“And it’s got t’ have tiny little flowers painted on it,” specified Caroline, “right ’cross the back top of it on the headboard. I seen a rocker like that once, and it was sure pretty.”
I looked at her. “I’m afraid I don’t do that kind of paint work.”
“Well, I do.”
I liked her outspokenness, but I frowned. “You’ll do it?”
“Yes, suh. When you get finished with yo’ part, I’ll do mine.”
I was silenced.
“Well, before we go to talking about any decorations, we best get us an agreement about price first,” said Luke Sawyer, always the businessman. With that, he and Sam Perry got down to the specifics of the wood and style of the chair. Luke Sawyer asked me how long I figured it would take to make the rocker. I told him, and then he and Sam Perry began to haggle price. Now, Luke Sawyer always set his price within fair limits, though a little high because most folks, when it came to having something made, didn’t like set prices. They liked to bargain so they could have some say-so and feel in the end that they had themselves a fair deal. When an agreement was reached, they felt good about the price and figured they’d gotten themselves a bargain and were happy.
I always stayed out of this part of the transaction. I listened and learned from Luke Sawyer, just as I had learned from my daddy, but both Luke Sawyer and I were in agreement that haggling price was his domain. I noticed, though, that the young lady, Caroline, took great interest in the price debate and greatly influenced her father in the terms he was asking. She stood right by his side and shook her head at Luke Sawyer’s price demands and backed her daddy up with a nod when he pointed out the unreasonableness of each price Luke Sawyer set and countered with a price of his own. I smiled, amused, then moved away and sat again at my bench. I picked up a table leg I was sanding and went back to work.
“Whatcha doin’?”
I looked up. It was the boy, Nathan. He was staring curiously at the table leg.
“Doing some sanding to make this table leg smooth as possible. I’ll do the same with the other legs too, then attach them to the tabletop over there.”
Nathan moved closer and ran his fingers along the wood. “Sho’ is smooth. How you do that?”
“With sanding paper,” I said. “It’s quite rough, like sand. Some folks use sand instead of the paper, but I prefer this. You ever used it?”
Nathan shook his head.
“Then try it,” I said, giving him a piece.
Nathan grinned and took it. He rubbed the rough paper with his fingers and grinned again.
I smiled. “Why don’t you take that table leg from the shelf there and have a seat on the bench.” Nathan got the leg, and when he was seated, looked at me for further instructions. “Now, just rub the paper over it like this,” I said, continuing my sanding of the table leg I held. “Just a little at a time, back and forth, but go with the grain of the wood and not too hard.”
Nathan watched me, then timidly began to sand. He did a few motions back and forth, then looked over at me for approval.
“That’s right,” I said, and went on with my own sanding.
A few minutes later Luke Sawyer and Sam Perry reached an agreement, and Luke Sawyer went back to his store. Sam Perry and Caroline then came over to the bench. Sam Perry put his wide hands on his hips, and laughed. “Look like ya done took up yo’self a helper.”
I glanced at Nathan and smiled. “Looks that way.”
“Let me see,” said Caroline, stooping over the boy’s shoulder to take a look at his work.
“Feel,” said Nathan. “Right here.” Caroline ran her long fingers over the sanded wood. “Done that with this,” the boy proudly announced as he held out the sanding paper.
“Umm . . .” Caroline murmured with approval. “Feels good.” Then she felt the paper. “Here, let me see that,” she demanded, but Nathan shrugged his sister away and went back to his sanding. Caroline gave him a soft thump to the back of his head in playful annoyance, then turned to me. “You got another one of these I could try, Mister Paul Logan?”
I nodded, somewhat taken aback that she’d used my full name in addressing me. I reached for another sheet of sanding paper, but Sam Perry said, “Not today, daughter. We gotta get in that store and get them things yo’ mama wantin’. Come ’long now. You too, son.”
“But, Papa—” protested Nathan.
“Son, we been here long ’nough. Mister Logan, he got work t’ do. ’Sides, it’s gettin’ late. Time t’ go.”