I smiled at her. “Thanks, Karalee.”

She walked out and I continued to clean up, then checked the room’s supply of polyvinyl acetate, or PVA glue. This was the glue of choice for most bookbinders because it was water soluble and strong, while it allowed for flexibility and adjustments until it was left to dry completely.

“Meow.”

I looked down, surprised to see a big yellow cat staring up at me. “Hey, Baba, how’d you get in here?”

“Meow.”

I knelt down to stroke his lovely thick coat as he rubbed himself against my ankles. Baba Ram Dass was his full name and he was BABA’s official mascot. The cat had been in residence for as long as I’d been coming here.

“You’re welcome to stay until someone starts sneezing,” I said.

“Meow.” But his look said, I’ll stay as long as I feel like it.

“I think we have a deal,” I said, standing up. I grabbed a sponge and wiped down the sink counter in the corner as my first students began to file in. They greeted me, then chose seats around the high, wide worktable that dominated the center of the room.

Within ten minutes, the table was filled with twelve chattering students who talked among themselves and fiddled with the tools I’d laid out for them.

I introduced myself and gave a brief background of my bona fides. “Okay, that’s me. Let’s go around the room and have you give your names and backgrounds. And tell us all what you hope to get out of the class.”

Five of the students were graphic artists: Sylvia, Tessa, Kylie, Bobby, and Dale. I recognized Tessa and Kylie from previous classes they’d taken with me.

There were three librarians: Marianne and Jennifer, who worked together at the main library in Daly City, and Mitchell, a muscular, tattooed Desert Storm veteran who had returned home from the war and decided to become a librarian because, as he said with a shrug, “I like books.”