Sorry Squirt, No Library Card for You- The Bookmobile- Part 2

Not All Books and Rainbows

My memories about the Bookmobile aren't all good ones. In fact my first memory is horrifying. Still gives me nightmares and I can't believe I'm even sharing this with you. Please, if you can't take horror stories, look away. I included a stormy  picture of a rainbow trying to survive for you above . Just stare at that and fantasize while the rest of us discuss the storm I survived.

So here it is, the event that scarred my childhood.

In grade one, we were allowed library cards. There I was, all innocent and excited, looking up at the driver as if he was the god of books-- in my mind, he looked a little like a god of books would (but I have an entire post just dedicated to him, so we won't go there yet)-- and he refused my card. My gosh! you read that right, and it is not a typo. He actually told me I could not take books from paradise.

HE REFUSED MY CARD

Can you imagine? Can you feel how traumatized I was? I thought it was a joke. It had to be. But nope. I was refused a card because I lived in the neighboring town and it fell in another library jurisdiction. I had no idea what that meant, I just broke into tears that no one knew how to stop. For days.

I asked Ma to move.Even packed my crap up and told her I was going to live with my cuz.

Next time he dared to show his bus in my town, I stayed in the classroom debating how to steal a bus full of books and get away with it, or maybe I just felt sorry for myself, I don't actually remember the details. I do remember being told that the school library had plenty of good books. Now that was a terrible lie. I don't want to get into it, but trust me, they had nothing on the books in that Bookmobile.

A friend slipped a book in my bag that I found when I got home. Really, that's the sign of a true friend eh? When they sneak you illegal books? hee hee.

Ma got involved at some point of my depression. I know that much but I don't know what she did to fix things.

The next time, I was told I could take one book and the teacher was taking responsibility for it, so I felt like I was sinning the entire time, and quickly grabbed a book and ran off without looking around.

It took my cousin to help me. God bless her. She talked to the driver, like the grown-up grade 2 student she was (truth be told, she was probably scared I might actually move in with her), and told him that I lived right by her, if she could get a card, so could I. Makes sense, but I was a little afraid he'd just take her card away. Still... if she was willing to risk it, I was game.


After my cuz straightened things out for me. The driver of this magical bus (LEARN ABOUT IT HERE) told me I could have a temporary card. This meant, I was allowed to take X amount of books. Yes, I had a limit. Which now that I think about it was probably a good thing because... well, that's a story for the next post.

Have you ever been refused a library card?