Scenario 19
The Quiet Table
READ
A library had several large tables for individual study and two small rooms for group work. On Tuesday afternoon, both group rooms were occupied. Olivia and Mason arrived to prepare a class presentation and sat at a table where Peter was reading. Several other seats in the library were also taken.
Olivia and Mason began by comparing notes quietly. As they practiced their introduction, their voices became easier to hear. Peter asked whether they could speak more softly because he was reviewing a difficult chapter. They lowered their voices, but the practice required them to repeat several sentences aloud.
Mason suggested that Peter use headphones. Peter did not have any and had chosen the library because he expected a quiet place to read. Olivia explained that their presentation was the next morning and that they could not meet later. She pointed toward the occupied group rooms and said they were already waiting for one.
A librarian walked past carrying returned books. Peter looked up, while Olivia checked the room reservation board on her phone. The next available space was forty-five minutes away. Mason's bus would leave before then. Their notes, laptops, and presentation cards covered half the table, and Peter had just reached the chapter he needed most.
THINK AND RESPOND
What would you do?
If you could offer advice to one of the characters, who would it be and why?
