Books

Brent Seabrook didn't read books. On good days he read the Sports Section of the Chicago Tribune and every once and a while he would glance at the pile of fan notes ever growing on his dining room table. Today, a lazy, hockey free Sunday in late February, must have been an exemplary day. That day Brent opened the letter on the top of the pile and read the whole thing. He read it once, then twice, then called the number on the bottom of the page.

"Hello, this is the Chicago Public Library how can I help you?" a women's voice came loud and clear from the phone Brent was holding close to his ear.

"Um, hi," he started, not really sure what to say. "This is Brent Seabrook, you contacted me asking if I would volunteer at the library a couple days to encourage reading. I just called to say I would love to help out."

"Great," the voice replied cheerfully. "When would be a good time for you? I know the hockey season is still going to you're probably pretty busy huh."

"Um yeah," Brent shuffled around the papers on his counter top , trying to find the planner his mom made him write all his appointments in. "I think Thursdays or Mondays are good for the next couple weeks."

"Great," the women on the end of the line said again. "We'll have to put you in training for few days so you'll learn where all the books are and such but I have the perfect girl to teach you on Mondays and Thursdays."

Brent and the women talked for a few more minutes, concluding that in three days he would report for librarian training at 10am. It couldn't be that bad, he thought, she did say a perfect girl would be teaching him. Maybe perfect also meant hot, he tried to picture a gorgeous women showing him how to resolve books but his mind automatically went to an older lady with cat eye glasses.

* * *

"Dude not all librarians are old," Patrick Kane laughed when Brent told him that he would be volunteering at the Chicago Public Library later that day.

"Since when do you even go to libraries," Brent asked, raising an eyebrow.

Patrick shrugged and finished hanging all his gear in his locker before looking at Brent and answering.

"I went with Tazer about a year ago and my sister used to want to be a librarian so I would go with her," he shrugged again and walked out of the locker room leaving Brent to think about what he had said. Patrick's sisters were pretty, maybe his teacher would look like them.