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“Is being pregnant weird?” she asked.
“I don’t feel anything other than nauseous right now, but I’ll let you know.”
“And twins, too. That’s trippy.”
“Joseph had to sit down after the ultrasound.”
“I don’t blame him. But I’m serious, the moment you need anything—”
“I will let you know; I promise.”
We exit the bathroom and return to the break room. I snag another donut and resign myself to the seven months of being hungry and nauseous simultaneously.
At five, the bell above the third-floor entryway dings. This is odd. No one visits the third floor on weekdays.
“Hello, can I help you find anything?” I ask. I stop in my tracks. It’s Joseph, with a plastic bag swinging at his side.
He’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt; this is the first time I’ve seen him wearing casual clothes that aren’t pajamas or his faded NYU sweatshirt. He pushes his hair back, and his muscles ripple. His gold watch glints beneath the fluorescent lights.
He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. He keeps glancing around like he doesn’t know what to say, and I’m struck by how beautiful he is—his aquiline nose, his deep blue eyes. He looks like an actor, so out of place among the dusty pieces of the past.
“If you’re going to use the microfiche, you better do it quick. I have a hot Halloween date tonight,” I joke, trying to ease the tension.
“That’s, uh, kind of why I’m here! Oh God, Evan’s going to kill me, but I didn’t know what kind of candy you like,” he crosses the room and walks over to my desk, opening the bag, “So I sort of went a little crazy.”
The bag is filled with Swedish Fish, peanut butter cups, mini-Snickers, boxes of Skittles, and Sour Patch Kids.
“You realize they’ll have candy at the movie theater?”
“Yeah, but I’m not paying $10 for a box of Milk Duds when I can get it at the store for $5.”
“Joseph, I hate to break it to you, but you have $10,” I say slowly.
“It’s the principle of the thing!” Joseph declares, jostling the bag for emphasis.
Evan walks in and eyes Joseph.
“Food in the library? Really?” he says.
“I didn’t know her favorite candy! We’re going to seeDraculatonight.”
“There’s candy at the movie theater,” Evan balks.
“It’s astronomically overpriced,” Joseph says.
Evan peers into the bag, “I’ll let you off the hook if you let me grab a Snickers.”
Joseph hands him one, and Evan smiles, “The next time you bring food into my archive, you will get a talking-to, but tonight, I’ll forgive you. It’s Halloween!”
He pockets the Snickers, and we close the library for the night. We’re closing early for trick-or-treating. I power off the computers. Evan shoves the last cart of shelving behind the circulation desk. Finally, I switch off the lights, and Evan locks up behind us.
“Have a great night, you two. Happy Halloween,” Evan calls as he unlocks his car.
Joseph and I wave as he unlocks the Cadillac, “The fact that we left together will be the talk of the library,” I say.
“As opposed to what, late fees?”
“Hey! You’re making us sound boring. My co-workers are just as interesting, if not more, than yours.”
