Don't Lock the Meeting Room
The reference librarian let the art teacher into the library at ten on saturday. Old Man Anchor was dead twenty-four hours later.
"My Christopher, you look good enough to eat," the art teacher told the reference librarian.
The reference librarian said, "Well, thank you. I might give you indigestion, though."
The children's librarian felt her blood run cold. She said, "I thought your class started at noon?"
They stood by the table for curbside pickup. A light morning rain pitter pattered down. Breaks in the clouds showed signs of sunshine coming later in the day.
The art teacher flashed her teeth. "I thought I would prepare. Some of my students are known to come early."
The reference librarian let her into the library. The children's librarian watched them walk into the dark building. Her arm was linked to his, and they laughed like old friends.
Around eleven, a couple came to the curbside table. The children's librarian greeted them and thanked them for wearing the black masks over their noses and mouths. They had the same dark hair and color-catching gray eyes of the art teacher. The man had on a brown hoodie that gave his eyes tan flecks while the woman's blue wrap over a white dress lit her face up. They walked past her. The reference librarian led them to the meeting room.
At eleven forty-five, Old Man Anchor came to the library. The sun had come out, just a few dark clouds in the sky dropping heavy rain drops. He said, "Damn old devil is beating his wife today."
"Excuse me?" the children's librarian said.
"The devil beating his wife."
"I guess I don't know the devil was married."
The old man grimaced. "I'm here for the art class."
"Us, too," said a young woman. Two of them, each holding big sketch pads under their arms with sorority ribbons in their hair.
"Well, then I guess we should let you in," the children's librarian said with an uneasy smile.
The reference librarian went to lead them back, but the children's librarian waved him off. When they got to the meeting room, the door was locked. Before she could get her key, the door opened.
"Well, Mr. Anchor. Look at you. Little rain on you, I see," the art teacher said from the dark meeting room. She stepped into the light. She wore a dark red robe that draped around her shoulders.
"Miss Karryn," the old man said, wiping at the water on his shoulders. "Devil's beating his wife out there."
The art teacher took him by the arm. "My daddy used to say that about sunshowers. 'Karryn, baby, when a day is so pretty the devil just has to take it out on someone and make it rain.'"
Old Man Anchor smiled and let himself be led into the meeting room. The college girls followed. The children's librarian started to follow, but the art teacher came back and blocked her way.
"Sorry, but I'm always a bit shy when I model for students. Do you mind if we have privacy?" the art teacher said. She pulled her robe up on her shoulder.
"Model?" the children's librarian said.
"The human form. Once you understand that, you can make art from just about anything."
"Nude modeling?"
"Well, modest."
"Nude modeling in the library?"
The art teacher gave a smile. Then she closed the door.
The children's librarian told the door, "Please don't lock the door. Fire codes."
Back at curbside, the children's librarian told the reference librarian, "She's doing nude modeling back there. Told her not to lock the door."
"Because of the fire codes," the reference librarian said.
"Yeah."
"The director did approve the program."
"He did," the children's librarian said.
After lunch until about two, with the sun out and the puddles evaporating in lazy mist, people came to get their holds. Young and old, singles and families. The librarians were busy. So busy they did not hear the sudden screams die down to moans in the meeting room.
Around three, the clouds came back. The two college girls and the old man left first. They walked slow and silent from the building, pale and dazed. The couple came next, smiling and hugging one another. They waved and told the reference librarian they would love to have him at the next meeting.
The art teacher left last. She nodded to the children's librarian and whispered something to the reference librarian.
"What did she say?" the children's librarian said.
"The reference librarian said, "That she looked forward to next month. Thanks for letting her use the library."
The children's librarian believed he was lying.