The Land(79)

“It sure is,” Nathan agreed.

“Why don’t you try it out?” I said to Caroline. “Go ahead and sit in it.”

Caroline shook her head. “Oh, no, thank ya.”

“Well, then, I’ll try it,” declared Nathan playfully. But before he could sit down, Caroline shoved him away.

“Ah, naw, ya don’t! Nobody sits in this rocker ’til Mama do. She gonna be the first one.”

“Ah, Caroline—”

“It’s hers, and right is right!”

Nathan laughed, shrugged, then knelt on the floor to study the rocker more closely. He felt along the curves and looked at me. “Mister Logan, how you get this here wood t’ do like this so this here chair rocks?”

I pointed to a long wooden box in the corner of the room. It was supported with legs at one end, while the other end was set across a giant kettle. The kettle was set over a fire and was filled with boiling water. Nathan turned to where I was pointing and his eyes grew big as steam drifted from the box. “That’s called a steam box,” I said. “I soak wood I want to bend in water, then I put the wood in that box. You see how half the kettle is closed and the box is sitting over the other half? Well, there are openings underneath the box so that steam from the kettle can get inside.” I got up. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Nathan followed me over to the steam box. I opened the loading door at the end of the box over the kettle, and Nathan jumped back, startled, as steam blew out. Caroline, still by the rocker, laughed, and Nathan himself smiled. “I should’ve warned you about that,” I said, then waited until the steam cleared. Once it had, I pointed out the two pine cuttings already inside. They lay across rods set several inches from the floor of the box so that the steam could circulate around them. I closed the door and went to the other end of the box, and showed Nathan the vent holes. “The steam goes in from the kettle, circulates around the wood, and comes out here. After the wood’s been in the box awhile, it’s soft enough to bend.”

Nathan’s eyes showed his amazement as he walked around the steam box, studying it.

“Mister Paul Logan, you mind if I get started now?” I looked over at Caroline, who had been patiently watching us. “I don’t want t’ be in yo’ way.”

“You won’t be,” I said.

“Good.” She patted the headboard of the rocker. “I’m gonna put Mama’s flowers right here, and then when Mama sit down and rest her head, it’ll be like she lyin’ right in her flower bed.” She smiled. I smiled back as she began pulling out several small jars from her basket and placing them in a neat row on the workbench. “These here are my paints,” she said. “I got them from the store. I saved for them with my own pie money.” I brought a work stool over and placed it beside the rocker for her. She smiled her thanks, then sat down and went to work. I stood watching her.

“Mister Logan,” called Nathan “can ya show me how it’s done? How ya bends the wood, I mean?”

I nodded, glanced once more at Caroline as she began to lightly sketch an outline of her flowers onto the headboard, then went over to Nathan. I pulled one of the pine cuttings from the steam box and slowly bent it for another rocker, so that Nathan could see. He was fascinated. I then returned to the cabinet I was making. Seeing that Nathan was so eager to learn, I let him help me. But even while I was instructing Nathan on how to fit the dowels of the boards for a drawer together, I was aware of Caroline across the room delicately painting bright splashes of yellows and reds and greens, oranges and blues, creating the bright flowers and the grasses too of her mother’s garden. She worked in silence at first, but as the garden of flowers grew, she began to hum, and I didn’t mind the sound of it. I was used to working in silence, with just my own thoughts for company. Caroline’s presence made the morning pleasant. When she stood, I knew she was finished, and I regretted that she was.

“Well, what y’all think?” she asked, grinning widely. “And if ya don’t like it, keep yo’ words to yo’selves.”

Nathan went over to the rocker and leaned close to inspect it. After a moment or two he looked at his sister and teased, “It’s okay, I reckon, but whoever told ya you could paint?”

Caroline laughed and playfully swatted his arm. “Boy, told ya t’ keep yo’ words t’ yo’self.”

Nathan laughed. “Ah, it’ll do. Main thing, Mama’s gonna love it.”

“Yeah, she gonna, ain’t she?” Caroline beamed and leaned against her brother’s arm as they both admired the rocker. She then glanced over her shoulder at me. “You ain’t said what you think ’bout my flowers.”