Shut Up

“Will you shut up?” asked Tom to Tim.

“You know you won’t read it!” argued Tim.

Tom and Tim (both eleven) were standing in the town library and both wanted to borrow the same book of fairy tales. Tom had laid his hands on it first. Then Tim requested him to allow him to borrow the book first. Initially Tom politely declined his request. When Tim started pestering him their whispers grew louder and finally Tom lost his patience.

“Who said I won’t read it?” growled Tom.

“Ha, everyone says you just borrow books to decorate your book shelf”, giggled Tim trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

 This was rather insulting for Tom. His face went red with anger. He wanted to push Tim down on the floor but with supreme mental effort, he controlled himself and said, “Let’s meet outside”.

“Are you threatening me?” Tim peered through his glasses. He was not the least afraid of Tom. Actually he found Tom’s aggression amusing.

“Will you shut up?”

Tom and Tim suddenly heard the heavy voice of an elderly woman and turned to look at her. She was the librarian. Mrs. Taylor was a middle aged lady, slightly overweight for her age and had a double chin. She was wearing thick black rimmed reading-glasses. She commanded respect.

Tom and Tim felt they owed an explanation. After all they were caught talking in the library. They knew they were in the wrong. They both felt that the other one was responsible for the situation.

 “Ma’am, I got the book first” began Tom. He knew he was right.

“No ma’am I saw the book first!” protested Tim, “he came from behind me and took the book”.

“Shut up”, glared Tom.

“You shut up”, replied Tim.

“Silence!” thundered Mrs. Taylor. Both boys were silent.

“Do you realize that you two are inside a library? A temple of learning?” continued Mrs. Taylor in a stern voice. “You must be ashamed of yourself. It is like standing among the great scholars of antiquity and disrespecting them. All their lives these scholars have advocated peace and love among people and you two are fighting with each other here?”

“Silence, please”

Tom, Tim, and the librarian turned to see who had spoken. It was a fat gentleman, nearly fifty years of age. His thick hair was snow white. Tom and Tim did not know him, but Mrs. Taylor did. He, Mr. Jones was a big businessman of the town. He donated a fat sum of money every year to the library. All the employees of the library respected him. They were expected to do so…by the management.

Mr. Jones had been reading a newspaper. He had a hard time concentrating while Tom and Tim were quarreling in whispers, all the time standing behind him. He was waiting for them to sort out their problem and leave when Mrs. Taylor had interfered.

“Please, Ms Taylor”, said Mr. Jones looking straight at the librarian “and children”, he added. “People are trying to read something here and, well you see…”  He fell silent here. He knew he had made his point. He found Mrs. Taylor’s speech more irritating than the quarrel of the boys but he didn’t want to say anything unpleasant to the librarian in front of the young boys.

“All right Mr. Jones”, said Mrs. Taylor in a clear voice all the while looking at Tom and Tim, “but these children must be taught how to behave in a library. It is only now that they can learn”. Then her voice grew stern. She looked angrily at the boys and said “They are fighting for no reason and in the wrong place. They must understand that they are disturbing other people like you and Ms. Evans and the other five people here who are reading something important, something worthwhile…”

“Oh, come on Ms Taylor”, said Mr. Jones. “I think you have explained them everything. There is no use repeating everything all over again. They have understood what you wanted to tell them. Right boys?”

“Yes, sir”, said Tim. Then Tim looked at Mrs. Taylor and said, “so I can have the book?”

“Hay, shut up”, said Tom angrily.

“Didn’t you understand what she said”, Tim spoke in a serious voice, “you are not supposed to fight in the library”.

“Silence!” thundered Mrs. Taylor again. “You have started again?”

“Excuse me.”

Tom, Tim, the librarian and Mr. Jones turned to see who spoke.

It was Ms. Evans. She was a young woman who was doing research on the works of Karl Marx. She had a thick book in front of her. She didn’t say anything more but her eyes loudly asked “What’s going on?”

Mrs. Taylor didn’t leave the opportunity. “See?” She asked the boys. “You have been disturbing so many people. Don’t you feel bad about it?” She continued for some time while Mr. Jones simply stared at her and Ms. Evans had her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.

Finally Ms. Evans said “Please, I make a humble request. Give me a chance”.

“Yes, what do you want to say?” asked Mr. Jones.

For a moment Ms. Evans got confused. Then she said, “I mean…give me a chance to read”.

“Oh!” exclaimed Mr. Jones amused at his own misunderstanding, “please go on”.

“See?” said Mrs. Taylor to the boys. She was going to say something more but Ms. Evans interjected. “Please Mrs. Taylor, I humbly request you. Please give me a chance to read.” When she saw the expression of confusion on Mrs. Taylor’s face, she said, “It seems you have explained everything loudly and clearly to the boys. If you just assume the matter is finished, I can go back to my research, before the library closes”. She looked at her wrist watch. She still had half an hour left.

Mrs. Taylor did not know what to say to her. Was the matter over? Could she assume the matter was over? The matter would be over if the boys stopped fighting. Was their fight over the book reached a conclusion? No. There was no indication that it was over. So it was not over. The matter was yet to be settled.

“Who took the book first?” asked Mrs. Taylor.

“Me”, said Tom.

“I”, said Tim.

“Not again” said Mr. Jones.

“Stop it”, said Ms. Evans.

“Enough!”

They all turned to see who said it. It was old Mr. Williams, a septuagenarian. He was a retired school teacher. He had taught to Mrs. Taylor and also to Mr. Jones. He was somewhat talkative man…in the opinion of the townsfolk. As he stood up to say what he had to say, Mrs. Taylor wondered if she would be able to close the library on time.