Rude Mountain Climbing Book Reader

Lady: What’s the number for mountain climbing?
Me: (Smiling) I don’t know of the top of my head but I’ll look it up.

I look for a book on mounting climbing but we don’t have any in. We only have two biographies with climbing or mountain in title: the Kirk Douglas biography, Climbing the Mountain, My Search for Meaning.

Me: It doesn’t look like we have any mountain climbing books in.
Kinda Rude Lady: Just type in Everest. It will be under Everest.

I love when people tell me how to do my job.

Me: Are you looking for a book where someone climbed Mount Everest?
Lady: No. I just need a number.
Me: (Confused look)
Rude Lady: I know what I’m looking for.
Me: What are you looking for?
Rude Lady: I know what I’m looking for. I know exactly what I’m looking for. (Like, I don’t need your ineffectual help.)
Me: I’m not sure if it will be in.
Rude Lady: (Exasperated) I don’t need it to be in. Just give me a number.

I decide to be amused and not horrified. I tend to smile when confronted with rudeness, which may be a mistake and make rude people more annoyed with me, but it's a defence mechanism.

RL: In 600s, right?
Me: Well it will probably be with sports in 790s.
RL: That’s fine.
Me: Do you need a more specific number?
RL: (Walking away.) No I don’t need a more specific number. I can find it.

I find the exact number anyway.

Me: (To colleague N) Wow…
Colleague N: (Chuckle)

I go find the lady, expecting her to tell me off again.

Me: There should be some here on this shelf if you’d like.
RL: Thanks.

A couple of minutes later she walks back past the desk with an armload of books. Looking back, I think maybe she thought I was making fun of her from the beginning, because I made a joke of not knowing the number off the top of my head, and that’s why she seemed to become so testy so fast. But I really have no idea.