Hitting Delete, Sigh

Today, I had a first as a library director that I hope I don’t have to repeat often…  A patron came in to return a book for his wife.  I knew she had been hospitalized recently, so I asked how she was doing.  Choked up, he said she had passed away just this morning.  He said, “She loved the heck out of this place,” cast a quick wide-eyed glance around, and hurried out the door.  I could only look on, knowing no words at all to match such a raw hurt.

After he left, and with one big trepidated sigh of my own, I pulled up and deleted her borrower record.

Farewell, patron of many years and lover of murder and mayhem novels, who used to come and visit every week or so.

*sniff*