Bookphobia!

Terrified, Amber clung to the sides of her chair. This setting was all her worst childhood nightmares, coming to haunt her. There she sat, at the side of her one and only heir to the moths in her purse. Kristen was eagerly researching books she had accessed.

Yes. Amber had been forced to take Kristen to their local library. Amber felt as if she was going to faint, perspiration was rolling down her face and back. She felt more than distinctly uncomfortable. She was usually a capable chick, a solo nester, having divorced Brandon Revolting.

This was a long story, reaching back to her early years in a Catholic primary educational environment. As if Amber's classroom teachers were not horrifying enough, they occasionally plastered a phony smile on their faces, pretending to like little kids. Then there was the weekly session in the school library.

In that quiet reading room, there reigned the intimidating Mrs. H. She never left the scene, she was the school librarian until she retired at a vast old grumpy age. Mrs. H. was it, the only librarian in primary school. Amber supposed there was no such thing as a perfect educator.

Mrs. H. stood tall and firm of large bosoms, angora sweaters, her beady eyes peering through her ugly spectacles, suspended on a chain around her neck. She only ever used to wear pleated skirts, thick hosiery, and flat sensible shoes. Due to an unfortunate astigmatism, Mrs. H's eyes always seemed to be looking in different directions.

If a child in Amber's class even appeared to be thinking about whispering in silent reading in the school library, let alone interrupt story time, a large library book descended on them, whomp!

Mrs. H. never even cared if she had whopped the wrong kid, it was all part of discipline, advocated in their system of teaching. Currently, Kristen was being educated in the same school, with a focus on parochial support for well being of all God's children.

Amber still held onto her doctrine, she had guided Kristen through their struggles with no child support from that high school hood who had got her pregnant. He used to want Mr. Romance on the weekends, but Amber no longer cared, and made sure she used better birth control. One day, she woke up, thinking, "I divorce thee, I divorce thee, I divorce thee. What did I ever see in you?"

Now Kristen had enjoyed her First Holy Communion, and the sacramental after-party. If she wanted to borrow library books, Amber usually relied on one of her circle of supportive chicks. But this day in particular, they had all been too busy with sports for their own kids.

"How bad can this get?" Amber wondered, sitting there in the neighborhood library, surrounded by her own acquired Bookphobia. Her blood sugars were decreasing, she tried deep breathing, but the whole room was swimming with displays of literacy that seemed hell bent on whopping her on her head. This had always been a no-go zone for her.

Kristen was beavering away. She was hooked on being number one in her class. Amber had tried to tell her that learning was not such a race. She did not quite know where Kristen's intellect had emerged. "All children come from the stars. Being here today is not about me, it is about her!"

With that, dizzier than ever, Bookphobia held sway, and Amber did, indeed,faint. Kristen looked up from her books, and ran off to the librarian's desk. Some kids have no fears at all, so it seems. The quite cute male librarian immediately went to Amber, who was regaining her senses.

Matthew's gaze lingered on Amber's pretty, pallid expression, as he supported her to the chair ,and administered the checking of her pulse, supplying her with a bottle of water. Amber was beyond embarrassed, how could she explain Bookphobia, her legacy from Mr.s H? This hottie kind guy was a librarian, what the blip?

Of all the jobs in the world, ironically, Amber's new Mr. Romance was a librarian who loved literacy. He was such a tender man, so unobtrusively soon devoted to Amber. How could she conceal her Bookphobia from him? Answer, she couldn't. She did not know if it was a bridge too far, a barrier that provided such apparent limitations for love to follow destiny.

Matthew regarded Bookphobia as only a mere setback to his flaming passions, newly liberated. Coincidentally, Kristen was entrenched as classroom number one, gaining double A's in every project, thanks to the handsome librarian and the research collection in that scary library.

Amber did join a Facebook nostalgia group for her old classmates. They all seemed to think their childhood Bookphobia was funny now, something to be shared and supported.

No, no self-respecting library book ever whopped Amber on the head again, she never really got over being silent in the face of literacy. By the way, she did continue to use new improved birth control, she did not know if she could handle another afterbirth and years of educating more Catholics.

But fate played its own hand in Amber's plans for her future. That naughty stork slid another zygote in her womb one romantic evening. She had to woman up with her big girl booties on. She did love Matthew, he was so delighted by this proof of his virility. He promised to do the library runs, so reliable and trustworthy.

So, Kristen's "Uncle" Matthew became her new daddy, she even eventually changed her surname to his, she so loved him. There was nothing Brandon Revolting could do to change that. Amber contemplated a future when they were all grandparents together. That thought needed some medicinal Chardonnay, but she was pregnant again now.

Yes, that naughty stork is waiting, winging around for all women in love at that nubile age. But, pleasingly, it all came good. Of such poor, but loving family background, Kristen became a career woman, a systems analysis expert for a multinational firm She adopted three World Vision sons in darkest Africa. Amber and Matthew raised their subsequent children, who all grew up to be a credit to their happy, loving family environment. Amber always kept on believing that there were better things than Bookphobia!