My Highlight With Henley

During my five months of knowing an extraordinary 15-year-old young woman, Henley, a high school student shelver at the Hannibal Public Library, this was the highlight of my time with Henley:

In early 2016, while I was standing in front of the front desk, Henley and a librarian one year younger than I, Cindy, 60, were behind the front desk at the end of the day, and Henley, petite and only 5' 1", was sitting on a bar stool behind the front desk with Cindy and Cindy and I were telling Henley about how Cindy was constantly frustrated in the early years of our friendship at my being able to get "zingers" on Cindy and Cindy could never get one on me. Until the day came when Cindy did. I told Henley (with Cindy listening and enjoying hearing me recount this story yet again) about the day in the library when I was sitting at a library Internet computer in 2006 and seeing the news come across on my computer that Brittney Spears was divorcing her husband, Kevin Federline, and I turned around in my chair and I asked Cindy if she had heard this news and Cindy told me that she had seen it about an hour earlier. And then Cindy walked over to stand by me and we both were looking at this article about Brittney Spears on my computer. (I then explained to Henley that to understand the rest of this story that she needed to know that I had been approved for a disability retirement in 1990 from my engineering career due to major stresses in my life and that is why I've been able to spend so much time at the library for the past 20 years or so.)  I then told Henley that as Cindy and I were looking at this article about 24-year-old Brittney Spears, I looked up at Cindy and I asked her, a bit reluctantly, "Do you think that........I'd have a chance with her (Brittney)?"

Cindy thought for a moment and told me, "Well, let's see. Her husband doesn't work. And you don't either. So I guess you do."

I re-enacted for Henley of how I clutched my chest at that moment and I feigned being greatly pained and hurt by Cindy's zinger. Cindy told Henley that she's still very proud of herself of that moment.

I then asked Cindy, "Should I tell Henley what makes you mad at me?"

Cindy angrily replied, "I know what it is!!!" and Cindy marched off to be in a different part of the library.

With Henley and me at the front desk by ourselves, I told Henley, "I don't remember what Cindy said or did, but whatever it was, I told her, 'You remind me of my ex-wife.'"

I continued to tell Henley, "Oh, that made Cindy mad! That made Cindy SO MAD!!!"

I then told Henley, "Another thing that I tell women when they say something negatively towards me, I'll tell her,..........(I then paused and I turned away from Henley for a few seconds and then I turned back and I looked into Henley's eyes and I continued).......'If I wanted to be treated like that, I would have stayed married.'"

As Henley and I looked at each other at close range, my serious face slowly changed to having a small smile on my face and then Henley finally reacted with what seemed to be a brief laugh of amazement.

Cindy then returned to join Henley and me at the front desk and I asked Cindy, "Do you know what I just told Henley?"

Cindy very angrily replied, "Yes!! That I remind you of your ex-wife!!!!!!"

And then after Cindy left to go to some other part of the library yet again, Henley, sitting so pretty on her bar stool, pointed her right index finger and right forearm to her left, and she told me, "Or, she is the good one.........," and then Henley flipped her right forearm and her pointed right index finger to her right and Henley continued, "and the other one isn't."

I then looked downward towards the floor trying to figure out exactly what Henley had just said and I realized that my ex-wife must be "the good one" and, therefore, "the other one" who "isn't" must be me!!  I then exclaimed, "WHOA!!!  That was so subtle, I almost missed it! I had no idea that I'd be slammed by Henley today!!!!"

Henley shot back, "I didn't slam you!!!"

I quickly retorted back, "Oh, yes, you did!!!"

Henley and I then laughed so hard with each other, and Henley leaned so far back as she was sitting on her bar stool that her upper body was almost parallel with the floor as she laughed.  And while it was obvious that Henley was laughing very hard, her laughter was so soft that it was the most quiet laugh that I had ever heard in my life from any person.

In hindsight, it was inevitable that Henley and I would go our separate ways, not on the easiest or best of terms, as it would turn out, but I will always cherish my special experiences with one very special young lady, Henley.