the stinky couple

we have a couple, in their late 20's, that frequent the library. they are meek, weird and they stink to high heaven, probably because they are filthy-dirty. we suspect that they are the ones who are removing security tags from craft books but we can't prove it. we just have circumstantial evidence, like: they always take out craft books; they spend an awful lot of time in the craft aisle and our tags are found behind books and on the floor of that aisle; they make multiple trips to the bathroom; while one looks at books in the aisles the other stands outside the aisle and disappears whenever one of us appears. but, like i said, purely circumstantial.

at one time, we suspected that they were homeless, so we were extra nice to them and tolerated their weird behavior and filthy-stinkiness. then they started taking out videos and we figured they weren't watching them in their truck. with the missing items (craft books), their shady dealings on the computers, their hiding of videos behind the shelves and their god-awful stench, our patience wears thin.

when we thought they were homeless, we wondered why they wouldn't use our bathrooms to clean up since they spend enough time in them. their hands and faces are covered in dirt...wouldn't you want to wash your face and hands in the bathroom? they smell so bad, you can tell where they are in the building. i have serious trouble with constant nausea and i have had to walk away from them to avoid gagging and puking.

now that you know the story...tonight i was helping a patron find videos on pregnancy. stinky couple was in in the same aisle.

pregnant patron *loudly*: "UG! do you smell that!?"

me: "um, er, is this what you need?"

PP *looks around* "where is that coming from? do you smell that?"

me: "um, maybe reference could help you better than i could. they could help you find books, too"

PP:*holding her nose*: "okay...boy that is some rotten smell!"

she never knew where it was coming from. the smelly couple never turned around so i don't know if they overheard her. i kind of hope they did but i think people who smell that bad all the time probably don't even realize how much they stink.

i would rather deal with a rude SOB than stinky-filthy people. for a wealthier middle class town, we have an awful lot of non-bathers!