First 12 Chapters - How I Became A Crazy Cat Lady To Survive A Zombpocalyse

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Chapter 2

Worried about her chances of being hired after delaying her interview to attend to her father's funeral, Babette couldn't sit still while she waited so she began reshelving books and dusting the shelves with a tissue. Her morning interview at the George Peabody Institute Library on Washington Square left her feeling unhopeful. They only wanted someone in person working on Mondays and Thursdays and as needed for special projects and pulling documents for interlibrary loans. The pay wouldn't cover a week's worth of rent in the city of Baltimore. As she moved to another shelf within sight of the director's door, she noticed an elderly woman come in and sit in the chair near her bag. Shaking her head at the fact no one spoke to the woman, she walked over.

"Can I help you find something, ma'am?"

The elderly woman's eyes were keen and intelligent as she asked, "Yes, can you recommend a good book?"

"What kind of stories do you like? Or do you prefer non-fiction?" Babs asked as she easily fell into the role of librarian.

She had been her Aunt Ouisa's library assistant before college and spent her entire time at Harvard helping those who did not know how to use a card catalogue or read the Dewey Decimal System identifiers to find books. Half an hour later, the woman named Mattilda had a stack of five books. Two were contemporary P.O.C. fictions, one was a mystery, and the last two were out-of-print books on cats, including a 1920 edition of Cats, Librarians, and Libraries, a collection of essays about the library cat culture by Phyllis Lahti.

"So what do you think about cats in libraries, Babette?" Mattilda asked as she checked out her books.

"I am certain people would love them as long as they didn't damage the books. Cat Cafés are all the rage."

"Oh, have you visited one?" Mattilda inquired.

"No ma'am," Babette admitted, then thinking about her own allergies, she added in politically correct wording, "However, many people are allergic to animal dander, and it would be unfair to deny them access so part of the patrons could enjoy reading with a cat on their lap."

"You are so right, my dear. I think you'll do nicely. Come with me." Mattilda walked back to the director's office and went in. Sitting behind the desk, she smiled at Babette who stared at her in shock. "Forgive my deception, Dr. Bland, but this library was started by my family, and we take great care in who we hire. Most of your coworkers have Computer Information Technology or English and Writing Degrees. Many teach virtual classes and, since the start of the previous pandemic, only come in person one or two days per week. We need someone here daily. The hours are long, ten to eight on Monday through Thursday, and ten to five on Friday and Saturday. We are closed Sunday, but I will allow you to pick Friday or Saturday off as long as we have staff coverage."

"Thank you, ma'am." Babette wanted to collapse in relief, but she held herself as professionally as she could. "I am so excited to work for such a prestigious and historic library."

"Tell me dear, have you found a place to live yet?" Mrs. Pratt asked curiously. "How will you arrive to work each day?"

Babette shook her head. "I have a few apartments to look at and then I will be taking mass transit to and from work."

Mattilda held out her hand. "Show me the addresses." She tutted as she looked over the paper Bab's pulled from her bag. "No, these won't do it all. They are too far away, and the Metro train and CityLink buses have not been reliable since the second pandemic. Besides, the crime in these areas would have me worried for you every day."

Embarrassed, Babs admitted, "I can't afford to live closer and pay my student loan debt."

"How much is that?" Mattilda scowled as she asked.