Return To Sender Or Lender

My Grandpa Frank's funeral was the first time I had seen a dead body.

Now my mother, Aunt Susan and Uncle Joe were getting ready to go and clean out his house. I wanted to go but mom did not want me to go along.

"Why can't I go, Mom?"

"I don't think you would have any fun."

"Seriously, Mom. None of you are going to have any fun either. You're going to clean out Grandpa's house."

"True but I still really don't think you should go."

"Come on, Karen," (that's my mom) "give the kid a break. If he wants to go, let him go. He was dad's fishing buddy. I think he'll be just fine." My uncle was on my side,

Mom looked to Aunt Susan who just shrugged. Then she looked at Uncle Joe who looked at me and winked.

"All right, you can go. But I do not want to hear 'can we go yome yet' an hour after we get there. It will probably take us all day just to sort everything.:

"Thanks."

I was happy even though it would be my last visit to grandpa's house. Grandma Mary had died just over a year ago. I was not allowed to go to her funeral and grandpa never got over her death. He split his time between our house for a couple of months, Aunt Susan's house and Uncle Joe's house. I think he liked our house best as he and I would go fishing whenever we could.

The first few times we went fishing I would get really frustrated at not catching anything. Then he explained that it really wasn't about catching any fish it was about who you went fishing with. From then on I loved it just because I was spending time with Grandpa Frank.

So, after everyone had breakfast and the adults had their cup of coffee, we loaded the back of the van with boxes and off we went.

Twenty minutes later we arrived and first we all just walked slowly through the house. Mom and Aunt Susan both were crying by the time we had seen every room.

It was decided that they would do one room at a time. Except for me as I went straight to the garage to lay claim to grandpa's fishing tackle and poles. All agreed that grandpa would have wanted me to have them.

Then there were some models that he and I had built together on rainy days when grandma would not let us go out. I laid my claim to them as well. Nobody objected.

Next I went for his books as we both loved to read. He had paperbacks from old TV shows from when he was a kid like me. There were eight for "Get Smart", twelve for "Battlestar Galactica", eighteen for "The Man From U.N.C.L.E" and others. Once he had to start wearing glasses his books became hardbacks.

One book caught my attention. It wasn't the title. It was that it was the only book on the shelf with a book cover. I pulled it out to see what made it so special. To my surprise, when I saw the edges, it was stamped 'Property of Cumberland County Library." Sometimes the library had book sales. The stamps remained but they would remove the due date card and stamp it 'out of circulation,' So I looked. Again I was surprised as I found a date due card still in the card pocket.And the due date stamped was May 1, 1955.

Wow! Grandpa had not returned this book and it was sixty-one years overdue.

I ran to mom to show her my discovery.

"Grandpa probably owes enough to build a new library."

"Don't worry. They probably wrote it off as a 'lost book' by the end of that year."

"Can I take it back and see what they say?"

"Maybe they will hold you for ransom until we pay the fine." Uncle Joe always tried to be funny.

Aunt Susan did not want to be left out so she added "or at the very least send us a bill."

"Grandpa checked the book out so they will send him the bill and he's dead."

"We haven't stopped his mail yet." Uncle Joe had that 'here comes the punch line' look on his face. "So if one arrives we will just have to write on it "Return to Sender-Address Unkown."

Mom and Aunt Susan broke out into a ha-ha very funny laughter.

But I was serious. I did not want them to stop grandpa at the pearly gates just because he failed to return a library book. So I went back to the den, put the book in my backpack and just kept looking around. I would stay home tomorrow when they returned.

Next morning I assured them I would be all right at home. So they left me.

"Don't burn down the house," Uncle Joe chided me as he closed the door.

The library did not open until nine on Saturday. Riding my old bike would not take long to get there.

At nine I left with the book in my backpack, a bottle of water and some Little Debbie snacks. Before I even got to the end of our pot-hole infested driveway, the chain came off the bike. For twenty minutes I tried to fix it but could not so I stashed it in some bushes and continued on foot. Now it was going to take at least twice as long.

My next obsticle was Mrs. Stevens house. She was a chatterbox so if she saw me it would cost me another thirty or so minutes. I tried to sneak by but no such luck. She chatted until she heard her phone ring so she excused herself to go and answer. I made a fast getaway.

Then came the river bridge. I had to stop and do some remembering as I could see one of me and grandpa's fishing spots from where I stood. Not sure I would like going fishing by myself unless it got me out of chores.

Just as I decided I had better get a move on a County Patrol car pulled along side of me and asked where I was headed. Told him the library and he offered me a ride but I would have felt funny riding in a patrol car. He suggested I hurry then as there was rain on the way. I thanked him and started walking faster.

Not fast enough. Just as I got to our one and only car wash it started to rain. I took cover in the car wash and hoped it would not last long.

'What next?' I thought.

Soon as it stopped I was back walking but not far. Seems a car had hydroplaned into a light pole which was now blocking the street. I had to go around the last long block before the town limits and smaller blocks.

Then I saw it. Up ahead on the right. Now I was nervous. Would they really expect a late fee to be paid? It did not matter. I was going in.

Mrs. Watson was at the check out counter and there were some men in suits standing close by. Were they here to hole me until the fine was paid?

Slowly I approached the counter.

"How are you today, Matty? We've been expecting you."

Oh no. Here it comes. And how did she know I was coming?

"Mrs. Stevens called us and we thought that it was quite noble of you and was worthy of a story in the County Times. These gentlemen want your picture and have some questions, Oh, and the book?"

I opened my backpack, got the book and handed it to Mrs. Watson.

I told them how I found the book, all that had happened on my way and begged them not to hold me until the fine was paid.

One reporter told me that for a kid my age it took an extreme effort to return grandpa's book and that my family should be proud of me.

"Matty," Mrs. Watson approached me. "There was an envelope taped to the inside of the book cover. You may want to keep it and the book as well. Seems your grandpa and grandma could only meet in the library and this was the book yuour grandpa was reading when he asked your grandma to marry him. He kept the book to always be reminded of that moment and taped this apology inside the cover for whoever found the book."

"Wow! Mom will love this. They're cleaning out grandpa's house and don't know I'm here."

"We can drive you out there," offered the reporters. "Then we can get input from them for your grandfather's part of the story."

I thanked Mrs. Watson and with the book safe in my backpack we left the library and headed for grandpa's house and the rest of the story.