Cut to one month later. Paul got a haircut.

This is one of my favorite libraries of all time. The shelves were all built by hand. The books are all free but donation is encouraged with little tins placed randomly between the stacks of books. The most recent construction was the addition of the ceiling made from corrugated metal and canvas sheets. Paul wanted to preserve the books as much as possible by shielding them from the bleaching sun rays. Little nooks help keep the sections organized by genre; modern spirituality, fiction, history and an entire section devoted just to Jesus. They even have a kids room adorned with broken word games and dusty stuffed animals.

A well dressed man and woman briefly stop in to check out the sites without as much as hello. The owner of Gilligan’s Isle, grass hut next door rolls up on his bike for a glass of water from the ten gallon jug Paul fills up in town twice a week. The residents of the Slab know there will always be a clean glass of water available at the library. It’s the only time people stop by really. ”Not sure what all is in there,” he says as he opens the top to peek in. Getting down to the gravel. He’s gonna have to make a run into town tomorrow. As a donation, we offer the ice cold water from our cooler. He is brimming with excitement, I can tell. It’s just too hot to show it.

The neighbor, looking at Paul’s botched haircut asks if he got in a fight with a bobcat. “No man, it was just too hot for that much hair.” Note to self: next time I stop by the Library, bring Paul a set of Bic razors and a mirror.

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