what's the fuss

Dayton thought he might be looking at himself right there in the library. It was this kid who had enough energy for a speed racer. He was about nine. Fierce. And knew what he wanted.

"I want Pokemon!" He demanded. All the while he was running around the new books display and almost ran into an elderly woman with her cane.

Naturally, it became a shouting match with his mother who looked somewhat beaten down and desperate for a cigarette. While this little monster had eyes of a lit up angel and the most perfect hair. He could have been the next star on an ill-fated WB show if he could sit still enough. And he couldn't. And he didn't.

Dayton just stared and had to think if he'd been ever that much trouble to his mother. After all, he was high strung. Some teachers found him rather unteachable, and he'd spent a good long time in Special Ed. Resource trying to channel the certainty that he was much smarter than he'd ever let on.

"Can you help him?" Oliver looked over to Dayton who was pushing a cart of books through in front of the circulation desk. Oliver was pretty much bogged down with Sunday afternoon patrons. Some demanding books to put holds on that weren't even in stores yet. And of course, the bitter battle of overdues and lost books.

"Sure thing." Dayton nodded and looked over at the kid who was determined to find the Pokemon stuff. "So what is it you're exactly looking for?"

"Digimon." He looked at Dayton as if he should know.

"I don't think we have anything like that. You might just want to look at some of the juvenile graphic novels." Dayton suggested. Thats what all the kids were going for these days unless it was dinosaurs or King Tut.

"I don't think so." But he walked over with Dayton to the graphic novels.

"What grade are you in?" Dayton asked which seemed to shock the kid that he'd ask him. Perhaps no one bothered to know.

"4th."

"Well, what do you read?"

"I don't read. I hate reading." He stared at Dayton. "I won't Pokemon."

"All the stuff we have on Pokemon is pretty much outdated." Beat up too, but he didn't want to mention that. "Ever hear of this series. Warriors?" He held up a new copy of the graphic novel.

"Yeah, I see the smart kids in class reading the novels." He shrugged.

"Well, you get pictures in this one." He showed it to him.

The kid took it and looked through it and handed it back.

"You should give it a chance, then you'd see what the big deal is about. Its not that bad." Dayton handed it back.

"You read them?" The kid looked into Dayton's eyes that he better not lie to him.

"Yeap." Dayton nodded. "Look, I'll find you a Pokemon handbook. Don't think its what you want. Check that out. See which one you like better."

"OK." He was quiet then as he followed Dayton into the children's area to find the book. Dayton managed to find him a chapter book on Pokemon too. Dayton looked back at him and smiled. He had to wonder if all this kid's trouble was the fact that his Mom talked to him like an animal. He seemed pretty down to earth. It just occurred to Dayton that he better apologize to Bex. But he guessed she thought of him as an animal too.