King of the Library

I was in the Fort McMurray library today picking up travel guides for our upcoming trip to Peru when a peculiar incident took place. From what I could tell, a librarian had committed a small crime: opening a door and in the process, undoubtedly rattling her keys.

A street person took issue. "Lady, do you see what you did?" he said, visibly upset. "You woke me up from my nap!"

The poor librarian, a mere slip of a girl in her early 20s, replied with a measure of incredulity, "I'm just doing my job."

"And a damn good job you're doing of it!" he spat back, still incensed that his nap had been interrupted.

Perhaps this elderly gentleman was in the middle of a delicious dream. Perhaps he was intent on lapsing into a diabetic coma. Perhaps his wrath against a mere peon working at the library was justified.

Nevertheless, his indignation did make me wonder about the so-called harsh realities of life on the streets. Perhaps--and I about to suggest something scandalous in its political incorrectness--life on the streets does have its perks.