Goodbye, Aggie!

(a Popular Collection sendoff)

        A Timeline will show that during a Void Moon Aggie got tired of Chasing the Dime teaching English.  She would rather be a Shopgirl selling Hot Ice than spend The Hours reading Rough Draft after Rough Draft.  The Crush of all The Corrections had left her Speaking in Tongues.  Clearly, Aggie had reached A Bend in the Road and was in need of a Safe Harbor.  Without Remorse, it was time to take a Leap of Faith.  At Dead Midnight, fighting another Night Passage of Insomnia, Aggie wondered what to do.   She was too young to Sunset in St Tropez.  The Night Manager of Candyland changing the diapers of Pagan Babies?  No, that would be a Hard Eight hours.   Stalker for Dr. Death?  She’d be a Basket Case in no time.   She could try being The God of Small Things but after the Absolute Power of teaching she might feel like The Forgotten.   Being The Body Artist for The Emperor of Ocean Park might be fun—but what about The Family Honor?  Giving Driving Lessons to Hannibal-- even From a Buick 8--would be The Last Resort.   Pawing Through the Past, she remembered Her mother had been a librarian.  Eureka!  Fortunately, Money, Money, Money wasn’t a big Temptation for Aggie.  The First Billion and The Villa could wait.  She would forget going Blonde and try for The Empty Chair of the Loudoun LRS Director instead.

        The library staff, better known as The Hot Six, had been Waiting to Exhale during The Hunting Season for the new director—always a Tricky Business that sometimes leads to Trouble in Paradise.  Our needs were Dirt simple.  The Golden One should have Intensity and not be Jinxed.  Should have the Heart of a Warrior to Protect and Defend the library from Cruel and Unusual budget cuts.  Should Fear Nothing and have a Miracle Cure for Anthrax, Pollen, or any other Unspeakable, awful Prey trying to give the library a Hard Time.  Should know how to make a Rum Punch and a Cuba Libre.  Should have the Eyes of a Lone Eagle to spot Big Trouble and fix it Pronto.  Should be able to stirfry Four Blind Mice with a little Seven Up and a Bag of Bones and make a dish the Envy of everyone in America.  Should Be Cool during Turbulence or when The Sky is Falling and not be Outfoxed.  Should always be in The Loop, have Total Recall, and never have trouble getting a Second Wind.  Luckily, out of a Field of Thirteen, Aggie got The Job.

      The Run Aggie has had will be remembered as The Golden Age.  With her Executive Orders, the library finally secured The Chamber it needed for instruction.  Students can Listen to the Silence in the new quiet study room.   Renovation can be a Monster but with Aggie bringing her Edge of Danger spirit and A Certain Smile to The Program we were able to avoid Desperate Measures and mostly preserve The Lovely Bones of the library while Making Things Better.  When the Wind Blows, there is only a hint of the Dangerous Kiss of asbestos and the Shock of the two-tone carpet won’t last Forever.  The Testing Center and IT got the Thrill! of new or expanded spaces.   With our Altered States, the LRS has had a quickened Pulse since the Turn of the Century and it seems like Summerland all the time.

       In the Fall, Aggie announced her semi-retirement starting sometime after the Winter Solstice.  Everything’s Eventual but the Disclosure left us Black and Blue.  Barring A Sudden Change of Heart, she will be taking a 2nd Chance at teaching part-time.  She won’t be Gone for Good but The Switch will probably feel like The Blue Nowhere to her after working One Door Away From Heaven.   For us, the Temptation might be to feel Shattered in our suddenly Cold Paradise with A Darkness More Than Night.  But, As Time Goes By we’ll look back in Soft Focus on The Blessing of Aggie’s Journey with the LRS and feel very Lucky.

       Now, it’s the Eleventh Hour.  Aggie, we Wish You Well and know We’ll Meet Again.   It’s been A Walk to Remember working with you and the library will always be an Open House for you.  But, forget being Pen Pals!  Where You Belong is in person and we never want to say Long Time No See.  Bill, for one, expects to often see you From the Corner of His Eye at the Popular Collection.  You’ll always be The First Counsel for what’s good on the Hit List.  Good luck being A Whistling Woman of leisure!
 
 
 

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