Lilia the Librarian

 Lilia Constable

We met in Grade 9 Science class at a Catholic college prep school.
She wasn't the prettiest girl, being stocky, stolid, and lacking in physical grace. Some would call her features homely. However, she was kind and compassionate and had warmth and a sweet disposition. Her hair and eyes were shiny and chocolate brown with a hint of gold. Her skin was clear and glowing.

We were teamed to do a project together - to determine the contents of a thick black sludge in a jar provided by the teacher - a mean-spirited nun with elephantiasis of her lower limbs.

Since I was unable to commit to after-school projects, I told her to go ahead and work on it herself and take the credit for it and that I would explain my circumstances to the teacher.

 When I handed in my paper, I told Sister St. Margaret that, since I had to tend my siblings, I could not contribute to the project and that Lilia deserved full credit for the work. 

All I could say about the glop in the jar was that it was thick black sludge that reeked of sulphur. I was given a D.

 Lilia, of course, being a diligent worker, earned an A for correctly identifying the substance. She apologized to me. I have no idea why she did that as it wasn't her fault. 

To this day, I have no idea what that jar contained.

Years passed. Life went by. One day, fifty years later, Lilia came to my mind and I wondered how life had turned out for her.

I looked her up and discovered that she'd graduated university and became the Head Librarian at the school we had once attended.
She worked there until she retired. The school had honoured her with a retirement party. It was reported in the local newspaper. She was highly praised by all who knew her.

It seems she had married after high school and had several children, as well as earning her Bachelor of Arts degree.

She was still married to the same man all those years later and was a grandmother.

One husband,  one job, several children and grandkids, the respect and affection of her peers.
All in all, a good life for someone raised in a functional family who went on to create another of the same.

I can't imagine living as settled a life as that - I've never experienced it - it's like something from a novel. Do I envy her? Maybe just a bit... but, as I was told by a young girl at a dinner table - we get what we get and we don't complain.

©Ellen Pepper 2023