You seldom write in the second person, most likely because you don’t think much about doing this. Or perhaps you can’t step back – it’s like being surrounded by books. Take out the like. You are surrounded by books.

You learned in reading The Girl on the Metro that you are not a hoarder, which was what you had come to believe. Rather you are a passeur, which is someone who passes on books to others.

Alys at Koslosky Building bookcase

This became quite clear to you today when you returned to the Palmer Senior Center after a two week hiatus. You walked over to the far table where you set out the books and were immediately surrounded by people who had questions for you. You stepped back because catching the Covid virus was still of concern to you. Numerous people asked where you’d been, and you told them that you’d been to the Yukon but returned home early because you got rained out.

A few also mentioned that there was a woman who dropped by wanting books. Someone then gave you her number. Someone wanting books; this, you thought, is opposite of what’s been going on lately.

You were also told that the downstairs library had been consolidated and that you were welcome to take some of the boxes of books that were on hand. After talking a bit with your friends Mario and Mary, you ventured downstairs and discovered that, yes indeed, there were several boxes of books.

You put the books on a food cart, wheeled it over to the elevator, then after getting off on the first floor, wheeled the cart over to your car where you unloaded it. It was groundhog day as you did this repeatedly.

On the last trip it occurred to you that what you were doing was nonsensical in that you’d take the books to the Meeting House, sort through them, then bring them back to the senior center. There had to be another way.

You went back inside the building, and after talking with Sue, the senior center book guardian, you returned with cart in hand to your car, loaded up the books, then wheeled them into the senior center dining hall. Sue gave you an assist unloading them onto and under the book table.

You then returned to your car and made a quick getaway, sensing that the upstairs powers that be might descend on you and insist that you take the books with you.

It’s not that you don’t like books. In fact, you would not be heading up this project if you didn’t like books. The problem remains – you have only so much space in which to store books. If you had what you envisioned, a large room with shelving, you’d be more efficient. And too, you’d have room for library discards.

Later, after cleaning young adult books, you organized the books in the Meeting House. Amazingly, you now have more space. Will wonders ever cease? If they do, then this job won’t be worth doing.

Next: 238. 8/31/22: Rain, now a Common Refrain