The sun was going to rise soon, with a little evidence of that beginning to seep through the slightly off kilter window blinds and onto the foot of the bed, a bed that had two occupants for a change. Only one of the two was sleeping, snoring and snorting occasionally in between wiggling around in the sheets, while the woman beside him - the resident of the dingy apartment - had been awake all night, the result of her guilty conscience along with the dull aches in parts of her body that were rarely used these days.
The woman was Constance Briggs, the librarian in charge of the Wells Public Library, and while at 48 she should have felt no guilt over what she had done, old habits die hard and even though she had been dead five years the Librarian still felt that her mother was watching and shaking her head over her daughter's life.
Funny thing now was that Constance herself couldn't believe what she had done. Not only what she did with the lad, but the fact that in doing so she had broken one of her cardinal rules. As if she didn't have enough past experiences in using her faulty judgement to recall.
How exactly did this kid end up in her bed? Unlike the past, there was no haze of alcohol to cloud her memory this time.
The boy beside her - actually in his early 20's Eric Young was hardly a child either chronologically or otherwise - was a mechanic at a local garage, and not only had Constance not rebuffed his crude advances, she might have actually enjoyed and encouraged the roughneck over the last few weeks.
Eric was new in town, and since he didn't have a TV started spending the couple of evenings each week that the Library was open roaming the aisles, looking for books at first. Constance began to notice that whenever she would look at the lad he would be looking at her, either over the top of a book or from a nearby aisle, and since Constance was a stereotypical small town librarian as far as looks go that wasn't something she was used to.
In fact, one of the first conversations Constance had with the boy was about how he thought that she looked a lot like Donna Reed did in the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life". Not the parts of the film when she was with Jimmy Stewart, but the scenes where the town was depicted as if George Bailey had never existed. The town was cold and heartless and Donna Reed was shown as a sad and lonely spinster, not exactly a compliment but then again the crude Eric Young wasn't exactly a ladies man.
"I thought she was hot as a librarian," Eric had said as they stood at the desk in the quiet library. "Just like you are Miss Briggs. I think your hairy arms are sexy too."
Constance had shuddered at that comment, reflexively tugged down the sleeves of her blazer in response while turning a bit red, but the mechanic didn't apologize but actually seemed to like making her feel uncomfortable.
"Mr. Young..." Constance started to say, but the kid just grinned at that.
"My old man was Mr. Young. I'm Eric," he reminded her. "I wasn't making fun of you either. Heck, I mean I know your shave your legs from when you wear skirts, but the rest of you? I betcha the rest of your body never sees a razor. Am I right? Hope I am because I love furry women."
"You're very bold," he was told. "Very out of line as well."
"So I've been told," he had replied, and that should have been the end of it, but the next time the lad came in he resumed his blunt talk.
"Spent a lot of time last night thinking about you Miss Briggs," the mechanic said when no one else was around the desk, drumming his fingers - fingers that were washed but because of his job never really seemed clean - on the desk. "I bet you thought about me too."
"Is there something I can help you with Mr. Young?" Constance asked, wincing when the kid grinned at her accidental double entendre.
"That Henry Miller book I asked for come in yet?"
"I'll check," she said, feeling his eyes on her when she went to the bookcase where the interlibrary loans were held, and after she didn't find it told him so.
"Oh well. You ever read Henry Miller, Miss Briggs? Course you have," he added quickly. "You always wear those long skirts that don't let me see much of your legs. They don't look bad at all. You should wear more flattering blouses too. Something that gives a guy an idea of what's underneath. I know you've got small breasts but that doesn't matter to me. Anything more than a handful, you know?"
"You realize that you're walking a fine line here, the way you speak to me?" Constance informed the boy as curtly as she could manage. "I could have you banned from the library."
"Then who would make you feel the way that I do?" Eric asked. "Tell me you don't love me mentally undressing you like me. Heck, I know you better than you think. I know you aren't the prudish old maid you try to play behind that desk, and you never answered that question I asked before - about thinking about me late at night when you get home."
"Someone will let you know when your book request comes in," Constance said before turning away and going to the back of the office area.
That book arrived from the Utica library the next day, meaning Constance was forced to deal with the upstart mechanic once again, but this time the librarian was ready to dispatch him quickly.
"So tell me Miss Briggs," the lewd patron said as he held the book, making his bicep bulge as it stretched the t-shirt he had on as well as showing off the garish tattoo he had there. "How about after you close the place you and me go out for a drink or two?"
"I don't drink."
"Probably don't want to be seen in a bar in this hick town, especially with somebody like me, huh Miss Briggs? Have to keep up the image."
"I told you I don't drink," Constance replied, not mentioning that she couldn't have said that a few years ago.
"Well then we could go to my place. It's a dump though. I'm sure your place is nicer," Eric suggested. "Your place on King Street, It might not be much either but it's down at the end of the street so your neighbors probably wouldn't be able to hear you howl."
"Are you through?" Constance asked curtly.
"Haven't given me an answer yet. I know you're sweet on me Miss Briggs. You even put on a little lipstick for me, didn't you? Not too much though because I like my women natural.. I like that you did that for me. A little eye makeup too."
"You're delusional."
"Quiet in here tonight," Eric said as he looked around the small facility. "Just that old fart over in the sports section. Gives us a chance to talk."
"But I have things to do."
