Vol. 6, Chapter IV — The Librarian and Life Lessons

I didn’t expect coming home alone on our first day of going back to school, but it was for a good cause, so I’m ok with that. A bit lonely, but ok.

I guess I’ll hit the gym while she’s busy.

Not that I knew how long Violet would be busy at school. They had accepted her Library Committee application, so she stayed back so they could teach her how to use their pc so she can process book and movie rentals and other functions. She looked excited about it, in her contained way.

“Hi there, Oliver!” I cheered, crouching down as soon as I got inside to rub his head. “Have you been a good kitten?”

He meowed back as he arched his back and moved around, wanting me to scratch the base of his tail.

I noticed a pair of shoes suspiciously similar to ones my sister had, and no shoes belonging to Papa Stan were to be seen. That was strange, but there were plenty of rational explanations… and possibilities to tease sis.

“Meow?”

“Sorry, Oliver,” I told him. He was sitting, looking at the door, no doubt wondering where Violet had run off to. “It’s just me for now.”

He looked at me and back to the door before getting up and starting to walk, looking behind to make sure I was following him. He guided me to his bowl. It was mostly empty, but there was still some food.

“Sorry, I was told to cut back a bit on the food I give you,” I told him. “You’re getting a bit too extra fluffy, you see?”

He didn’t seem to appreciate the comment about his weight, nor the refusal of getting more food, so he placed a paw on the bowl and started clanking it on the floor as if he was a prisoner in a jail cell demanding grub. He kept looking at me, knowing I’d soon break, which I did.

“You really are a piece of work,” I grumbled as I watched him gobble up some more of his kibble, his tail flicking in the air.

“What was all that racket just now?” the voice of my sister called.

“Oliver was demanding more food,” I told her, still holding the back.

“And you gave it to him?” sis asked as she crouched down by him. “I had just fed him too.”

I shot an annoyed look at Oliver, but he obviously didn’t care. He only cared about getting his tummy rubbed by sis, shamelessly exposing it for her.

“What are you doing here anyway?” I asked, forgetting about Oliver’s misbehaviour and focusing on teasing sis. “Don’t tell me Papa Stan gave you a key to the house.”

“I’m here just to grab something he forgot,” Sophie told me as her face turned a bit red. “He’s busy at work, so I volunteered to do him this favour.”

“Hmm? And the true reason?” I asked jokingly. However, Sophie’s face shifted to a thoughtful and embarrassed one.

“… Do you remember the woman working at the reception of mum’s company?”

“Erm, yes? What about her?”

“…She was flirting with him, and… and I didn’t like it.”

All my will to tease her melted away, leaving only a sense of adoration. Her admission of that painted her actions to come here in a completely different light. It was… well, it was very cute, in a way.

“So, you came here to mark your territory?” I asked, crouching down by her.

“It looks like that, doesn’t it?” she scoffed. “That’s so… childish, isn’t it?”

“A bit cute too,” I told her. “Although it’s good that you’re aware of your actions, so you won’t go overboard.”

After a moment of quiet, she said she hoped he hadn’t noticed it. I laughed, saying it’s too late for her to worry about it now. Whether he noticed it or not, as long as she plays it cool in the future, she should have some plausible deniability.

“Has… has Violet said anything about me possi… about me liking her Dad?”

Oh? She’s not denying it anymore? Cute.

“Don’t worry about my wife, she won’t interfere. However, you two should talk about it already.”

My sister sighed, saying that it’s easier said than done. She worries that she might mess up her words and get Violet mad with her. That made me chuckle because I was quite sure Violet hadn’t approached the subject for the exact same reason.

“You two really are similar in the most annoying parts,” I told her as I straightened out, my knees protesting about the bent position they held for far too long. “Anyway, I’m changing and heading out to the gym. Wanna tag along?”

“Nah, I need to deliver Stan what he asked me to,” she told me as I helped her up.

“Bring him some coffee too,” I told her. “Show him you’re considerate of him and girlfriend material.”

“A-Abby, please!” she choked.

I laughed as I walked in front of her, stretching my body. Now that I had teased her and had a good heart-to-heart, I was feeling even more like moving around. I changed, sent a text to Violet informing her where I was going in case she was done with her introduction to the committee, and got going.

At the gym, well into my training, I noticed a shift in the atmosphere. Looking around after a set of walking lunges, I noticed the cause: my wife was inside, by the entrance, looking at me. She was still in her school uniform, so her beautiful legs were in full display, and her hair was still how I had styled it before we parted ways, the “Sexy Librarian” style, the bun clearing her beautiful face for everyone to see. Furthermore, she had only her uniform shirt on, and it was clinging a bit due to sweat, so her figure was also very much on full display.

We waved at each other, and I put away the small dumbbells I was using to go greet her.

“I thought you were going to be out for longer,” I told her, tiptoeing while she leaned down. We shared a quick peck on the cheek—since we were in public, before I continued, asking her if she couldn’t wait just a bit longer to see me again at home.

She told me she figured I’d be hungry after I was done at the gym, so she decided to surprise me and take us to our favourite bakery for brunch. It was a wonderful idea that immediately got me salivating, so I told her to give me a minute while I got changed. Violet was giggling to herself as I turned around and headed to the changing rooms. I decided not to shower just yet, leaving that for when we were back home so we’d do that together. I think we earned it, right? Violet had been doing her thing, I was doing mine until she came to pick me up, so we earned the right to be clingy once together at home, right?

“So? How was it?” I asked once I got back to her, now in a pair of denim jeans and a white t-shirt. “Were they nice?”

“Oh yeah, very nice!” she told me. It was so obvious she was all pumped up but holding back because we were walking on a busy street. “Working with the pc is also easier than I thought! You just type in the name of the book or the author, and the information you’re looking for comes right up! Ah! And while working at the desk, I can just read or do homework if I’m not busy with anything else!”

“Oh! That’s nice!” I laughed. “Looks like a good fit for you so far.”

“It really does!” she said. Then, her face shifted a bit. “There’s just one slight problem…”

“…Which is?”

She mulled it over for a bit before speaking again.

“Ok, so… don’t laugh when I say this, but… I think the president of the committee might fancy me.”

I didn’t laugh because I was stunned that she’d even notice that. In fact, thinking about it, I got a bit worried, as he had to make it quite obvious if Violet, of all people, realised it.

“He didn’t say or do anything inappropriate, did he?”

“N-no! Not at all!” she said, getting all flustered. “He just complimented my hair and commented on how delicate my hands are and how neat I keep my nails!”

“…It was the part about your hands, wasn’t it?”

“…Yeah…”

“Did you tell him you’re already taken?”

She looked away, her face turning red. She told me she wanted to, but she never really got the opportunity to say so, at least without possibly coming off as conceited. At the time, she was also fearing she might have been misinterpreting his intentions.

I told her not to worry about it too much. Soon enough, he’d likely hear that two girls married one another and that she’s one of them.

“You know, that really annoys me!” she said, sulking as I’ve never seen before outside of a couple of times. “He commented on my hands but failed to notice the very obvious ring on my left-hand ring finger?”

“And why would he assume that it’s a wedding band when you’re in high school and still seventeen?”

She grumbled that she didn’t expect him to assume that, just to maybe stop and consider that the ring might mean that she’s in a relationship with someone.

I joked about her wearing a tag saying “property of Abigail Evergreen”. That got her staring at me with an annoyed look that soon disappeared with a chuckle.

“So, Mrs Evergreen,” she began, her voice getting a playful tone. “Do you think we should start bringing your step stool from home to school?”

What she was referring to was the step stool we have in each of the kitchens of our Dads’ houses that I use to better reach the kitchen counter and utilities instead of tiptoeing all the time. That, and the fact that today, a teacher had asked me to step up to the whiteboard to answer a question he had written down. Yes, it was the first day back to classes, but he wanted to do a quiz to see how much we had unlearned during the holidays. The funny part? He wrote it right at the top and had forgotten that “Abigail Evergreen” was the same person he knew as “Abigail Gardener”, and as a result, forgot that I’m vertically challenged. Instead, the other Evergreen was the one stepping up to the whiteboard, me going when it’s Violet’s turn, since he goes down the students' list alphabetically.

Oh, and Violet answered splendidly, just so you know.

“Anyway, babe,” I said as we stepped inside the bakery, the delicious scent of baked goodies making me almost drool. “I’m happy that you seem to enjoy that library work.”

“Yeah… I just wish I had gone for it last year instead of overthinking so much.”

“…Do you think it could be something you wanna do in the future?”

She turned a bit pensive as she looked down at the glass displays, considering what she’d eat and my question at the same time.

“I don’t know about doing it full-time in the future,” she said. “At least not yet.”

The clerk behind the counter was done attending to the person that was there before us, so our conversation was put on hold until we sat down in a more isolated corner of the store.

“Why is that?” I asked after taking a huge bite out of my jelly-filled doughnut. This one was strawberry with powdered sugar on top. “That you don’t know if it’s something you wanna do full-time, that is.”

“…I’m worried thinking about it, you know?” she hummed as she looked at me after chewing a portion of her Deer Hoof cake. “About the state of the house, about our meals— if I’m working full time, and you’re working full time, who’ll cook and clean, stuff like that.”

“Do it part-time then.”

“Hmm… But then, do I contribute enough financially to the household? Plus, how long would be too long spent working and too little taking care of the house? Because I really, really want to make the home nice for when you return from your job… A ‘home’, not just 'a house’. That really matters to me, perhaps more than actually making money, and the fact that I can’t decide it yet at this point in my life–our life, really, is infuriating me.”

The women in my family all seem to be incredibly complicated, but it all stemmed from being so considerate about others, it seemed. It was very endearing, but annoying. For Violet in particular, though, I made an exception of not finding it annoying. Not when it’s due to her considering our future so much.

“You know how I feel about it,” I told her, moving my legs to intertwine with hers under the table since my hands were busy holding food. “Take your time, and try not to worry too much about it, as, no matter what you choose, I support it… as long as you’re satisfied with the results of your decision, that is. In that case, I’ll support you the best I can in changing it.”

She looked at me with soft eyes and blushing cheeks. She had what she wanted to say written all over her face to the point that anyone who wasn’t me could tell what she wanted to say right then.

“Me too, babe!” I giggled. “To bits!”