The Gods of Song and Poetry

Epilogue - Take Me

Epilogue - Take Me

I really looked forward to Thursdays. For some reason that nobody had ever been able to satisfactorily explain to me, my shift at the hospital had a two and a half hour break in it on Thursdays. At first, I thought it would be a huge inconvenience, but then Ani and I started meeting for a jog and lunch together, so I had something to look forward to. I also found out that if I hurried, I could catch the last twenty minutes or so of Ani's morning shift and see her in action. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the new girl today, the one Ani said she had fallen in love with.

After following me to Hawaii so I could do my residency, Ani took the part-time job with the idea of finding something better later. She wanted something that made use of her degree, after all. She ended up loving it so much that talk of finding something "more permanent" eventually petered out.

Since the front and side doors to the library were open to let in the breeze, the sound of Ani's acoustic guitar was already coming out to greet me as I walked towards the building from the parking lot. Every morning ended with a mini-concert, and week after week the crowd of people that gathered to watch her at the end of her shift grew. At first, parents came right on time or a little late to pick up their kids from the Little Reader's Club. After a couple of months of Ani being in charge of it, at least two dozen parents were always there early to see the finale. Some parents stayed for the entire class.

Ani had been on a Prince kick lately, so it was no surprise to hear her doing her new song that was set to the tune of "Raspberry Beret." A chorus of off tune voices joined her. Most of them more or less got the lyrics right. Some were just yelling and jumping along to the beat.

"I know that A-ni-mal starts with 'A'

Airplane, aggravate, and albacore

A-ni-mal starts with 'A'

Africa, apple, ant and so much more"

I peaked over the shoulder of a young guy dressed in 'business casual,' otherwise known as khakis and a polo, to see Ani in all her glory. The kids' section of the library had faded carpet with a cartoonish city map on it, little tables with colorful chairs, buckets of broken crayons, and a little playhouse made to look like a pirate ship with a slide where the cannon should be. Ani was wearing a white tank top, blue board shorts with large white flowers on them, and a plastic fireman's hat. I guessed today's story was Curious George and the Firefighters based on the wall full of scribbly pictures of red trucks, firemen, burning buildings, and what I hoped were monkeys.

Ani was coated in a slight sheen of sweat. She glistened in the sunshine coming through the large windows. After a summer in Hawaii I would have expected her to acclimate better, but in her defense the room was warm and sticky. Perhaps it had something to do with the twenty-something little kids running, singing, swaying, and attempting to dance all around her. At the end of the song the kids screamed or made monkey noises. That was their way of applauding, I suppose.

I saw Ani shift her guitar so that it was behind her and take off the fire hat. A little girl ran up to her with a big smile, and I knew right away it must be the new love of Ani's life. Chubby little dark cherub arms stuck out of a deep purple, sleeveless dress, and her black hair was in one long braid down her back. She couldn't have been more than a kindergartner. She gave Ani a big smile with super wide eyes, and Ani leaned over to place the fireman's hat on her head. After a quick jump and clap she hooked a finger at Ani to get her to lean over. When she did, the little girl attacked her cheek with a kiss and ran away screaming with delight at the trick she had just masterminded. Ani laughed and watched her flee.