Chapter 8 — Second Floor Library Girl

The first rain of the season came on the day the group planned to paint signage for the library.

The rain hit the corrugated iron roof, making the second floor hallway vibrate slightly. A drop of water fell between the stack of reference books. Phuc discovered it first and pulled the book box out of the corner of the wall.

“The roof leaks,” he said.

“You talk like you just discovered bread has cake,” Bao replied.

“If you want comedy, get a bucket.”

Bao ran away. Ngoc used a towel to wipe the book cover, Lam checked the shelves near the window. Water falls in two streams, one near the rule board, one next to the old book box.

“If this continues, the book will be ruined,” Ngoc said.

Phuc placed a plastic container under the leak. "Tell Ms. Hanh. Do not climb onto the roof yourself."

Ngoc called. Ms. Hanh was in a meeting downstairs, telling the group to close the leaky area, move the books, and make a damage list. The repairman can come in two days because the school still has many rooms to check.

“In two days this place will become a lake,” Bao said, returning with three buckets.

Lam asked if he could buy a temporary canvas. Ngoc looked at the remaining budget. They had enough money to buy a small tarpaulin, but not enough for the whole roof. Bao suggested asking the classes to contribute, Phuc asked how much was needed and who would manage it.

“I can advance,” Ngoc said.

Phuc turned around. "Are not."

“I just said maybe.”

“I heard.”

“You don't need to react like you took out your wallet.”

“Because you will take the real thing.”

Ngoc bit her lip. She knew he wasn't talking nonsense. But looking at the books getting wet, she couldn't stand the feeling of waiting.

“Then find another way,” she said.

The group divides the work. Minh Chau asked the school to lend him a stage canvas. Lam called the classes to ask if they had extra plastic bins. Bao sells "leak-proof" versions of rice paper, each package comes with a piece of paper asking for donations. Phuc checked the wall and marked areas to avoid.

Ngoc went down to the equipment room. The person in charge lent two old tarpaulins but asked to sign for them. She clearly states the status, payment time and responsible person. When he turned around, Phuc looked at the stack of papers.

“You learned.”

“I just followed the process.”

“The process also needs people to remember to use it.”

They pulled the tarp over the shelf near the window. A corner of the canvas touched the light bulb, Phuc immediately turned off the power and changed position. Bao intended to hold him with his shoelace, but Lam pulled his hand back and handed him a roll of drawstring. No one scolded. They record the error on the incident board so it doesn't happen again next time.

The rain continued until evening. The reading room is temporarily closed, but the group stays to sort wet books. Ms. Hanh placed three trays: can be dried, needs professional treatment, and cannot be saved. Ngoc held a book with a loose spine, wanting to put it in the last tray. Phuc Bao tried drying each page with a table fan first. The two of them worked for nearly an hour, the book was still bent but readable.

“I thought saving a book meant bringing it back to the way it was,” Ngoc said.

“No. Being able to read is a kind of comeback.”

Lam hung a rope across the hallway and used wooden clips to dry the catalogs. He wrote on the label "don't touch until it's dry", then stood guard for fear that someone would be curious. A 10th grader asked for help. Ms. Hanh gave her gloves and told her to only turn each page according to the instructions.

That night, Ngoc came home late. Dad called to ask why she hadn't come home yet. She said the reading room was leaking, then unconsciously said the budget didn't have enough to buy canvas. Father asked if the company could send someone. Ngoc shook his head even though he couldn't see.

“Don't you want to use the company to solve the problem right away?”

"I want the school to decide what it needs first. If An Nhien brings everything, people won't know the real cost and won't be able to learn." How to handle it next time.”

Father was silent. He did not immediately agree, but asked if she needed an independent technical person. Ngoc said that if that person is invited by the school and clearly stated in the minutes, then it is okay. Father said he would introduce someone and not send an employee to replace him.

The next day, the rain stopped. The schoolyard is full of leaves. The school's workers checked the roof and discovered a broken tile, not that the entire roof was as weak as rumored. The temporary repair will be enough for two weeks, while the plan to replace the gutter needs to wait for an estimate. Ngoc updates the table, clearly stating what is known and what is not certain.

Phuc discovered a box of books missing two books. The whole group looked everywhere, finally finding them in the medical room because a friend who had a cold borrowed them to read. Ms. Hanh doesn't blame you, she just reminds you to write it down. Ngoc added an "emergency loan" box for such cases.

In the afternoon, the classes brought what they had: a roll of waterproof tape, four plastic covers, two small fans and eighteen thousand dong. No one contributed enough to fix the roof, but enough to keep the books from falling further. Be sure to write down each item, don't write the name if the giver doesn't want it. He said transparency doesn't always mean saying names out loud.

Ngoc suggested trying a reopening date with a safe area. Phuc drew a diagram on the board, marking the aisles and places not to sit. Lam schedules shorter shifts so the person on duty doesn't have to stand next to a bucket of water all day. Minh Chau texted the class that the room was only half open, not promising enough space.

On reopening day, only nineteen people arrived. One person was disappointed because he couldn't find a seat next to the window. Ngoc apologized and pointed to the table near the fan. Phuc asked if he could stay. You consider and then nod. Not everyone got what they wanted, but they did get an explanation and another option.

Bao put a suggestion box next to the door. Students wrote about the sound of buckets of water, the smell of humidity, and having to take detours. There was a note that said “thank you for staying open”. Ngoc did not stick it on the top of the board. She placed it among other comments, so that her thanks wouldn't obscure what needed to be fixed.

At the end of the day, a parent called Ms. Hanh to ask if she could donate money instead of supplies. Ms. Hanh forwarded the question to the management team. Ngoc suggested setting up the school's own account and making payment methods public, not accepting cash through students. Phuc added that every account must be approved by two people. Bao was sad because from now on he was not allowed to hold the money box alone.

“You can still hold it,” Ngoc said. “Just not being able to make your own decisions.”

“I'm already half grown.”

“The other half is waiting for the receipt.”

After three days, the repairman completed the temporary roof. Books are moved to each shelf according to category. Some books had to be wrapped, some papers were blurry and unreadable. Ms. Hanh recorded them in the damage book, not hiding them to make the report more beautiful.

Phuc stood in front of the bookshelf, looking at the curved spine. “Do you want to give up this book?”

Ngoc shook her head. “Put it in the repaired book area. The borrower knows it is not perfect.”

“Some people don't want to read wrinkled books.”

“So let them choose another book. But don't pretend it was never needed.”

Phuc nodded. He wrote a small label: “Recovered — please be gentle.”

Before locking the door, Ngoc took a photo of the incident board, supplies board, and book list. She sent her father the same sentence: "The group has handled the first part themselves, the rest needs to be decided by the school." Father replied with a sign of approval, then asked if she had had dinner Not yet.

Ngoc looked at the clock. She hasn't eaten yet. Phuc sent a text message from downstairs: "The cake counter has one loaf left, not free but with a discount."

Ngoc smiled, closed the book and went down. The roof still needed a thorough repair, the budget still wasn't enough, but the second floor had learned something important: a room is not protected by hiding leaks. It is protected by having someone point to the right place so everyone can fix it.

At the cake counter, Phuc gave Ngoc a paper bag without a logo. Inside is a carefully wrapped loaf and a small receipt. Ngoc asked why he wrote a receipt today. Phuc said the counter used money to buy tarpaulins, so they need to know which accounts are raw materials and which accounts are supports. Ngoc realized that he did not talk about management like her; he only did it because he was short of money.

A 10th grader came to return the book, but the book was bent at the edge. You apologize constantly. Ngoc said the book's condition had been recorded before borrowing it, then he and his friend sealed it with paper tape. Phuc saw it and said next time he should take a photo of the nape before handing it over. Ngoc doesn't want to take pictures of everything that makes the borrower feel like they're being followed. They agreed to only take photos of weak books, with the consent of the borrower.

In the afternoon, Ms. Hanh called the group into the meeting room. The school can provide partial funding to repair the roof, but a summary of the damage and a prevention plan is needed. Ngoc presented in two pages: the first page is the number of books affected, the next page is the steps the group has taken. She did not add the sentence "completely processed". She wrote "stable, need to check again after the next heavy rain".

The vice principal asked what if it rained again and there was no one on duty at the school. Lam suggested that the warning sign be hung on the door itself. Minh Chau suggests saving the phone number of the person in charge of each shift. Bao asked for another flashlight. Phuc said there needs to be a clear rule: whoever discovers water must warn them and not climb onto the roof themselves.

Ngoc wrote down all the comments, then asked the group if they agreed to make the plan public. Ms. Hanh said yes, but removed personal names from unnecessary parts. The new sign was posted on the second floor door at the end of the day. Students read, some asked why only half of the room was open. Ngoc explained exactly what she had measured.

When she returned, she saw a piece of paper stuck next to the board: "Next time, can you help us clean the books?" Ngoc gave it to Ms. Hanh. Ms. Hanh nodded. The second floor is no longer just a room that needs protection; it becomes a common thing that can be learned and done together.