Private Investigator REF & Mr. Clean

Okay, today nearly left me in tears. For me, as the reference librarian, I have some of the most amazing experiences with the public that I don't often mention. But today was exceptional. A woman came in today looking for her father. Now this woman is about forty and has two kids with her. She came up and asked me over my books, "Could you help me find someone?"

I looked up from my computer and ask, "Someone in the library?"

"Not exactly... I'm looking for my father."

Now this is where she spills her guts about her father having been a war hero, who had disappeared when she was born, but for some reason beyond me, she was trying to find him. Call it reconciliation, but it was touching. Now according to policy we don't provide those kinds of services. But before I knew it I was saying yes. (I didn't want to change the AC filter *or untie the idiot assistant*) So I went into a large search, asking her everything she could remember about her father.

Right about the time I was starting to find some leads Mr. Clean shows up. Now for some reason ever since the iniciation scare he's been kind of cold shouldered and almost like my boss. He asks me what I'm doing, and I just shrug and say, 'Hunting.'

He finds out, tells me it's not policy and I tell him to shut up. (HAHAHA! I'm cold hearted towards him, he needs to get one. *a heart I mean*) I just keep searching while he drowns on about policy and about work ethic, and all that junk.(I'm good at selective hearing.) Right about that time, I'm calling a police department in Detroit of all places to ask then for any info they might have on this woman's father.

Bingo! I found something, Mr. Clean for once stops talking and being such a pain in the rear and helps. By the time the woman came back from story hour, I had her father's phone number, home address and everything else I could find. (Hopefully I have the right guy here.) She thanked us, gave us each thirty bucks and left. (Whoa, I'm going to have a good lunch thinking about that.)

Mr. Clean actually smiled at me for once and we went about our work, me sleeping, Mr. Clean doing whatever he does in the stacks. It was tear jerking and very gratifying. Thank you, Mrs. Patron-with-missing-father.

You got to love Librarian-Hood...