Another Governess / The Least Blacksmith: A Diptych

Chapter 4

96 JOANNA RUOCCO Now that I am my brother’s striker, there is no helper to pump the bellows and sweep the floors. There is no helper to go into town for the meat and the bread. My brother says he will hire a helper. Until my brother hires a helper, I must perform the old tasks. I am glad I must perform the old tasks. It is too tiring to face my brother across the anvil with the sledge for hours and hours. The pains in my elbows make the tears come to my eyes. Sometimes the tears go down my face. My brother does not say anything. He taps with the hammer and I strike with the sledge. I am grateful he does not comment on the tears on my face. I doubt my brother ever struck the iron with tears on his face. If a customer appeared at the double doors I would be ashamed. The customer might mistake me for my brother ’s son and I know this mistake would not make my brother proud. No customer appears. 4 97 THE LEAST BLACKSMITH While my brother forges hoes, I go into town for the meat and the bread. I walk along the wharves. I admire the civil ensigns flying from the ships. Two small children are playing mumbletypeg on a stretch of mud. Once I would have wanted to join them but now I am my brother’s striker. Our father is dead and I have smoked a cigar. I do not want to join the children. The children beckon for me to play. The blade of their knife is broken. It does not stick in the mud no matter how skillfully they make their throws. I tell the children I have no time for games. I will repair their knife if they bring it to the forge. The children do not believe me. They say I have forfeited the game. They are still the champions of the wharves. They mock me as I walk away. I am looking for the doctor’s office. I cannot remember which office is the doctor’s office. I remember it is not far from the wharves. Every office in the town looks alike. The façades are identical. North of the wharves is the industrial section of the town. The biggest building is the drapery. The drapery is thriving. In the lot behind the drapery, men load crates onto lorries to take to the wharves. I watch the men load the crates. All of the men are smoking cigars as they work. The men see me watching and shout to me. They offer me a job loading crates. The drapery is thriving. There are too many crates for the men to load onto the lorries. They are behind schedule. I tell the men that I already have a job. I am the striker from the forge on the hill. The men seem impressed. The biggest man offers me a cigar. I am thankful that I already know how to smoke cigars. I smoke the cigar easily. The men drop a crate and it breaks open. Uniforms spill from the crate. The drapery produces uniforms for the soldiers. There are many soldiers stationed along the coast and the draper is a rich man. He pays his manager the highest salary of all the managers in the town. The manager makes sure that the uniforms do not vary from one another in any way except for the sizes. The 98 JOANNA RUOCCO drapery produces excellent uniforms between which no variations can be detected. When the men drop the crates and the uniforms spill onto the dirty lot, the manager’s work is ruined. The fouled uniforms are unfit for the soldiers. The men get down on their knees to pick up the uniforms. The manager appears and begins to abuse the men for their stupidity. I walk away out of consideration for the men. I finish my cigar in front of the drapery. Even though the drapery is thriving, the paint has peeled from the façade of the drapery. The sign is illegible. The manager cannot be blamed for the outside condition of the drapery. In the town, paint peels immediately. Salts draw moisture from the wood and the moisture pushes the paint off the boards. The manager will have the drapery repainted soon. My brother told me...