That’s How the Library Came Up - A short story

On Friday, March 13th, 1992, Freny was born—a precious gift to a Parsi couple, Nancy and Dalfruz, after twenty years of marriage.However, the date of the birth made the parents uneasy. Following a ritual on the Sixth day after Freny’s birth, Nancy soaked Freny’s little feet in Vermillion water to make footprints on a blank paper.She then wrote, “ May good luck always be with you.” The couple lit a lamp and offered prayers to God.

As Freny grew up, everything that could go wrong did. One day, in second grade, there was a candy distribution in the classroom. When the bowl reached Freny, it was empty.

She cutely asked the teacher, “ Ma’am, where is my candy?”

The teacher replied, “I am so sorry, Freny, I will bring you one tomorrow,” but she never received the candy.

If there was one defective toy in the shop, it would somehow end up in Freny’s parents’ shopping cart, often with no exchange policy. Once her  Baba got her a walkie-talkie doll that didn’t work. Baba promised to get her a new one, but  Freny never got a new doll.

In the final year of school, Freny had an odd number of students in her class.

Throughout the year, the seat next to her was vacant. Hard luck seemed to follow her at every stage of her life. She didn’t have a partner at prom night, and later her marriage failed. Rather than succumb to despair, her unique solution to the hardship was to make others smile, a philosophy she called “A Golden Rule.”

After her failed marriage, Freny moved to her late parents’ old, run-down house. When she moved in, no neighbour cared about it. After setting up the house, she prepared whipped coffee by mixing coffee, sugar, and a small amount of water, then whisking it thoroughly. She baked cinnamon rolls and puff patties.She went to her neighbours' houses and invited them for coffee.Everyone was charmed by Freny’s warm nature.

“Hey Freny, I have some guests coming; can you make some hand-beaten coffee?”

“Of course, Pearl,” said Freny.

“Hey Freny, can you help me?”asked another neighbour

“Of Course,” Said Freny.

Everyone knew who to call when in need. Soon, Freny’s coffee, cinnamon rolls, puff patties and Freny herself became everyone’s favourites in the community.

Everyone knew that Freny was not financially doing well. She supplied handmade gift boxes and other craft pieces to a few stores. Soon, people started returning Freny’s favours as gifts. They avoided cash because they didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

Freny’s neighbours were moving to the US. For a week, Freny sent them dinner every day. They were very grateful, as it made their packing process easier. They had a beautiful canopy, which they gifted to Freny. The next day, she got the canopy installed.

Since Freny loved reading, she occasionally visited her former school to serve as a storyteller. This job provided her with an additional income. Everyone loved her pleasant personality. One day, Freny visited the school to meet with the Principal. The Principal informed her that the school would be closing down soon. She offered Freny the option to take a few pieces of furniture if she would like. Later in the evening, Freny went to school to choose the pieces she wanted.She went from one classroom to another and picked up a few colourful tables and chairs, carved with friendship messages: "Jasmine andGloria are BFF" and "Alisha is my best friend."Messages of love were inscribed in red:‘Kim and Jay' surrounded by an infinity symbol. Ferdoz loves Freny, and tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she gently traced the letters with her fingertip.

“When these were written, it was love,” she said softly, her heart free of resentment. Freny understood how to truly let go—to cherish the lovely memories without the burden of the past.

When Freny went to thank the principal, the principal had packed a few copies of signed books by her favourite authors.

Freny set up the colourful furniture under the canopy. The next day, she visited a nursery and purchased some flower seeds. She planted the seeds on the three sides of the canopy. In three to four months, the colourful flowers—purple, yellow, pink, and red—bloomed in her garden.

Freny was watering her plants when a scrap dealer’s cart toppled. She went to help him load the things on the cart. The scrap dealer gave her copies of a few old books. Freny returned and sat under her newly set canopy, browsing the books.

She was astonished to see that one book was an antiquarian: The Scarlet Letter, an 1850 printed copy, and some vintage books, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a 1908 printed copy, and The Book of Wonder Voyages, an 1896 print with the message "Awarded to David for standing first in History."

"How did these editions reach India? Who are those idiots who discarded these books? or, Maybe they lost them. "Freny spoke to herself, and a tear dropped from Freny’s eyes. There were some other books also. Freny arranged them all on the table.

One day, it was raining heavily. Freny had put cinnamon rolls and cheese puffs in the oven and was making hand-beaten coffee. She heard a lot of noise from outside. She saw many kids who had parked their cycles near her house, standing under umbrellas and waiting for the rain to stop. Freny offered them to come in. Kids didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so they quickly came in. An irresistible sweet scent of cinnamon buns and a savoury scent of puff patties began wafting through the air. Kids began whispering to each other about how tempting the scents were. Soon, the Kids got busy browsing the books;Freny arranged a tray of coffee and buns and served it to them.

“Is it a library with a coffee shop?” A kid enquired.

“Yes, if it looks so.” Freny said with a smile.

The rain stopped, and the kids left sowing a seed for the cafe Library inFreny’s mind.

Freny had read somewhere that if you have one thousand books, you can call it a Library. Freny just had two hundred books.

Asit is said, “ When you desire something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.” Two days later, the same group of kids came. They brought a few boxes of books and told Freny that they would like to donate a few books to the Library. Freny was pleasantly surprised. The kids neatly placed the boxes on the tables and left.When Freny counted the number of books, they were five short of eight hundred. She just needed five more books to make a Library. She went inside, grabbed her purse, locked the house, and left hurriedly. She reached the scrap dealer’s shop and asked if he had any books to sell. The scrap dealer brought a bundle of books and placed them in front of Freny. “ You can choose, Ma’am,” said the man.

Freny carefully browsed through the eclectic bundle of books. Among the treasure, she discovered an abridged edition of  Arabian Nights, with an inked message:

Dear Isha, a beautiful storyteller,

Keep weaving magical stories.

From

TeacherDavid

The other books she selected were the Tao Te Ching, with a poignant note:“This book saved my life.” Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Inside, someone had penned, in elegant cursive font, “There are more important things in life than work,” a gentle reminder of the importance of striking a balance between work and life. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and the last book that capturedFreny's gaze was a beautifully illustrated edition of "Cinderella."As Freny picked up Cinderella, a wave of nostalgia washed over her, sending a frisson of joy down her spine. When she opened the book, her eyes welled up. Freny’s parents had gifted her this book when she turned six, with her footprints laminated on the back. Freny had taken the book to school, excited to show her friends her footprints, but unfortunately, she lost it.

There was a message in crimson on it: Dear Freny, May good luck be always with you.” Love, Mama and Baba.

She closed her eyes and remembered her parents. Her childhood flashed back instantly, and tears rolled down her face.

“Are you okay, Ma’am? Are you looking for something specific?” asked the scrap dealer.

“I am okay. I am opening aLibrary Cafe, and I need a few more books for it. “ Thank you for asking, said Freny.

The scrap dealer disappeared into the clutter and rummaged through the piles of forgotten treasure. Moments later, he arrived with a weathered wooden board engraved with the inviting phrase “Welcome to the Library” in swirling letters written within an intricate floral carving. Freny smiled warmly at him, her eyes shining with genuine joy.

She took the board and six books, thanked the scrap dealer, and headed home. She had a lot on her mind: checking the zoning laws to see if they permit a Library cafe in her residential area, and getting the license.

ByGood Luck, with her support system, all the formalities were completed in the blink of an eye, before the weekend. Freny spent the entire Friday organising the library. She created cute little menu cards with her craft materials and taped them to the tables. When she woke up on Saturday morning, the weather was cloudy, and a cool breeze was blowing. Freny hoped that it didn’t rain during the day, and it didn’t. Around Midday, parents began to arrive with their children. The children eagerly spread out in the Library, started browsing the bookshelves, and parents flocked together and orderedFreny’s special. The Library had burst to life with vibrant energy.

After serving coffee and delectable snacks to the Parents, Freny settled into a cosy chair with a steaming cup of coffee. She opened the book“Cinderella” and traced her fingers over the message written by her parents: “ May good luck always be with you.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. In that moment, she knew that good luck would always walk beside her, no matter where life led her.

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