December 21
4:12 pm

Oh, she just had to make a stop by the local library before heading home to prepare for dinner. She planned to have some of those baked chicken parts with a salad of carrots and potatoes and a slice of corn for Marco before he arrived. Yum. But first she had to look for that book she needed as her main resource for the talk she would be giving the first day classes resumed after the holidays. Normally she'd have been done with her speech by now, but with Christmas just around the corner, she'd been busy with a lot of other things related to the holidays. It was stressful, wrapping gifts, going to her parents' constantly, having to check her little mailbox at the university for last minute letters and notices, and other errands. But she was happy that it was the holidays at last, and she looked forward to the New Year.

Right now she was frowning at the computer screen. She could never really get these programs. It had taken numerous trips before she'd even noticed there were computers here at all. A friend had showed her how to use them to find where a certain book was located. Library cards were already considered "old-school". It was much faster to type a detail about the book such as the title or author, and with a few clicks on the screen, voila! The call number showed where the book could be found. But why wasn't it showing that right now? Natalie didn't know how she'd managed to get the page of the software (or was it a webpage?) to show her the various books related to... dreams and mysticism, if what she was reading was accurate. Certainly not what she was looking for.

Nat debated asking the girl at the counter, but felt too shy to do so. She had been observing the young redhead for the past five minutes now, and because it was nearing Christmas, there had been a long line of locals and mostly students who had to pay their dues. She strayed away from the computer. It was of no help to her. Her blue eyes travelled the length of the library, reading the signs positioned in the alleys between the bookshelves. It gave her pleasure, to see that so many people were still interested in reading books, despite the onslaught of new technology. There was still something different about turning the pages of a book compared to reading from a screen. At least.. as far as Natalie could tell. She didn't own a Kindle or those iPad things.

Unconsciously, she tucked a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear in impatience. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders now, in waves that were a result of them being let free from the bun she'd worn earlier in the day. The length made her look younger, less stern. Natalie took a few hesitant steps towards the section that contained the big tomes about Archaeology. She knew that the book she was going to get was thick, but she could carry it, despite being slight of frame. Maybe she'd take a cab home. With the recent robberies in the neighborhood, Nat had to be more cautious. It was not her possessions she feared for, but her safety, and the safety of her husband. The blonde passed by the shelves that held the classic novels. Her eyes scanned the titles. Despite having read a lot, she found that there were still a lot of them she hadn't heard about. Madame Bovary... she went forward to pick up the book. Reading the blurb at the back, she blushed. It seemed scandalous. Must've been forbidden during it's time or something.