status : open location : outside the library !
☁️ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ───────────── it wasn't the first time someone had defaced the decor in front of the library; imani knew it wouldn't be the last. yet, it especially hurt her feelings in the fall and winter months. hosting activities like pumpkin carving for the locals was as close as she was able to get in partaking in an activity socially reserved for families. it wasn't something that was funded by the library or board itself; the pumpkins, tools, candles, and refreshments all coming out of her own pocket, but she never minded. there was something special in seeing the way a child's eyes, or that of a young adult, lit up when they got the chance to do something they thought they never would. so it's not the money lost that fills her with sorrow as she arrived to open the library to several smashed pumpkins and disgusting graffiti, it's knowing that at any moment someone who attended could show up and see their hard work demolished for reasons she'd never understand. imani didn't give herself a chance to feel the mix of emotions coursing through her; the anger, sadness, confusion, hopelessness swirling within her would have to wait to find a home. she focused solely on cleaning the mess up and thinking up an excuse to give anyone who came asking where the pumpkins had gone until she had the time to replace them. her brow was damp with sweat as she bent over, scrubbing at the orange still smeared on the steps of the library. at least it looked orange to her. truthfully, she'd been scrubbing so long she didn't think to take a break. it only took one small nudge against her foot to set her off. ❝ oh my god ! don't you see me working here ? ❞ her voice grew in volume as she finally lifted her body up to rest on her heels. " don't you see the mess out here ? who did you think was going to clean it up ? i know new york is small, but it isn't that small you could have easily went around me...─── ❞ a pause and a deep breath later she shakes her head. ❝ it's not even worth it, just please go. inside, further down the sidewalk, back where you came, just somewhere other than here. ❞ with her peace said she hunched back over, viciously rubbing at a spot that just wouldn't get clean.
