Today was quite an eventful day, to say the least. Early this morning, we arrived at the library parking lot with a specific mission in mind – to pay fines for overdue Aurora library books and DVDs. As we parked the car, I noticed a Rough Collie dog roaming around off the leash. It stood in front of our car, staring at us intently. After what felt like an eternity, the dog finally decided to move on.
I assumed the dog’s owner must be nearby, but to my surprise, there was no one in sight. As I stepped out of the car to retrieve Matthew from his car seat, the dog reappeared, once again fixating its gaze on us. Fortunately, the dog soon wandered off to take care of its business, allowing us to safely make our way into the library.
They say to never say never. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself standing in line at the library checkout behind a woman who was paying for overdue books. The amount she owed was substantial, and I couldn’t help but think to myself that I would never find myself in that situation. I always stay on top of things, after all. But, as luck would have it, I slipped up this time.
I ended up with a fine of 75 cents for overdue DVDs on my adult card (25 cents per DVD per day), while Matthew had to pay 80 cents for books that were 8 days overdue (5 cents per book per day). Thankfully, I had been informed in the past that it’s cheaper to put children’s books on a child’s card, so I’ll be sure to do that in the future to avoid higher fines. Whoever gave me that advice clearly knew that I would eventually end up paying a library fine, one way or another.
As we approached the drop-off desk to pay our fine, casual conversation ensued. Matthew, always one to show off his Iron Man shoes, caught the attention of the lady behind the desk. Suddenly, he inquired, “Hey Lady, what’s in the library basement?” Although his choice of words may not have been the most polite, the lady kindly explained that the basement was simply an area filled with books, serving as a storage space. She mentioned that they rarely ventured down there.
We shared with her a humorous anecdote about a time when we accidentally descended to the basement in the elevator, only to discover someone waiting for it to go back up. This incident piqued our curiosity about the basement’s contents.
Our curiosity was finally satisfied when we learned that the basement housed old books, archives, a space for the Pottery club, and various electrical and heating services. The mystery had been solved, and we left the library knowing just a little more.
Today, our intention was to return overdue items, but Matthew decided to head to the second floor instead. As we approached the elevator, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Despite our earlier discussion about the rarity of such an occurrence, we found ourselves descending to the basement once again. I exchanged a puzzled glance with Matthew and asked, “What button did you press?” To my surprise, he responded, “I only pressed the number two.”
We shared a laugh as a service man entered the elevator. He informed us that the basement was a secured area, and visitors were not permitted access. At that moment, our curiosity about the library’s mysterious basement seemed to grow even more.
I apologize for the length of this post, but I wanted to share what happened at Matthew’s hearing test.
When we arrived at the doctor’s office, the specialist asked about the issue. I explained that Matthew doesn’t respond when I yell or scream, so our family doctor recommended a hearing test. The specialist had a great sense of humour and made Matthew feel comfortable during the test.
The test results were perfect, and the specialist left a message for my family doctor saying, “Matthew’s hearing test results are perfect. His lack of response to his mother shows his character, and I think his mother is scary.” It seems I was diagnosed with ‘too much yelling’ syndrome!
After the appointment, we asked Matthew if he could hear us now, and he said, “I am better now and I can hear you.” As a reward, we took him to Tim Horton’s for a chocolate-covered donut. He enjoyed it so much that he asked for more Timbits. After a little coaching, he confidently approached the counter and politely asked for a chocolate Timbit.
I know I shouldn’t spoil my son, but I saw this as an opportunity for him to learn proper manners and perhaps avoid saying, “Hey lady, can I have two chocolate Timbits?” Matthew paid twenty-five cents, received five cents in change, and got two chocolate Timbits.
