DANES FAMILY DIARIES- LUKE AND JESS VISIT THE LIBRARY. "Well, here we are Jess. The Stars Hollow Library. Haven't been here since high school," Luke admitted. "Life just kinda gets in the way sometimes." I wonder if the librarian remembers me....Getting thrown out after she found me and Angela Sims making out in the shelves. That was a lot more fun than tutoring her in American History... "Maybe one day I'll visit you and mom in New York, Jess. We can see some of the cool libraries and museums they have there." "Okay Uncle Luke. This is fun. I want to read a book about dinosaurs." "Guess we'll have to get you a library card." No idea where mine is these days. Probably fell down Angela's bra. Jess drank in the sight of hundreds of undiscovered books with his big, innocent hazel eyes. A Polaroid picture of childlike wonder. I think this is where he belongs. Jess started pulling on Luke's hand. "Dinosaurs!" "Okay okay, we have to find the kids' books." Luke looked up and saw the old librarian from his teen years giving him the stink eye. "Hello Mr Danes, I see you have a child in tow so you must not be here to play tonsil hockey with some floozy in my stacks." "Hey, Angela was not a floozy, she was...eh, she kinda was, wasn't she." "Mmm. I did not know you had a son?" She peered down over her glasses at the excited toddler. "He's my nephew, Liz's kid. He loves books. Where are your books for little kids?" "Well, actually Mr Danes, they're just about to start story time in the children's room. I will show you where it is." In the children's room, Luke found himself to be one of only two "dads" participating in story time. He reluctantly hung back against a wall and let go of Jess' hand. Jess made a beeline towards a group of little kids who had gathered to wait for the children's librarian. Luke recognized the other dad as Mr. Kim, the mayor of Stars Hollow. He was a visible and prominent political figure in town. He could be seen at most town events, from the ribbon cuttings of really pointless things to the ribbon cuttings of doubly pointless things. Everyone knew Mr. Kim. "Hello Mr Danes. I didn't know you had a son." Aaaargh. "He's my nephew." I think I'll just drape a sign on the kid that says "HE'S JUST BABYSITTING." "Ah. I'm here with my daughter Lane. I wouldn't miss any of her activities." The library would be a great place to doze off. Jess had already made acquaintances with Lane, who was talking a mile a minute about Raffi. Jess wanted to discuss how the Ninja Turtles ate pizza and had nunchucks. Once the librarian walked in, the kids took their places on the carpet. "Today we're going to read If You Give a Mouse A Cookie." While the other kids fidgeted, Jess was paying rapt attention. Halfway through the story, a polite little hand went up in the air. "Yes, sweetheart? What's your name?" "I'm Jess Mariano." "How old are you Jess?" "3 and a half. My birthday is in September." He held up 3 fingers. "Would you like to help me read the book Jess?" The librarian assumed he just wanted to come up for a better look at the pictures, and she was happy to oblige. "I want to read it." "Of course. Please, do come up and read for us." She pulled up a tiny chair for Jess to sit on while she looked over his shoulder. And then he started reading out loud. Confidently, with only some help from the librarian. 1 page, 2 pages, 3 pages, 4 pages. By the 5th page he had tired himself out. She was flabbergasted. "You did such a good job reading today Jess! How remarkable for such a young child! I think we should award Jess with the King Of Storytime crown." She placed a paper crown on his tiny head and handed him a plastic scepter. She didn't see that Luke was watching and choking back tears. Then the librarian engaged the kids in songs. She even managed to get a reluctant Luke and Mr. Kim to participate and sing quietly, making hand spiders as they sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider. "Mr. Danes, your son is incredibly bright. If you nurture his love of reading, we'll have books written by Jess Mariano on our shelves in 20 years."
