Page 29 of Inherited Light
By the time the door closed, tears were already on her face. She touched the wood as though it would break apart in her hands. “It’s Brutus,” she whispered, her hand gliding over the inlay on the music stand. “What do you call this type of woodwork?”
“I made the dog out of what they call an intarsia carving. You give the carving depth by using different colored wood to set it apart. It’s taken me a full year to make, but I’m happy with it.”
She had her hand to her heart as though it hurt. “I can’t imagine the hours of work you’ve put into this, Lorenzo. You’re too good to me.”
“Cinn, did you see this?” Foster asked, pointing to the base of the stand.
I motioned at it. “I know sometimes you stand on a stool so your kids in the back can see you.” I bent down and lifted the small handle, sliding it toward me. A step emerged, giving her a six-inch lift. I showed her how to adjust the stand up and down depending on if she’s using the step or not. “You can swivel it any direction, so you can use it for when you play the bass, too.”
“There is something magical about your hands, Lorenzo,” Foster said, inspecting the stand. “Your talents are being wasted building animal shelters. You don’t see this kind of craftsmanship anymore. It’s quite stunning. I had no idea you had this kind of intricate woodworking skill.”
I shrugged. “I spend a lot of time alone and it helps pass the hours. This was my most intricate and biggest project to date. There are a lot of moving parts which all have to work together. I figured after the Battle of the Bands you could leave it at school. Maybe it will make band practice easier for Alvar. He’ll be able to see you and know when to come in.”
She laughed and hugged me again. Alvar was her genius tuba player who at thirteen had as much trouble seeing Cinn as she did seeing him. “I think Alvar is going to love it, especially because you took the time to put the image of our favorite guy on it. You really nailed his side profile, pensive look.”
I snickered, because Brutus always had a pensive expression on his face. “I’m glad it lifted your spirits. I don’t want to overstay my welcome, so I think I can trust Foster to put these where you want them.”
She put her hand on her hip. “You can’t overstay your welcome when it’s my home, Lorenzo. Besides, I see a box you didn’t open. What’s in it?”
I chuckled. “Does this drug make you nosy, too?” I joked.
She tossed her hand toward it. “You brought it in, so it must not be a big secret.”
“Not so much a secret as it is lack of confidence. It’s something I made, but I’m not sure how good it is. I was hoping you could tell me. The only reason I hesitate is because I don’t want you to get exhausted.”
She hurried to the couch and sat primly. “There, I’m sitting down. I can’t get exhausted when I’m sitting. Show me.”
Foster and I both laughed at her antics and he nodded as if to say I should do anything to keep her mind off her problems. I picked up the small box and carried it to her, setting it on her lap. “I’ve been working on this for a couple years. I didn’t have some of the specialized tools I needed, so I could only work on it when I could get into the shop at the tech school. I made it for you, but I’m not overly confident it works, is correct, or is even worth the time it took to make, since I can’t play it.”
She gazed up at me, her eyes sparking. “You made an instrument?” she asked shocked. I motioned to the box and waited while she opened it and lifted it out. She paused as she held it in her hand, her breathing nonexistent as she stared at it in shock and awe. Foster sat next to her and rubbed her back until she tore her eyes away from it. “You made ajarana huasteca?”she asked stunned.
“A whata whoda?” Foster asked confused.
I motioned at it. “It’s an instrument from Mexico. They’re built to look like a guitar, but they aren’t. There’s large ones and small ones, so I made a small one since it was my first,” I explained.
Cinn plucked the strings. “It has five strings instead of the usual six a guitar has. Its range is like that of a mandolin,” she said. “It’s plucked more than strummed, and it’s usually an accompaniment piece in an ensemble.”
She played a few notes and glanced up. “It’s in perfect tune.”
I laughed. “I took it to Tucker since I didn’t have a clue how to string it. He put the strings on and tuned it for me.”
Cinn couldn’t keep her fingers from plucking. When she stopped she would bring it to her face, inspecting the inlay and bridge as if it were a painting rather than an instrument.
“Lorenzo, this is…”
“Amazing,” Foster finished. “I had no idea you could do this type of woodwork. Like none.”
I shrugged. “Diversify, right? I enjoy the music of our culture, but you don’t hear it a lot here. I know Cinn plays and I also know she has a bigjarana huasteca. This one is probably lame, but I had to start somewhere. Mainly I hoped you would play it and tell me what I can do to improve it.”
She shook her head and didn’t say a word as she kept inspecting it. “Lame? Did you honestly just say this is probably lame? Lorenzo, you clearly have no idea how much talent you have in your mind and your hands. You could make a living making nothing but instruments. I might already have one, but I’ll treasure thisjarana huastecabecause you made it for me. You can forget about getting it back.”
I grinned and knelt in front of her. “I’m glad you like it. It wasn’t a gift so much as it was my first attempt at an instrument, but you’re welcome to keep it. Like I said, play it for me a bit and tell me what I could improve on or change. This is the kind of woodwork I enjoy and what really gets my blood flowing. There’s something to be said for making something beautiful and useful with your own hands.”
Foster took the small guitar from his wife and she hugged me, her arms around my neck. “There sure is, and I’m thrilled you aren’t afraid to try new things. Keep up this kind of work and you’ll be famous in no time.”
I laughed and stood. “I don’t know about famous, but I’d be happy with well known.” I winked and pointed toward the door. “I better go. I still have to design a new ramp for Cat’s house tonight. Tomorrow I’ll pick up some wood to fix the one she has to get her through until I can build the new one.”
Cinn eyed me cautiously. “You’re fixing Cat’s ramp?”
