New Words for Old

New Words for Old Lu I. Johnson We like things as they are, the hotel business, our errands. At the footbridge, my brother scans for possible customers. Mannie turns left, into the music. Know we'll pass the new shop again. From the fresh sign I find two new words for Papa at supper. Before supper, Papa first goes off with Mannie and teaches him something on the guitar. At the table he tells us about the hotel guests and his business with them. He asks me for new words in English and tells me words the elders used to use, that you'd never just hear. I pick up a fine scrap of drawing paper to give Mannie. He draws on all the paper I find, but he only picks wild fruit for his sack. We pass a man weeping on a stoop. Through the window of the new shop we see the manager. Tight pink dress. Face light as Mama's lighter than mine. Into the long glass counter she puts a glass dog, silver goods, tiny electric lamp, colored music boxes. The last box, orange with black Chinese writing, she sets on the counter, winds it and presses the lever. The music makes me jump. Mannie is surprised, too. He steps to the open door. "Hey you kids, stop your staring there." Kids? We're thirteen, in business, run everyone's errands in the whole hotel. "Here's your hand prints on my window, nose prints. Hick prints. You want me to call the police?" The words: hick. From the sign: rewindable. A woman stops Mannie. "Do you speak English?" He turns to me. I say that I speak most words and read a lot. She gets her instructions on paper and gives us a note. "Take note to heavy man with beard and bald head near beach café. Green swimming trunks. Bring back written answer to me at bench across street." While the bald man writes an answer, we catch sight of the new hotel guest. Papa lets us know if anyone's new. It's a writer staying over at the hotel. I think he must have a book full of lines that aren't yet finished out to the end of the page. Maybe I could get a close look. 56ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVIEW Madeline on the street says she will explain the new words to me later. She's home from boarding school, saving for college. Mannie opens his whole face wide to gape into the new shop. He wants to show them real true staring. "Don't, Mannie, they might have errands some time." "Ame Ne, if we buy one music box, can we hear them all first?" "No, go by real slow and we'll hear them for free." We are all saving except usually Mannie. Papa catches fish for hotel guests who didn't catch any. Then he goes in and cuts hair for them. At night he plays the lounge. Nobody could be more in the hotel business than our family. Papa talks about his dreams. "I have shops for selling fish, cutting hair, for music, all on the street." Mama says, "He takes time away from fishing to walk to your grandparents Sunday. Now we'll go every other week, take turns." Madeline told me the grandparents didn't like Mama. Papa says, "Ame Ne can go to night school, then with her reading and writing be a big help in the hotel business." I tell Mannie to go now. He comes back and dumps the money in a big pile next to Papa. "We're in business too. Take this money for the first shop." Papa can see that we really are in business for ourselves, but he doesn't want to take the money. He tells Mannie if he wants his own guitar, he will soon give him the money. Mama says, "He must play well on your guitar first." At night, I get back the memories from that day under the sounding tree. The leaves specially give them back. The weeping man, the orange box with the music. From the doorway I keep track of the...