The Katy Geissert Library

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Not receiving an answer, I quickly walked through the endless rows of bookshelves looking for even the slightest glimpse of her. Yet, I found nothing. At this point my fear shifted into panic, and I ran back and forth through the aisles of the bookshelves, double-checking, triple-checking, and I still came up short one mother. Not finding her in the second floor, I raced as fast as I could down the stairs into the second floor of the library. Again, I searched and searched up and down the rows of bookshelves, and not once did I see her among these shelves. By this point, I gave up trying to hold back my tears, and I let them out in a constant flow. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? I paced back and forth along every aisle in vain attempts to find my mother, along with trying to figure out where I should go to next. Wait! I remember now! Every time my mom and I go out of the house, she always tells me that if I get lost, I should seek help from the front desk or security officers. My mother’s message etched into my head, I made my way towards the checkout desk on the first floor. Still in tears, I told the librarian that I couldn’t find my mother, and I tried several times to look for her. The librarian, comforted me as best she could, telling me that everything will be alright, and before long, I had stopped crying. The librarian then pulled out a short little stool next to her seat, and gently told me to sit down until my mother came downstairs looking for me. Although I was pacified, there was nothing I could do to loosen the tight knot inside my stomach. Soon, I heard footsteps quickly treading down the library’s marble steps. I looked up, and to my immediate relief, I saw my dear mother. I jumped out of my seat, and bolted straight towards my mother. “Mom! I’ve found you!”, I spoke with relief.

“And now I’ve found you,” my mother replied back.

In reality, that moment ten years ago in the Katy Geissert Public Library lasted only 10 minutes. But to me, that moment took place as if time had ceased to move. Being lost was the one experience that changed the way I behaved in the future when I went anywhere with my mom. The feeling of being lost, being left in a place all alone, is something I never wanted to go through again. Because of this moment, I never again in my younger days broke free from my mom or my dad’s line of sight, for fear that I might lose them, and this time there would be no way to find them again.