Sharon noticed his ID card lying on the couch next to her. Picking it up restlessly, she turned it over and over in her hand. The ID card brought her back to the memory of their shopping trip. Watching him hand over his ID card at the shop that day, Sharon had wondered later about the Shimerian monetary system. Liken explained that all transactions were recorded on his card. Later, he showed her the computer in his home where he transferred the information.
His ID card was similar to a debit card from what she could tell, although it also seemed to be a computer disk of some kind. His computer was linked to central computers maintained by the government. His paycheck was deposited in his account on his computer on certain dates. It was all paperless. The librarian in her admired the organization and efficiency of the system.
Liken appeared in the living room archway, interrupting her thoughts. He looked clean and energized. He was wearing the usual black, but he looked happy and boyishly excited. He really wanted this trip to the library to be a special treat for her. He grinned, looking pleased with himself, and said, “Are you ready,
Sharon laughed and nodded. She knew what he had been doing. “You know I am. Don’t pretend you haven’t been lurking in my head.”
He laughed with her and corrected, “I do not
Crossing the room and extending a hand to her, he grinned shamelessly. “Although perhaps we should squeeze in a quick shopping trip between the library and meeting Tair.”
She shook her head in mock reproof. He had been lobbying for another shopping trip since that day. “You have to be the only man in the universe who loves shopping.”
Putting her hand in his, she let him pull her up from the couch and felt his arms come around her in a hug. Leaning back to look at his face, she said, “Of course, we’ll go shopping again.” Her face went bright red. “Just not to that same shop.”
He threw back his head and laughed. She was such a delightful mix of contradictions – sexy and passionate one moment, and then sweet and shy the next. Leaning down, he whispered into her ear, “As long as we go to a shop with a trial booth.”
Sharon could feel heat spread through her at his words. She had been right when she first saw him. He was sex personified. He had only to look at her or say something to her, and she melted like wax. She cleared her throat. “I believe we were headed to the library, right?”
Liken was experiencing his own surge of arousal at the thought of another shopping trip. Placing a quick kiss on her forehead, and taking his ID card from her hand, he moved away from her and said, “We’d better go. The librarian, Gar, will not be happy if we are late. He is eager to give you a tour.”
The library was a wonder. Walking inside the outer archway of the building, she expected to smell the familiar scent of books. Instead, when they walked in, she saw row after row of disks. In the center of the room there were comfortable chairs in a large open space. Seated in the chairs were maybe thirty or so adolescent Shimerian males. They stared at her in apparent fascination until a warning look from Liken made them duck their heads to the notebooks in their hands. Liken took her by the arm and led her to a counter area.
The librarian was a much older male. He had silver hair and an air of quiet dignity. He looked up with a welcoming smile as they approached. Stepping out from behind the counter, he approached Liken.
Handing the man his ID card, Liken nodded his head respectfully and placed one hand on the man’s shoulder. The man mirrored his movements, which Sharon knew was the Shimerian form of shaking hands. When they stepped back, Liken put his arm around Sharon and said with obvious pride, “Gar, I would like to introduce you to Sharon Glaston, my pactmate. Sharon, please meet Gar Deyzan’can, the head librarian here and an old friend.”
Gar gave Sharon an admiring glance and a warm smile. His voice was strong in contrast to his frail body. “I am most pleased to welcome you, Sharon.”
Sharon gave him an answering smile and said, “Thank you. I’m pleased to meet you and very excited to learn about Shimerian libraries.”
Liken was quick to add, “Sharon was formerly a librarian on Earth. It is a real pleasure for her to meet her counterpart here.” He knew that Gar was aware of that fact, but he wanted to remind him of their earlier conversation.
He was assuming that she would stay here on Shimerian. Sharon didn’t appreciate his use of the words “former librarian”, but she let it go for the moment. She was really interested in the library and didn’t want to spark a disagreement with Liken right now.
Gar seemed to have caught something of the discord in her expression. He said, “It will be a pleasure to show you, Sharon. Let us start your tour.” He walked quickly behind the counter and reached down. Pulling a flat notebook from a stack behind his desk, he showed Sharon how to operate the small reader. The entire front of the notebook was a display screen.
Walking over to a row of disks, he placed one in the side of the notebook. He then inserted Liken’s ID card into a slot on the other side. With a little hum, the screen lit up and displayed the cover of “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens. The words were in English. He handed her the reader.
Placing her finger to the option screen in the upper right hand corner, she learned how to flip from page to page and even how to choose which translation she wanted to read. The language options included Earth languages as well as Shimerian. She learned the disk contained all of Dickens’ works, as well as a biography of the author and all literary criticism.
Gar gave a little sigh and told her, “You should have seen the lists of works and other information first, but someone has neglected to press the reset option to return to the main index. It can be frustrating.”
Thinking of her own library, she gave him a look of sympathy and said, “I know what you mean. Back at my library, we can never seem to keep people from placing books back on the shelf incorrectly.”
Liken saw the look of understanding pass between them and smiled. As Gar led Sharon on a tour of the building, explaining the organization and operation of the library, Liken trailed in their wake. Watching her expressive face, he could see her enthusiasm and love of books. Her curiosity and quiet sincerity charmed Gar just as it did anyone within her orbit. He could tell she was enjoying the outing tremendously. She was happy and he felt a swell of happiness himself that he had given her this experience.
Then, he felt a flash of guilt as he wondered if she knew he had an ulterior motive. He had already spoken with Gar about Sharon working at the library, but had sworn the older man to secrecy. This was, in a way, an informal position interview. Seeing Gar and Sharon in such accord meant she could probably work there on some basis.
It was another step toward convincing her that she could be happy on Shimeria with him. Uneasily wondering if she would accuse him of managing her choices again if she knew, he hoped she would be too happy to examine his motives very closely.
At the end of the tour, Liken and Sharon paused at the main counter. Liken removed his ID card and handed the notebook back to Gar. Placing his hand on the older man’s shoulder and nodding his head, he said, “Our thanks for your kind assistance, Gar. We enjoyed the tour very much.”
Gar returned the gestures and said with a smile, “No thanks are necessary.” He aimed a smiling look Sharon’s way. “It is a pleasure to share the experience with a fellow lover of books. She is quite wonderful, Liken. Best get her pledged quickly.”
Turning to Sharon, he said, “My thanks for your company. I hope I will see you again, Sharon.”
Sharon gave him a bright smile. Gar was a knowledgeable and efficient librarian, and a charming man. She said warmly, “Your library is a marvel and I appreciate the tour. I enjoyed it so much. I’m hoping to see you again, too.” She wasn’t sure if she was staying on Shimeria or not, but now wasn’t the time to worry about it.
With smiling faces, Liken and Sharon exited the building and began walking along the pathway outside. Placing her hand on his arm, Sharon looked up at Liken. “Thank you for today.”
Looking into her shining eyes, Liken felt a fresh wave of guilt. Deliberately reminding himself that he would have brought her just to experience her enjoyment, he placed a gentle hand against her cheek. “You are welcome,
The look held for a moment as they stared at each other. Removing his hand from her cheek and grabbing a hold of hers, he moved them forward. After a few steps, he looked down at her. His eyes held a teasing light. His smile widened into a grin and he wagged his eyebrows suggestively. “If you wish it, you can show me your gratitude later in private.”
