Missing people

[watervole]

One of the slightly sadder aspects of working in the bookshop is that you never know what has happened to people.

Over the year I've been there, I've got to know several of the regular customers by name and to know the books they like and to chat when they come in.

There's C, who loves military history, especially naval, but likes first hand accounts. He also likes interesting books on a wide range of subjects and often buys quirky older ones.

S, who drops in with his wife every few weeks is a natty dresser and likes industrial architecture and shares my love of canals.

P has a deep interest in social history, as well as a range of other subjects.

We used to have Mr A.  His interest was classic movies and the history of the different studios.  We often used to save books for him and he'd pay for them in installments out of his pension.

We haven't seen him in several months now.  He's not young.  I've no idea if he's okay, or if he's sick or even died.  I hope we'll see him again, but I fear that we won't. He usually dropped in once or twice a week.

Comments

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

Having been a public librarian for 33 of 35 years working in libraries I know what you mean. At least I served a small area and could usually find some one who knew the regular who wasn't a regular any more any more and could tell me. It's since I retired that I find myself thinking I wonder what happened to.... with no way of finding out now.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

And I would like to join Linda here - and you with the same experience. Even now, a year and a half I still ask my new colleague about my nice and interesting customers in the British Centre Library and fortunately, some of them are still there and some send me e-mails occassionally. :-)