Mom. The Library Slayer.

My mom is great lady. She loves me a whole lot. How can I make such a statement? She went to the Library for me and not only took care of the missing book that I 'had in my possession' but got the 1.00 fine wiped away from my account. I can just see her being all no-nonsense with those library ladies.
Thanks Mom.

The Library and Me

I love the concept of a library. Borrowing, reading and returning all without cost, such a bargin....or so they say. The library in my home town and I are not on good terms. I promise the library ladies are out to get me. It all started when I was 17.
I've always been good to return books on time. I don't like to pay any fines. Alas, I am not perfect. At the tender age of 17, I had kept a book a little longer than I should have and got a .35 cent fine. The library fees can be steep. I paid the fine the day I got it and happily went home with more books. The next time I went to check some books out, I had a .35 cent fine. I asked for what book the fine was on and the lady said it was on the book I had already paid for. I explained that I'd already paid, but .35 cents isn't a deal breaker, so I paid it again. Low and behold, my next library outing was accompanied with a .50 cent fine. I asked about which book the fine was on, and to my surprise it was on the book I'd already paid...TWICE! The library was actually charging interest! The lady told me that the book must be at home because the library didn't have it in. I didn't want to pay the fine, again. I asked the lady to wait just a sec and I went and found the book. On the library shelf. Waiting for some unsuspecting person to get the fine it carried. When I brought the book to her, she took the .50 cent fine off.
It gets better.
The next time I went to check out books, the library lady tells me my card has expired! Do library cards do that?? She told me that I'd have to fill out some paperwork in order to check out books again. I gladly did this. At the end of the paperwork, you need to sign for it. I did, but the library lady said since I wasn't a 'legal' adult that my parents would have to sign with me. I told her I was 17 and drove myself down there so my parents were not with me. Peering over her old lady glasses with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, she took my card! The library lady actually took my CARD! She told me I'd have to have my parents come down and sign before I could get a new one. What a joke, I wanted to protest! Start a petition. Anything so I could get my card back. Once realizing that wasn't the best course of action to get my card back, I took my mom down and had her sign.
Since then, I've paid fees for books I've returned, and my card doesn't work to put books on hold. Most the time I don't even use my card for the fear that they'll take it away again. Poobie is nice enough to let me use her card since the library ladies love her.
The reasoning for my sharing this story? Apparently I have a 1.00 fine, for a book I returned. I tell ya, the library is out to get me.