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 Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 10:38 am
It was days like this that made Tony wonder why the library was designed like this. The loading area was on the third floor, though that just meant everyone had to go up there to get or bring heavy packages into the library. There was no direct access for drop offs, and though they tended not to get huge shipments where this would be a problem, it was still a lot more work than having the processing room in, say, a convenient location on the ground floor.
Apparently the designers had wanted it as out of the way as possible, so the main floors were completely dedicated to the actual tasks of the library for the public, which only made sense in theory. In application, it made Anthony's knees hurt from having to make repeated trips up to the third floor and back down to the other offices for deliveries. Acquisitions went to the first floor, since they were behind the Circulation desk with pretty much everything else.
Bigger deliveries, more than a couple packages, were exhausting.
Today he had to pick up a large donation of reference material. A whole set of large, unwieldy encyclopedias in large boxes to be carted down to the desk one at a time, if he was smart and careful, since the only cart sturdy enough to move them was small. Tony, how ever, had no intention of being any of those things and loaded the cart with three boxes, of five, in an effort to cut some time down.
He got out of the shipping room and just passed some shelves on the third floor, on his way to the elevator, before the whole thing tipped up and the boxes, and the librarian, spilled to the floor. Encyclopedias triumphantly escaped their boxes and Tony heaved a frustrated sigh as he pushed himself to his feet. Glancing around furtively, hoping no one had seen him, he spotted a student he was familiar with and started waving.
"Benji!" he called, ignoring the 'quiet in a library' dictum, "can I get your help for a moment?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:34 am
Benji was flipping through one of his favorite books, How Stuff Works, when a clatter arose not too far from where he was sitting. Things like that were hard to miss in a library, where the only real sounds were the turning of pages and perhaps the occasional cold-inflicted sniffler. The boy turned his head just in time to see a figure through the shelves mopping themselves up from the floor, surrounded by smaller, cluttered shapes. He'd already assumed the sort of incident that occurred when the familiar face of the head librarian popped into full view. He probably should have known.
Anthony's voice was enough to make Benji start out of his quiet observation, and the older man was given a nod of assent before he shut his book and got to his feet.
"What can I do fer ya, Mistah Darrow?" The youth asked once he was closer, bowing his head somewhat in order to keep his voice low. Of course he'd be happy to help! His eyes tracked over the man, as if noticing his disheveled appearance for the first time. "Yew awlright?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 12:13 pm
Anthony smiled as the young man came over to help him out. The kid was in much better shape than Tony was, and could probably help him figure out the mess he had made of trying to transport the boxes. He knew Benji was a nice kid, which also helped ease the awkwardness of admitting he had made a mess in the first place.
So long as the other hadn't seen the actual fall, it was all good.
"Would you mind helping me out here," he ventured to ask, adjusting his coat and making sure his hair was all in place. He cleared his throat, smoothing his hands down his vest once he felt everything was in order.
"I ah, took a little fall. I think I overloaded the cart with these encyclopedia, and I need a bit of help getting them downstairs so I can process them for Reference." Too much information, the imagined, but he wasn't the best at summing things up succinctly, "I'm fine, if not a bit embarrassed... but ah, do you think you could help me? I think the cart can handle two, but the third won't work."
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 8:06 pm
Benji had experienced his fair share of times where something had knocked him on his a**. Not recently, of course, not since he hit his growth spurt last year, but he knew how it was. He simply nodded at the older male's explanation, moving over to inspect the dolly with which the librarian was trying to cart things around. The bar that held up the boxes was too short, he noticed. The stack must have gotten too top-heavy to tote without the books falling off.
"No problem, Mistah Darrow. How 'bout I carry tha extra box and you keep on with the cart?" Already, he was down on the floor, setting the upturned boxes upright and carefully piling the thick-spined books back inside. He put the two back on the cart without being asked, moving to test the feel of it by pushing it back to a slant and jostling it a bit, side to side. It stayed. He wouldn't tell an adult how to do their job, so he silently went to pick up his allotted box. It wasn't too bad, really. "How come... they put 'em up here in the first place?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:55 am
Tony smiled when Benji came over to help him, immensely thankful. One of these days, Tony would get himself to the gym and do some lifting or cardio, get himself into some kind of shape. It was ridiculous, he reminded himself constantly, how tired he often got doing leg work around this place. Carting books around, particularly.
"Are you sure you can carry the box? They're rather heavy," but even as he was saying it he realized that the boy could probably easily handle the box's weight. If Tony himself tried it, of course, he would be straining, but that just further reminded him of his silent promise to work out.
One day. When he had the time. Maybe.
"Oh, thank you," he said, when Benji restored the boxes to the cart, "they ah... well, it's a design flaw in the building. For some reason they put the mail room and drop off area up here, instead of down on the first floor where it might be convenient." He shook his head, not wanting to get started on that subject.
He would be grumbling endlessly.
Taking the dolly again, carefully this time, he led the way to the elevator.
"I'm sorry to interrupt whatever it was you were doing here. School work?"
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Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 5:53 pm
"Ah. Well, I'm sure they had their reasons." Benji said passively enough, following slowly behind Tony at a sort of lumbering pace. Once they got near the elevator, he leaned somewhat against a wall to stabilize himself while they waited for it.
"Yeah, somethin' like that. Nothin' too big though, don't yew worry. Besides, there's always time ta help out a friend in need."
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Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 7:36 pm
"Oh, I'm sure," Tony laughed, shaking his head. "It was probably a bitter, vindictive reason, but it was there nonetheless." He sighed, trying to make light. He was still feeling a bit embarrassed, and just wanted to get everything where it needed to go, so he could move on with the day.
His knee was hurting. Had he bumped it? If it was bruised he was just going to be more angry about this whole thing. 'Angry', anyway, as Tony could define the word. Grumpy and sarcastic, but only in private. He would still be all smiles and genuinely friendly to guests. He wasn't very good at being angry these days, save on very rare occasions. Something as simple as falling over happened far too regularly for it to really bother him now.
He smiled though, as they waited for the elevator.
"It's nice to meet good kids like you these days. I'm sorry to drag you away from your work, though. Hopefully it doesn't put you behind?"
He offered a smile, then let him go into the elevator first, following behind. He pressed a button and waited as they began to move down, sighing at how slow the thing seemed to be going today.
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:33 am
Honey-hued eyes gave a bemused blink at the statement. He kind of had to doubt that anyone would make a building specifically designed for making the librarians haul books and mail down the stairs like Sisyphus reversed. But you know, since Mister Darrow had said it, it was probably true. That was just awful.
To the compliment there came a faint twitch of his lips, then an assuring smile. "Aw, naw, it's the least I can do," A soft gunt as shifted from the wall and into the elevator, shifting to widen his stance once he was in a comfortable place. This transfered his weight almost imperceptibly and lessened what he bore in his arms, "Near-limitless, free resource is worth respectin', and besides that, you've always been good ta me. Don't you worry none, Mistah Darrow - two shakes of a lamb's tail ain't gonna cost me anything."
After thinking on it a moment more (holding a heavy box of books makes one inclined to look for distraction), he had to furrow his brow a little. "Just what do you mean by 'good kids', sir? Someone hasn't been givin' you trouble, I hope?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:16 am
Tony was sure the architects had not been so cruel as to purposefully make his life, and the life of any librarian, harder on purpose, but he also could not wrap his head around a good enough reason for the design. He might have to look into the history of the building, now that he was thinking about it, to see how it had first been designed. It was older than his tenure there, certainly, and he had never put thought into that part of the job.
Not that it really mattered for anything, but he liked knowing about the library, and imagine a bit more of a history lesson would allow him to give the facts rather than 'I don't know' when asked about it in the future.
He smiled as the younger man reassured him that wrangling him into work was okay, though Tony still felt a bit guilty. Especially when he shifted the weight of the box. He tried to will the elevator to go faster, despite the assurance that everything was fine. It churned along slowly, finally, at its own pace and regardless of Tony's silent urging, it settled on the ground floor and the doors slid open.
At the question he bristled a bit, leading the way out of the elevator and toward the desk, which was quite nearby now. He looked at Benji, shaking his head.
"Ah, no, it's fine. I just mean most young people are more inclined to... you know. Not help with anything or take time out of their day to, ah, carrying books for someone, you know? Different times. Not that I... uh... ever did that when I was a kid, either." He laughed at that, motioning to the counter. "You can leave the box there! Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it."
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