The Joy of BOOKS

When I met Amelia, I’d been working at the library for 30 years. I didn’t believe a book could change anybody’s life, least of all mine.

Until I met my wife, I’d wanted to train as a teacher, but she persuaded me not to. By the time the marriage ended, 30 years had gone by and I’d forgotten I even had a dream.

I’d still be stuck in a rut if Lisa Parkes hadn’t gone to New Zealand for six weeks. She was the one who helped me load the mobile library every morning.

I never knew who I’d get while she was away and, on that day, it was a work-experience student. I wasn’t happy. Showing them what to do would slow everything down, but we were short-staffed. So it was Amelia or nothing.

As we loaded the van, she didn’t stop talking about her love of books and how she wanted to be a librarian one day.

I told myself it wasn’t for long, soon she’d be someone else’s problem, but when I got on board, she jumped