Bookstore clerk

A magazine, a Father's Day card, and a cute new notebook with pink paper for blogging were all I placed on the counter this morning. The store wasn't busy and there were two clerks. The pleasant, well-dressed young man had a pony-tail.

"Have you ever thought about working in a library?" I asked.
"Actually, I do. I work part-time at Columbus Public," he said.
"Will that give you access to a full-time position when something opens up?"
He sighed. "Yes, that's my dream, me and all the other part-timers who want it, but it doesn't happen often."
I wondered if he heard me gasp.
"Are you a paraprofessional?"
"I work in the circulation department and don't need an MLS," he explained.
I told him I'd been a librarian.
"You just always wanted to work in a library?" I said as I collected my purchases.
"I watched the job postings for months to get this. There's just something so comforting working around books," he said with a smile.

If he enjoys books, he should probably stay with the bookstore job I said to myself. Every day I learn something new--there are young people who dream of having a full time clerical job in a library. People who love books. Could the cure for the common cold be next?