A Curtain Drawing

On Thursday, small fry and I took a bus to the library, as is our wont on a free day in between playgroup.

We leave after breakfast, take a leisurely stroll to the bus stop and it's a short two-stop ride to the community library. She knows which bus we take to the library: 155. "Is the 155 her yet, Mummy?"

We walk from the bus stop to the library; I return my books at the book drop and then we climb the stairs up to the second floor to look for books for me before we head back down to the first floor to look for books for her. She likes sitting on and sometimes rearranging the colourful Ikea kid chairs.

After a few readings, we take the books to the scan counter where I prop her up on the counter and she helps me lay the books on the scanner before we take them out.

This time, she insisted on holding her own Charlie and Lola book all the way to the bus stop. She loves pressing the button on the lights for the pedestrian crossing. She likes hurrying me across the road, pulling on my hand, prompting, "Faster, Mummy! Faster!"

Sometimes she falters as we're almost there and hankers to be carried. Usually I succeed in persuading her to make the distance.

And then we hop on the 155 back the two stops where we came and cross the main road back to our place.  Back home, we have lunch. The whole trip takes not more than two hours if we don't stop by Shop 'N Save for groceries.

I'll miss those morning trips to the library.

With the small fry starting daily playgroup yesterday, those morning trips to the library are a thing of the past. The thought occurred to me as we made our way home yesterday, and again today after I'd put her to bed. I felt a momentary pang of melancholy.

Gone are those leisurely Tuesdays and Thursdays where I can decide to hop on a bus either to Parkway Parade for a grocery run or to the library. Mornings will be hectic and hopefully, I'll have the energy in the afternoons to take her out on bus rides.

I'll miss those slow and easy days. We'll just have to find the time in the afternoons to hop on the 155 on our book rounds to the library.

It won't be the same.