A Place to Return To

After four Tuesdays, Leah looked at the visitor notebook. Some people came every week; others came only once. There were no big crowds, but the chairs were rarely empty for long.

Sam found a spare lamp in his storeroom. Nina finished the last wall, and Omar made a simple shelf label for easy English stories. Ben offered to open the room on the Tuesdays when his shift started later.

The team met to plan the next month. They decided to keep the same hours and try a short reading group at seven. They would ask visitors again before adding another evening. Nobody wanted a good idea to become too much work.

On her way out, Leah saw a new visitor looking at the sign. “Is it all right if I just read for a while?” the woman asked. Leah opened the door. “Of course,” she said. “That is what this place is for.”