Missing Words, Found Love

Questions had always been a big part of Adena’s life. Her upbringing had been filled with them. Siblings both young and old asking parents and grandparents everything from how to make food to what political leader the other supported and why. She guessed that was why she had decided to work somewhere that contained the answers to every question. She liked knowing the answer to things and at the library everything was answers. She loved the feel of the library as well. How everything felt possible when walking through the rows of shelves. Like each day could be the start of some grand adventure into the unknown. Nothing did ever happen though. Adena sat behind the front desk and checked out books for people, put in orders and occasionally she got up to show someone where to find Agatha Christie or the encyclopedias. This routine continued day after day for two years.

Adena had started working here when she got out of college. She had friends who had known what they wanted to be since they were little children. One of them, Daisy, had known she wanted to be a lawyer since she was six years old. She was still in law school as of now. Adena’s goals for her future had never really been set. When she was very young he had wanted to be a doctor. She had then discovered her fear of seeing any kind of blood and quickly abandoned the idea. Next she thought that she wanted to be a social worker. There on came her obvious inability to comfort people let alone children. By the time college rolled around she had decided on being a librarian. It seemed rather like the perfect job for her. Surrounded by the things that had brought her comfort throughout her childhood.

She was one of two middle children that had been quite simply ignored for their upbringing. Her twin sister had coped by doing things that their parents would have never approved of the other children doing but just didn’t care if they did. She fell in with bad people and had stayed there until she left for college. She had gone for a nursing degree and had been top of her class. She graduated with her Associate Degree in Nursing and is now working at a hospital in New York with two kids and a loving partner.

Adena was very proud of her sister for accomplishing so much in so little time. She could not say the same thing for herself. She had certainly enjoyed her college years more than high school or grade school but she still had never seemed to find anyone who she could really connect with. That was kind of the point of college, wasn’t it? To find people that you wouldn’t be able to during high school. She had graduated with acquaintances not friends. Which she was fine with. She usually kept to herself anyways. Where would she be if people started asking her to come to parties.

Adena had kept this mindset up until the day that Gray Nettles walked into the library.

Adena had been asked multiple times by different people if she was gay. Each time she told them she didn’t think so. She hadn’t really ever felt any attraction to other women before. They had always shrugged and said she just kind of gave off that vibe. She hadn’t been sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing but she didn’t make much of it.

The day that she started reconsidering her answer started like any other. She had gone to the library at 8:30 as she did every day. It seemed like it would be a slow day and it was until Adena heard the bell on the library door jingle and she looked up to find the most beautiful woman she had ever seen walking through the library doors.

Beautiful didn’t really cover it. Magnificent maybe or glorious was better suited. She had a kind of brown pixie cut mohawk with designs shaved on both sides. One of a lotus flowers and the other three lightning bolts pointed toward her ear. She wore a baggy blue flannel open with a sports bra underneath and a pair of grey cargo pants. She walked past the front desk where Adena sat and glanced down. She flashed a dazzling smile and continued on. Adena stared after her in a sort of daze. She wanted the woman to come back and sit and talk with her. To share her favorite books and favorite foods. Adena thought a miracle had come when the lady came over to her desk.

“Hey. I have a question.”

“O-oh. Yeah. What do you need?” Adena fought a blush coming on. She didn’t quite understand what was happening but she was here for it.

“Your website said you had A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn but I can’t find it.”

“Here. Let me see if I can come find it.” Adena got up and went to the non fiction section. She went to history and then to the Zs. It wasn’t there.

“Huh.” Adena stood back up from where she’d crouched down to look and bumped into the person she was helping. They both stumbled and grabbed at each other to stay up.

“You good?” the woman said once they had both gotten upright.

“Yeah. Sorry.” Adena huffed trying to ignore how close she and the other girl were standing. “I’m going to go check if the computer says it’s checked out.”

They walked back over to the desk and looked it up.

“It says it’s here. It must have been misplaced or lost.”

“Well shit.” The curse from her startled Adena. “I needed to get a copy for a project I’m doing. It’s due like tonight.”

Adena now understood the girl’s frustration. She had also put off nearly every project till the very last minute when she was in college.

“Sorry about that,” Adena said, “What’s your project for?”

“I’m finishing my degree in history and need a copy to bring to class for an open book test.” Her fingers trailed through her hair.

“Well, I’ll keep an eye out for it.” Adena said with a smile.

“Thanks,” the girl chuckled, “I’m Gray. Nettles.”

“I’m Adena. Charleston.”

“Here’s my number in case you find it.” Gray said, pulling out a slip of paper with a printed number on it.

“Ooh fancy.”

“My handwriting’s atrocious so I made these so that when I give cute librarians my number they can read it.”

Adena blushed beet red.

Gray laughed and winked at her.

Before she could thank her or attempt to flirt back Gray was already out of the door.

She stood there feeling an entirely alien mix of feelings. Confusion, embarrassment and something that she thought might just be a crush. Adena had never really had a crush on anybody nor had she dated. She thought that she might be aromantic or demisexual. But when she thought about it her eyes had strayed to girls quite a few times. Maybe she was just lesbian and somehow hadn’t figured it out until now. The realization hit like a tsunami. She had just had her gay awakening. And she as hell wasn’t going to let it slip her by.

She sat down hard in her chair and searched her memory for who had last checked out the book. It had to have been the teenager with the curly pink hair that needed it for their summer reading. Adena looked them up in the database. Their library required, as part of the process of getting a library card, people to have their addresses on record. Bingo. 946 Elm Avenue. Adena grabbed her coat and told her fellow librarian that she was leaving early and that she’d see him tomorrow. She raced out the door on a quest to find the missing book.

946 Elm Avenue was only about five blocks from the library but since Adena hadn’t run since she had been in high school and was horribly out of shape she was huffing and puffing by the time she got there. It was a nice looking little house. Its exterior walls were made of horizontal slats painted a pail blue. Its roof and trim were all white with not a speck of dirt on them. Someone likes to keep things clean, she thought.

She walked up the stairs to the covered porch and rang the doorbell. It made a tinny noise that echoed through the inside of the house. That’s when Adena noticed there was no car in the driveway. She had not thought of the very real possibility that the residents were not at home.

She heard shuffling from within and turned hopefully toward the door. It opened slowly. In the doorway stood a short, round, grey haired woman Adena estimated her to be in her late 80s. The woman gave her a hard stare.

“You one of those fucking salesman again?” she queried in a heavy Russian accent.

It took a moment for Adena's mind to adjust.

“N-no. I don’t think so.”

“If you not a fucking salesman who are you?”

“I’m a librarian.” There was a long pause.

“What the fuck is a librarian doing on my porch?”

“I’m looking for a girl with pink hair?” Even though it was a statement it came out as a question. This woman was incredibly intimidating.

“What the fuck want with my granddaughter?” Her Russian accent made her tone even more terrifying.

“I’m looking for a lost book and she was the last one to check it out.”

“You call my granddaughter a thief?” The woman brought a walking cane into view.

“N-no! I just–”

“Babushka!” A voice from up a flight of stairs made Adena sigh in relief. The girl with pink hair popped into view. “Don’t threaten people! We told you that isn’t allowed.”

The old woman muttered something in Russian and hobbled into a room off the hallway.

“I’m so sorry. Are you OK?” asked the pink haired girl.

“I’m fine. Just a little scared of your grandma now.” Adena said with a laugh.

“Yeah… I can see why.” A pause followed. “What did you need?”

“I’m trying to find a book. A People’s History of the United States. Sound familiar?”

The girl thought for a moment.

“Oh yeah,” she exclaimed. “I checked it out but didn’t return it did I? I’m pretty sure it’s over due. Lemme see if I can find it.”

She ran back up the stairs, leaving Adena standing in the doorway praying that “Babushka” wouldn’t come back. She heard shouting and craned her neck up the stairs.

“Dammit Tommy, give it back!”

“No. I’m reading.”

Then a door slammed and a yell of annoyance pierced the air. The pink haired girl came running down the stairs full pelt nearly crashing into Adena.

“Go go go. My brother is pissed.” She shoved her out the door and shut it.

Even as Adena began trotting to the address that was on Gray’s card she could hear crashing and someone saying something about noogies.

The address ended up being all the way across town which wasn’t very far but still far enough to have Adena wheezing by the end of it. She faintly wondered if she should go in for an asthma test.

It was an apartment complex and it took her almost 20 minutes before she located Gray’s apartment. The doorbell was one of the ones you put out for halloween with the eyeball that opens when you press it. This made her smile for some reason. A witchy cackle sounded at the press of the button and within a few seconds the door was opening.

Gray stood there paint staining her hands, face and clothes. She wore the same ones from early today.

“Hey. I know you.” Her smile was still just as dazzling if not a bit more frazzled.

“Hi.” Adena really did not like these horrible pauses in conversation. “I found the book you wanted.” She held the hard cover up like a trophy.

“Holy shit. Thank you so much.” Gray exclaimed, reaching for the book. Then, as if realizing her hands were covered in paint ushered Adena in and told her to set it on a shelf by the door. “You are a literal life saver.”

Adena blushed red for the second time that day.

“I was happy to.”

“How about as a thank you I take you out to dinner and you can tell me where you found it?”

“That would be… really nice actually.”

“Awesome. Just let me go take a quick shower and then we’ll be off.”

Gray grinned at her. Adena grinned back.

This was going to be awesome.