Thermos Flask stepped out from the library doors, bellowing, ‘Gather round, gather round,’ and people gradually did as told, reluctantly ceasing their chat.
‘Samuel! Don’t pull that lady’s dress. Come here!’ one mother called to her son, just as the crowd had gone absolutely silent. ‘Shit! Sorry!’ she shouted out. ‘Sorry!’
There was a brief chuckle, as Aleisha took a moment to survey the crowd. There were maybe around fifty here now, people of all different ages. She saw Breton girl again, as well as the pink-haired regular, and popular-science guy … wow, she hadn’t seen him in ages. Benny and Lucy were tucked towards the back, with their families. She recognized some people from pictures on Aidan’s phone, or from his social media, but most of them were brand new to her. Others were clearly Mukesh’s friends, but there were plenty of others Aleisha couldn’t easily categorize. Then she spotted Chris Crime Thriller with his mum and dad, who both looked just like their son. All were hunched over slightly, hands in their pockets. When he caught her eye, he smiled and waved a copy of a book at her. To Kill a Mockingbird.
That felt like a lifetime ago. Crime Thriller guy – the one who had given her the very first book, with that mysterious list between its pages. To this day, she still wondered, had he put that list together for her? Had he known?
‘Thank you all for coming,’ Dev said, his eyes searching the crowd. He locked eyes with Aleisha and beckoned her over. She reluctantly shuffled her way to the front, catching saris and jackets and T-shirts as she went, feeling thoroughly embarrassed already.
When she arrived at the very front, her cheeks flushed and glowing with a thin sheen of sweat that she hoped everyone would just think was her natural radiance, Dev started looking for someone else too: Mukesh.
Mr P took two steps forward and he was there right beside them.
‘I would like to thank Aleisha, one of our brilliant librarians, and Mukesh Patel, a true Harrow Road regular, for thinking of this idea, and opening our little library up to everyone for the morning. We are so happy to have you all here, and we hope you continue to come for a drop-in on Wednesdays. Come for the cake – and stay for the books! I know we may not be the biggest library on the block, but we endeavour to make this space a peaceful and friendly place for our local community. We’d love to have your support, so we can keep this library going as an important part of Wembley’s history, and its future.’
Mukesh leaned into the microphone, his voice quivering, ‘Books are great!’ he said, and a few people, including Deepali, Rohini and Priya, laughed. He stalled for a moment, wondering what else to say, until, in the crowd, he spotted Naina – a complete vision of her, smiling, nodding encouragingly.
‘I am grateful to Aleisha and Dev and the young man Kyle for helping me find a place that can feel like home. And, we want to do this as often as possible on Wednesdays. And you all know, Wednesdays are shopping days – so you’ll be out and about, anyway. Why not pop along?’
Aleisha could tell he was nervous, he was stuttering very slightly, but he was certainly enjoying his limelight. He’d once said he hated being the centre of attention – she was sure it had been a big fat lie.
‘My Naina, my late wife,’ he continued, his eyes flying to his Naina, in the crowd. His eyes stung for a moment and he could feel a hollowing in his heart. ‘She loved books. I never understood books until I came here, but the library helped me feel closer to her. It is very important to feel a part of a place and a community, and I would like everyone to come and enjoy it here, just like me.’
Aleisha nodded.
‘And please don’t forget to raise a toast, or take out a book, in memory of Aidan Thomas, a young man who loved this library very much!’
Mukesh handed the microphone back and stepped aside. He had said his piece, and there was silence all around. Rohini had a tissue held up to her nose, covering her mouth. He looked around once more and just for a moment, as the sun hit the cars in the car park and refracted through the library’s windows, Mukesh could see all the characters he’d met along the way. There was Pi and his terrifying tiger, very out of place. Elizabeth Bennet, still playing hard to get, with Darcy a few steps behind. Marmee and her little women, linking arms together. Amir and Hassan, young again, carefree, running around with a kite in the car park. But, between them all, there was Naina – still smiling. Her hands held together at her chest.
Aleisha and Mukesh were sitting in their usual spot by the window, the library now returned to its quiet state, the only evidence left of the day being the tin trays emptied of food and stacked up by the recycling.