1.6 James
1:40 PM | Posted by
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The unexpected heat hit my face as I stepped out of the inn onto the street that first morning. I heard Tom sigh as he stepped out behind me.
"A lot different than home, eh?" He grumbled.
"Yes, I suppose this will take some getting used to. But from what I hear, by winter you will wish you had these temperatures to complain about!" I shrugged out of my jacket and threw it over my arm as we walked down the street.
A light bell sounded as we opened the door to the shop, which would be our new place of employment. The familiar smells of pine, oak, mahogany, and sawdust reminded me of home. A young man behind the counter, wearing glasses that looked too old for him looked up from the mess of paperwork he was sifting through, to greet us.
"You must be Eric." I extended my hand to shake his. "I'm James. This is Tom."
"Nice to finally meet you" Eric smiled a thin but friendly smile at us. "Please excuse the mess. Since my father passed away I feel like I am drowning in paperwork. It sure will be nice to have two master craftsmen to help will all the jobs I have due."
I looked around to discover he was not exaggerating. Every surface was covered with either papers or pieces of wood.
"Your references were impeccable. If you would like, I can show you around before lunch, and then have you start."
I ignored the surprised look Tom shot me and smiled. "Lead the way."
What looked like a small shop front from the street turned out to go quite far back into a large workshop with more tools and machines than the three of us could possibly use at once. Eric told Tom and I how his father loved cabinet making and collected all the best old machines and kept them in pristine condition.
"I grew up here." Eric continued. "As a small boy, I would follow dad from workstation to workstation with my broom and sweep up the saw dust into piles. As I got older, he taught me how to run the machines, without losing any fingers, I might add!" He held up all ten digits as proof. "But carving was really what I grew to love. And it turned out that I had just the right amount of patience and concentration to be quite good at it. If I do say so myself!"
I examined several pieces of extremely detailed carvings scattered on a nearby workbench.
"That one was due last week" Eric sighed again. "I might have you start with it after lunch."
The noises coming from my stomach surprised me. I had not realized how much time had passed since my last meal. We completed our tour and stopped to eat some sandwiches Eric's wife, Alise, packed that morning.
"I had her make three as I know you probably have not had time to visit the market yet."
My heart leapt into my throat and I sat up straight. Ahh, yes. The market.
Tom mentioned that we had walked through it briefly yesterday and they chatted about the different vendors. Eric mentioned some of the better meat vendors and who to avoid. But I was no longer listening. All I could see was her face, her long brown hair and that dark blue dress.
Fingers snapped in front of my face. "Why the toothy grin, mate?" Tom and Eric were both looking at me.
"Sorry, what did I miss?" I asked.
Tom was shaking his head and staring at me intensely. Eric repeated the question. "So what brings you guys all the way from Rose Hill to our fair township?"
No wonder Tom wanted my attention. I proceeded to tell the story of how the shop we worked for closed down and rather than going to work for the competition, who I considered sub-par, why not see a bit of the world and try someplace new, especially since I had no ties to Rose Hill.
"No ties." Tom echoed.
"Tom loved the idea and decided to come with me." I listened to Tom tell the story of how I taught him everything he knows and how great it was to train under a master cabinet maker like me.
"Of course I have to say that, as he is paying for the inn until I get my first paycheck." Tom winked at me.
"Can't afford rent but can always buy a round, right?" I joked.
After lunch Eric got us on task on the most overdue projects. I enjoyed working with my hands again and the conversation was replaced by the sounds of cutting wood and machines roaring.
By the time the sun was low enough to shine in the windows, we had finished three of the main cabinets and only had to glue on the detailing of the last two.
After clearing up our workspaces, Tom and I made our way to the shop front to see Eric. His piles of invoices looked a little more organized. He looked tired.
"Same time tomorrow guys?" He looked hopeful.
"Sounds good." I said and opened the door and we walked out to the busy street.
“Let’s go eat. I’m exhausted…” Tom began to debate where to go and what he would have to drink with it. People pushed past making their way home from work. Market keepers were packing up their stalls for the day. Streetlights were just starting to come on as the last of the sun peeked over the horizon. Smells of home cooking filled the air and a somewhat cool breeze was even felt, if only for a moment.
I think I am going to like it here.
My mind drifted back to her. I smiled.
I think I am going to like it here a lot.
