Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
With that flimsy reassurance, I moved to my special plastic blue seat at the back of the children’s library, while Ben rang the bell we used to signal it was story time. Kids flew out of the stacks and raced to our corner by the windows. They plopped on the ground and crossed their legs, scooting and wiggling as close as they could get so they could see the pictures. Parents stood along the fringe of the semicircle, their phones at the ready so they could start their browsing while they had a guaranteed few minutes of safe distraction for their kids.
I began reading, and the library fell silent. Only sniffles and the occasional muffled cough disturbed the quiet as I read. My heart squeezed to see those upturned faces, eyes wide and mouths open as they listened with rapt attention. They gasped at the surprises and laughed at the silly parts. Even a few adults chuckled. The books were always short, stretching no more than fifteen to twenty minutes at a time, but for that moment, I forgot about the ache in my heart and all my worries. My job was as much an escape from the world as it was my attempt to help the next generation.
The children cheered and applauded as we reached the end of the book, but those cheers quickly turned to gasps and giggles. I’d been about to say that I had another book to read, but when I lifted my eyes, words left me.
At the end of my circle stood Ben and someone dressed in an inflatable T-Rex costume. What the hell…
I tilted my head to the side and tried to see through the clear plastic window where the person could see out, but Ben grabbed my attention.
“Today, we have another special book we’re hoping Rome could read,” Ben stated.
Naturally, a loud cheer went up, because who didn’t love another book that apparently included a guy dressed like a dinosaur? Was that Carol in there? There was no way it was Janice. Maybe Megan.
“Everyone, sit down facing me. I’m going to hold the book, and Rome is going to read it aloud for us,” Ben instructed.
I shot him a look over the heads of the kids, but the man grinned at me while all the kids got settled.
As soon as we were ready, Ben pulled out from under his arm an oversized book that appeared to be made from posterboard and sewn together with thick red yarn. There was a Tyrannosaurus Rex on the front holding a magnifying glass. I read the title in a loud voice,
“Daniel the Dinosaur Finds a Friend.”
Okay, kind of cute.
Ben opened to the first page, and I continued to read.
“Daniel the Dinosaur was sad.”
The inflated dinosaur lowered his giant head and reached up his arms as if he were attempting to cover his eyes as he cried.
“This dinosaur had no friends.”
Ben flipped the page.
“One day, Daniel had an idea.”
The dinosaur jumped and put up his hand as though he were about to shout “Eureka!” and made all the children giggle.
“He would go outside and look for friends!
Daniel looked under rocks. And he looked behind trees.
Daniel looked in the sky. He even asked the buzzing bees.”
For each item, the faux dinosaur mimicked the action, even to the point of flapping his hands like they were tiny bee wings. The kids were eating each action up, giggling and laughing. Who in the world was this? They were perfect.
“Daniel could not find any friends. Should he go home?”
“No!” the kids shouted in unison without any prompting.
“No! Daniel wanted a friend. So Daniel the Dinosaur walked down the street to the park.”
The dinosaur mimed a march along the street that had Ben giggling. The motion moved the costume just right, and this time, I spotted red hair. Bright red hair pressed against that see-through plastic.
Liam.
That was Liam in the costume. My heart stopped, and I couldn’t rip my gaze away from the dinosaur. He was here. He’d come to see me. In a fucking T-Rex costume. I wanted to leap over these kids and grab him up.
Not until Ben cleared his throat did I pull myself together and resume reading.
“At the park, kids were sliding down slides and swinging on swings. They ran and jumped and played.
Daniel the Dinosaur thought, ‘Would they want to play with a dinosaur?’”
“Yesssss!” the children roared.
“Daniel walked up to a group of kids and asked, ‘Can I be your friend?’
The children all said, ‘Yes!’
Daniel spent the day running and jumping and laughing.
Daniel the Dinosaur was now happy because he had found some friends.
The End.”
The children all cheered and rushed toward the dinosaur to touch him and poke at his air-filled body.
“We had a great visit with Daniel the Dinosaur today, but he has to go home now. Everyone, wave good-bye,” Ben instructed. All the kids lifted their hands and waved while I briskly wove my way through their small bodies to grab Liam’s arm. Just under the sound of the fan that ran to keep him inflated, I could hear his giggle.