Song: "You Raise Me Up" By Josh Groban
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The next day was blustery and colder, with the threat of rain or even sleet in the air. There wasn't much sunshine, but that didn't bother me. I bundled up again for my daily walk to the library. Even with the foul weather, it hardly made sense for me to get into my car and drive the few blocks to work; instead, I grabbed my umbrella and ventured out.
The same scene played out as most mornings do. I greeted Gabby, she grumbled back to me. I brought coffee for Beth. I fetched the book cart and headed to the basement book return. The bin wasn't nearly as full this morning, thankfully. Still, there were several returns to go to the third floor. It puzzled me that so many books could get checked out from the most deserted floor of the library. Maybe I was wrong about that Google statistic. Still, the patrons who actually visit the third floor must come and go quickly, eager to spend as little time in the eerie place as possible. I literally never (okay, almost never) encounter people up there.
As I waited for the ancient elevator to climb a mere three stories, I wondered if that same guy was there. Probably not, since he'd been there just about all day the day before and he most likely got all the information he needed. But for some odd reason, my curiosity was getting the better of me, so I hoped he was.
The cart groaned as I pushed it towards the back, always my starting place. Sure enough, when I passed the second to the last row, there he was, hunched over another stack of books. Or maybe the same stack, I'd have to get closer to see them this time as they were faced away from me. It looked like he hadn't changed clothes; I wondered if he had actually stayed here all this time. The person with closing duties - I think it was Kami last night - was supposed to do a sweep of each floor, sending patrons home and putting away books that had been left out. She would have seen him so I didn't think that was a real possibility, but it honestly looked like he hadn't moved an inch.
This time, I left my cart and purposely walked over to him. "Good morning," I said softly, hoping not to startle him. He glanced up ever so briefly and then went back to his reading. What I saw in that fleeting look was that he had a very scruffy beard and green eyes. He hadn't really even made eye contact, but I could see they were green anyway. I was a little put off by the fact that he didn't say anything in return, but still I politely said, "Let me know if you need anything," and went to start shelving the books.
The rest of the week went much the same way. He was there before I got to the third floor with books on Wednesday; I wondered how he got there without me seeing him coming or going. On Thursday, I normally worked from noon to 10 PM with a long break for dinner. Someone else took care of checking books in on Thursdays, but I went to the third floor anyway. Just to see. I pretended I was looking for a specific book and found that he was, indeed, present. Each time I saw him, I sent out a polite, "Hello" or "Good Morning," but he never said a word. He always just glanced up for just a moment, and then went back to his books.
I was beginning to think more and more that the guy had to be homeless. Maybe it wasn't fair to assume, but it would make sense in some ways. There were a few bars just down the street, and most stayed open til two or three in the morning. Those would be places for him to stay warm if the homeless shelters were turning people away. Then he would just have to find a spot out of the wind and cold until the library opened up. Some coffee shops opened really early, and at least one within walking distance stayed open 24 hours. If he timed it all right, he could always be warm, as long as he had money for beer and coffee.
I felt a little silly trying to piece together his life like that, but he was rather...unusual. Kami was working with me tonight, but I told her I would do the closing rounds. I went to the third floor, hoping he was still there so I might just speak more than one word to him. And maybe when he left, I could at least watch the direction in which he was headed. Not that I was planning to follow him or anything creepy, but I was beginning to think maybe he needed some help. If I could find out, maybe I could buy him some food, at least, or give him a little money. Who knows? I might even know where he could look for a job.
I was mildly disappointed to find that he was no longer there, and the feeling struck me as odd. Why did I care? At least I didn't have to kick him out.
By the end of the week, I decided that, come Monday morning, I would buy some breakfast and offer him some food. Of course, I'd have to sneak it past Gabby, but she kept her head down most mornings anyway.
Excitement was in the air when Beth walked home with me Friday afternoon. We had asked to leave early because we were going with some friends to see Josh Groban in concert. I loved his voice and I was fortunate that my friends shared a fondness for him. It was easier for Beth to come to my place and get ready rather than driving to her place, which was 15 or 20 minutes away, and then meeting us back here.
My friends Malcolm, Philip and I had met Beth in college a few years back; well, technically at a bar, but she was a student at Wayne State as well. I was the one who got her the library job. Malcolm and Philip would be swinging by my place around 5:00, along with Philip's new girlfriend. When he told us she was coming along, we knew that meant he wanted us to make a good impression on her, and he also wanted us to make him look good. That wouldn't be too hard; he was a pretty decent guy. The plan was to get some dinner and have enough time to get to the 8:00 PM concert at The Palace in Auburn hills, about 30 miles from downtown.
The other three showed up, as planned, a few minutes after 5:00, and after all the introductions, hugs and kisses, we piled into Beth's car in search of a place to eat. She usually wanted to drive when we went anywhere as a group, and we always let her because she had the nicest car, a 2013 Infiniti SUV, with the bonus perk of fitting all five of us comfortably. Her dad owned a car dealership and it was his gift to her for her high school graduation.
Malcolm rode in the front seat next to her since they had a delicate mating dance going on and none of us was foolish enough to interrupt it. It was only a little comical because Beth was a five-foot-nothing, 100 lb. girl with the year-round Michigan palor while Malcolm was a handsome, 5'11" black man who had played football for Wayne State. Not that I had a problem with interracial relationships, or differing heights, or whatever. It was just, shall we say, unexpected, at first. But now, in all truth, I thought they would be really cute together if Beth would stop playing hard to get.
That left me in the back with Philip and Lisa. I had met Philip on my very first day at Wayne State, and Malcolm was his room-mate, so I met him within the same week. Philip and I had a brief fling, but soon decided that we were better off as friends. He hadn't been dating Lisa very long, but from what I could tell, he was really into her. He'd been talking nonstop about her for weeks, and he acted like a complete dork around her, which meant he was still in the nervous stage. Hopefully tonight would calm his nerves since it was her first outing with all of us. I really wanted him to relax and let her see the real him because he was a pretty great guy.
"Oh, let's go to Hamtramck! I'm craving some good Polish food," Philip called up to Beth.
"No! No Polish food tonight," I said, giving him a stern look. I wasn't about to say it out loud, but the rest of us knew that if he ate kielbasa and sauerkraut, it would ruin the night for Lisa, and subsequently for him, and for the rest of us as well.
Beth got on I-75 North. "Hey, let's just crash my parents for dinner," I said, completely joking. My parents' house was only about ten minutes off the highway and they probably wouldn't mind, to be honest, but it was always hard to leave once we got talking, especially if I had a group of friends. We could be there all night shooting the breeze and not even realize we had missed the concert. I decided that maybe I'd drive home tomorrow and spend the night, just to catch up with everyone.
We settled on a beer and barbecue place not too far from The Palace. We got to know Lisa a little better and she seemed very sweet, and very much into Philip, which was reassuring. Malcolm, as usual, was getting a little clingy with Beth after a few beers.
We went to the restroom just before leaving and I said to Beth, "When are you going to just give in? Malcolm is a great guy."
"I know," she pouted. "I really like him."
She had never come out and admitted it before, but I had always suspected she did. "What are you waiting for?!" I scolded her
"I'm only 21. I don't want to settle down with the guy I'll be with for the rest of my life right now. I want to play the field a little, you know. See what's out there."
"You're serious," I said, giving her a stern look. "You've played the field. You've dated a lot of guys, but you know Malcolm is it, right? He's only had eyes for you since we met you at that club in 2014."
"I know. I guess I'm not ready to settle down yet."
"Who says your settling down?" I asked. "Just date the guy. You don't have to marry him. At least not right away." I winked and immediately stepped out of her reach to avoid her playful swat.
"Gee, thanks," she said, crinkling her nose up at me.
In spite of her apparent hesitation, she seemed to get a little more cozy with Malcolm at the concert. And of course, Philip and Lisa weren't afraid of a little PDA either. I just ignored the romance happening around me and lost myself in Josh's smooth-as-butter voice. It didn't usually bother me to hang out with friends who were paired off, but I was becoming eager to find my own soul mate. I was a hopeless romantic at heart; I just did a good job of hiding it.
On the way home, we had to take a detour off of I-75 because of an accident, and we ended up driving into town through some less than desirable neighborhoods. "Lock your doors," Beth said nervously. She was from a small town and, although I agreed this wasn't the safest neighborhood, she was always more anxious than I was about driving through the less reputable areas. I spotted someone walking along the street, someone who looked very much like the mystery man from the library, with wild hair and a long, army green trench coat.
"Stop!" I shouted. "I think I know that guy!"
"Are you crazy?!" Beth yelled back. "I'm not stopping in this neighborhood. Besides, how would you know that guy?"
"Baby, don't you trust me to protect you?" Malcolm asked, sounding rather offended.
"I never said you could call me Baby," she snapped. "Now we're back to square one."
That shut Malcolm up, while I answered, "I thought I recognized him from the library, but it wasn't him."
"What would you have done if it was someone you've seen at the library? Offer him a ride?" Beth asked. "There's no more room, and I'm not picking up a hitchhiker who looks like a hobo."
"He's not a hobo," I muttered. I was genuinely concerned for the poor man if he had no other clothes to wear than what he had worn all week and if he had no place to take a shower. But why did I feel like I had to defend him, for heaven's sake? I knew nothing about him.
Beth had made a good point, though. What would I have said if it was him, and if Beth had stopped? Hello, I've seen you every day at the library and I was wondering if you're homeless. Probably not the best plan I'd ever had.
I invited everyone to come up to my apartment when we arrived. I poured a little wine while everyone made themselves comfortable.
"Wow, this place is amazing," Lisa commented, almost drooling.
"Thank you. I love it," I told her. "I got a really good deal on rent because I helped the building manager do some painting and some minor repairs around the place. A lot of homeowners and landlords are getting incentives from the city to spruce up their properties. It's all part of the effort to revitalize Downtown Detroit."
"It really is a cool place," Malcolm echoed. He'd been here plenty of times before, but he always commented on how much he wanted a place like this.
I had to agree. It was a classic urban loft with brick walls, high ceilings and big windows to let in lots of natural light. I loved everything about it - the neat little kitchen, of which an entire wall was chalkboard paint, so my friends and I were always writing silly or inspiring things on it. I loved my spacious bedroom and of course, the floor-to-ceiling book shelves in the living room. Plus, I had a good view of downtown, and I could see all the way to the river on a clear night. Tonight was cold and drizzly, but it made the lights of the city seem magical.
The only thing missing from my perfect home was a fireplace.
We all got comfortable and made small talk for a little while, indulging in second and third glasses of wine. Beth had gotten up to use the restroom earlier, and Malcolm had excused himself a few moments after that. We hadn't seen them in almost half an hour.
Philip finally said, "You'd better check on those two. They might be shagging in your bathroom."
"Ugh," I answered him, curling my lip in disgust. I went to find them and they weren't in the bathroom; instead, I found them making out in my bedroom.
"Looks like you moved him back up from square one," I observed and they pulled away from each other abruptly. I just laughed and said, "It's too late. I saw everything."
"Everything?" Beth asked, biting her lip.
"Well, not if you used my bed or something," I teased. "In which case, I would disown both of you, just to be clear."
"No," Malcolm said, clearly embarrassed, but Beth just laughed.
"That's good," I said. "Now get out. I've reached my people limit." It was true and I was glad my friends understood. I was an introvert at heart - I loved hanging out with them, but at a certain point, my social battery died and I needed my space.
After saying good-bye's and thank you's, I was left alone in my loft while the two couples went merrily on their way. What they did from then on, I had no desire to know. I got my pajamas on and soon after crawling into my soft bed, I began to dream about the mystery man from the library. I dreamt myself as his heroine, saving him from a life of poverty and exile.
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So, you met some of her friends. What do you think? Any clue as to what's up with the Mystery Man?