a big smile on his face and two takeout bags. looked at him weirdly, I mean who was this happy so early in the morning? Certainly not me, I hated mornings.

"Good morning my dear Mercedes. Hope you slept well?" he asked as he handed one of the takeout bags to me.

"I figured you wouldn't have eaten anything this morning, so I got you something on my way here", he continued as I looked into the bag. My tummy growled as the smell of fresh croissants wafted right into my nose.

"Good morning to you to Mr Lampton and thank you for the breakfast. I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to eat something," I smiled at him.

"You're welcome. Take fifteen minutes to eat your food. You can only eat in the break room, you're not a stranger here so I'm sure you know where that is. After that I'll take on a tour around the library and also give you the details of your duties as my assistant," he said while I nodded my head.

I didn't realize I was so hungry until I sat down to eat. I kept stuffing croissant after croissant into my mouth while downing it with the latte Mr Lampton got alongside it. I felt so full that I wished I could go back to bed to sleep. However, I knew I couldn't so after a few minutes, I went to Mr Lampton's office

"Mr Lampton", I called as stood at the door of his office

"I'm done eating. So I came to you for further instructions about my cuties," I said.

"Mercedes please come in and sit down," he gestured towards the extra sit in his office.

"You're not a stranger, so you don't have to stand by the door while talking to me. You can come in here anytime you need to talk about something or need clarity on any issue," Mr Lampton said while removing his glasses and looking at me.

"Yes sir. I understand," I nodded at him.

"So," he began.

"The job requirements and duties are quite easy. Like you already know the library opens up by 8:30 am. I'll provide your own access to the library laptop and wifi. When anyone borrows a book, you enter it into the borrowed register. You take the down the person's name, phone number, the book title and the amount of days they intend to borrow it for. You following?"

"Yeah....yeah, I'm following," I nodded repeatedly.

"But I want to ask though, is there like a fine for anyone who returns their books later than the expected return date?"

"Yes there is. For each day that someone errs or fails to return their book, they pay a $5 fine. So if they return their book three days later, they are expected to pay $15," he added.

"Okay I guess I understand that perfectly. What else or is that all?", I asked nervously because I already felt like I was already asking so many questions. I didn't want Mr Lampton to feel like I was an airhead who didn't understand simple instructions.

"Also when someone returns their book, you enter it into the returned register. The library closes by 5 pm, so you get a 45 minutes break between 1pm to 1:45pm. You also have to be around the library area to assist anyone who can't find the books they're looking for."

"Please also familiarize yourself with the library's arrangement. Its important to know which section is for fiction and which is for history. It makes the job easier for you. You can sit anywhere you wish to sit but you also have to help maintain decorum. If anyone is making noise or speaking loudly, politely ask them to quiet down. That's all."

I nodded as I took in all the instructions that Mr Lampton had handed down to me. I made a mental note to write them in my journal so that I don't forget them easily.

"That will be all Mercedes. You can find the two registers in the top shelf at the library corner and I'll text the password to the laptop and wifi to you. You can get back to work now and please try to enjoy your first day at work," Mr Lampton said with a tone of finality.

I stood up and left his office as I headed straight to the library corner to grab the registers. I went through them to familiarize myself on how to make the entries. I also tried to memorize the sections of the library but it was quite difficult.

After a while I decided to sit and plug in my earphones. I needed to listen to some music as a form of therapy because this was indeed a lot to take in. 'Beautiful Stranger' by Black Atlas came and I couldn't help but overthink.

I thought about my parents and my sister and wondered if they had even tried to look for me. I really doubted that though because they've always wanted me gone and now that I actually did, they'd be the happiest family they've always been without me.

I also thought about college that was starting in three months time. Since I had a tuition scholarship, I had to pay for just few stuff in school. I sincerely hoped that by then I would have saved enough money to pay for them without hassle.

"Ehm Ehm", someone cleared their throat beside me. I looked up to see a guy that looked about sixteen staring at me shyly.

"Hello, good morning. I'm so sorry my earphones were a bit loud. Which types of books are you looking for?," I asked while smiling politely at the boy.

"Erm, I'm looking for some Shakespearean novels. Preferably the Merchant of Venice, Othello and Romeo and Juliet," he said as he blushed.

He looked so cute while being red-faced.

"Come this way", I gestured for him to follow me as I led him to the Shakespeare section.

"Here", I pointed at the collection of books

"You can find anything you want in this section. I'll be waiting where you met me. If you need anything, just come find me there and I'll answer your questions or guide you on anything you need," I said as I left him to continue looking through the books.

I walked back to my sit and waited for him to get back. Few minutes later, he came back with quite a pile of books and dumped them in front of me. I counted them and took note of their titles as I entered them into the register.

"Please can I get your name, phone number and also the day you intend to return the books?" I looked up at him.

He provided the details for me and then proceeded to stuff the books into his backpack after I was through with the entry.

"Thank you very much," he muttered as he walked out of the library very briskly like something was chasing him. I think he embarrased that he was a bookworm.

A few more people came into the library to either borrow or return the books. Some even had to heavy fines because they were way behind on their scheduled date of return.

By 1pm, I was already so exhausted and wondered how Mr Lampton kept up with every day for years. That man must be a robot or something because I already felt like I could faint and it was just my first day. I stood up to get something from the cafe opposite the library since it was my break time.

"Mr Lampton", I shouted loud enough for him to hear me

"I'm heading out to get lunch from this cafe opposite us. I'll be back in twenty minutes and I'll get something for you too. So don't worry about stepping out to anything."

It took me only about five minutes to get to the cafe. I entered and walked straight to the counter. I wanted to order fast and get out of there because I didn't want anyone to see me and inform my parents. Word really flies fast in our little down.

I ordered some fries and chicken wings with big cokes for both me and Mr Lampton and I got out of there immediately I paid the bill.

I dropped the takeout bag in Mr Lampton's office and he muttered a quick thanks before continuing what he was doing on his laptop.

I ate my food in the break room while watching videos on YouTube. After which, I waited until 5pm but only one person came into the library after my break. Mr Lampton had already left me to lock up. I returned the registers back to their positions and locked up the doors of the library.

I headed back to my room and was so grateful that they actually installed a heater in the bathroom. I ordered Chinese food and had a hot shower while waiting for the delivery.

My food came few minutes after I had gotten out of the bathroom. I ate my food and watched some movies before my eyes gave way to sleep. Life as Mr Lampton's assistant was no easy task.