Reconstructing Edward - Excerpt
“It’s not starting over. It's gluing together all the broken pieces of your past to salvage what you can and build on that foundation.”
“Build on the shards and fragments,” Edward questioned? He strained to have her elaborate so he could understand.
“My grandfather had this story. There was this wise leader who had priceless treasures from all corners of the globe. One day, when his people were engaged in a war with intruders on his land, his collection was smashed. Pieces were destroyed.”
Edward listened as Sophia's eyes darkened with the tragedy of the story.
“Tea sets and lamps and pottery and glass all smashed to a pile of broken ghosts.” Sophia paused.
Edward thought he could see the little girl to whom her grandfather spoke behind the sorrow in her eyes. He thought how the timber of her voice rose and fell with the words of her story as if it was her things that had been decimated in this war.
Sophia continued, “But when the war was over, and it was time to clean up the rubble, the leader of this broken nation saw something wondrous occurring before him. People employed to discard were fitting together the remains, as if they were jigsaw pieces. They spent days,” she held up her finger and said, “no, years,” and looked up so the smile correcting her time frame reached up to lighten her eyes.
Edward returned the smile with one of his own.
Sophia continued, “Pulling shards and fragments from piles of what seemed to be garbage in a cursory view. But in the detail of the pile and focusing on a small bit to work through, the pieces were becoming whole once again. Cracked with scars of the damage, but whole and useful nonetheless.
“And when this leader saw how beautiful this gesture of his people was, he ordered that anything restored be brought before him. And every piece that was brought before him was ordered to be taken to another.” Sophia paused to assure Edward was still interested. She took a long gulp of her wine and paused giving Edward opportunity to comment.
He sat quietly.
“The people in the rubble continued their work, even though the pieces were taken from them. Their objective was to restore. What they didn't know what the ruler had sent every piece to a goldsmith. The goldsmith was ordered to line every piece that had known damage with gold. The gold not only increased the value of each piece, but highlighted the cracks and scars. He assured every piece brought to him was returned to his people after the gilding. He told each one that the scars illustrate resilience and one must embrace those things from the past cutting deep enough to help us heal.”
§
Edward brought gladiolas from the nursery to the garage and unlocked the door thinking he was certainly going to encounter a mess. The sun was setting and a pink hue arched over the sky as he took a deep breath before entering the garage.
Edward pushed the button to illuminate the bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. He looked up to the yellow light and noticed the air looked slightly green with the combination of synthetic lighting and natural sunlight coming through the cloudy glass blocks along the ceiling.
Edward placed the flowers on the floor out of his way and grabbed another pair of gloves to cover his skin. He reached in his back pocket for a face mask he brought from home.
The garbage from the day before still lay on the floor. He walked to the pile and pulled it up, placing it in the receptacle with which he was working.
Edward looked into a ceramic vase left behind from the previous owners and could see there was more garbage. He stood and considered the obstacle before him and looked at the space around him to figure out the best way in which to handle the mess.
A drain remained in the middle of the floor. The cement floor was sloped to the drain. Edward knew how to cope with the garbage. He squatted down to pick up the gladiolas again and carry them out to his car. He opened his trunk and pulled a large quilted blanket and then placed the flowers in the trunk.
Edward walked back into the garage to lay the blanket on the floor and roll the vase onto the quilt giving it a cushion between it and the floor. He grabbed the hose from the corner and pulled it over to the vessel and hosed it out with a gentle spray, coaxing out the garbage with his gloved hand when needed.
Edward sprayed the garbage into the drain. Anything that could run off the solid waste ran into the sewer drain. He then picked up the solid waste for disposal. The job was still something foul and Edward fought back gags throughout the process. Edward sprayed a mild detergent in the vase and sprayed it until the water ran clear.
When he was comfortable that the vessel was free of debris, he righted the vase and moved it carefully away from the area he had to scrub further.
Edward filled the vase with water from the hose. He tied the garbage bag and carried it out of the garage to dispose of in the outside dumpster. He opened his trunk, picked up the gladiolas again to return to the vase.
Edward found a puddle of water on the floor surrounding the vase. He looked in the vase and noticed it was holding water, just not all of the water he poured. Edward sighed thinking of Sophia's story and still put the flowers in the leaking pottery.
He sprayed the cement around the drain with the detergent. He sprayed over and over again until he felt the floor was clean. He pulled the quilted blanket into a large trash bag putting it back into the trunk of his car to take home and launder.
Finally, Edward walked back into the garage, inspected the vase and the moisture around it considering the vase may in fact just be moist from the cleaning. He shook his head in negation knowing the vase was cracked and is leaking. He wondered if it was cracked before it was used as a garbage can or if the weight of the misuse caused the fissures in its integrity.
Edward locked the door behind him and drove home to launder the quilt. He then went to the hardware store to look at the service hours posted in the window. The owner was locking the door, but when Edward asked what time he would be open in the morning, he turned the key to push the door open again and said, “We're both here now. If you know what you want, I have the time to get you what you need.”
“Thank you so much,” Edward sincerely extended appreciation.
The hardware store owner shook off the gratitude and Edward felt comfortable as if it was the middle of the sales day instead of an after-hour inconvenience.
“I need some epoxy or resin and some gold paint.”
“What are you fixing?”
“Glazed pottery.”
The shop owner handed Edward a small can of epoxy. Edward asked for two wanting to assure he had enough. He offered two cans of gold paint and then asked the question, “do you have the tools you need for the job?”
“The pot is three feet with a six inch opening. I guess I need the longest handled paintbrush you have.”
The shop owner showed Edward what he had and suggested using a broom’s handle and duct tape to get the length he needed. Edward purchased several brushes as well as the other suggested supplies.
Again expressing appreciation, Edward walked to his car with the bag of supplies. The shop owner again waved away the appreciation saying, “I'll sneak in a little late tomorrow.” with a wink.
Edward started his car knowing the exchange he just had was the reason he wanted to return to a neighborhood shop.
Back at the garage, he drained the vase knowing it needed be dried before the epoxy was applied. He stuffed a bath towel in a vertical roll into the vase to soak up the remaining moisture and left the hardware store supplies in the garage for the next day. He took the gladiolas home.
When Edward returned to the garage the next morning before going to work at the nursery, he mixed one can of epoxy with one can of gold paint and reached into the dry vase to coat the interior. He closed the container and turned the switch that moved a motor close to the ceiling controlling a belt that moved blades to stir the air. Before leaving the garage for the day, he thought about the contraption that was the ceiling fans and allowed himself to be impressed with the craftsmanship of such a system.
A second coat of gold tinted epoxy fixed the vase. It held water. The gold shone through the ceramic just as in Sophia's story. It was beautiful. And in the next week, when Edward was assured the epoxy cured completely and he put yellow and red gladiolas in the vessel, the lines of the patterns Edward wanted to explore more seemed to shine.
“Build on the shards and fragments,” Edward questioned? He strained to have her elaborate so he could understand.
“My grandfather had this story. There was this wise leader who had priceless treasures from all corners of the globe. One day, when his people were engaged in a war with intruders on his land, his collection was smashed. Pieces were destroyed.”
Edward listened as Sophia's eyes darkened with the tragedy of the story.
“Tea sets and lamps and pottery and glass all smashed to a pile of broken ghosts.” Sophia paused.
Edward thought he could see the little girl to whom her grandfather spoke behind the sorrow in her eyes. He thought how the timber of her voice rose and fell with the words of her story as if it was her things that had been decimated in this war.
Sophia continued, “But when the war was over, and it was time to clean up the rubble, the leader of this broken nation saw something wondrous occurring before him. People employed to discard were fitting together the remains, as if they were jigsaw pieces. They spent days,” she held up her finger and said, “no, years,” and looked up so the smile correcting her time frame reached up to lighten her eyes.
Edward returned the smile with one of his own.
Sophia continued, “Pulling shards and fragments from piles of what seemed to be garbage in a cursory view. But in the detail of the pile and focusing on a small bit to work through, the pieces were becoming whole once again. Cracked with scars of the damage, but whole and useful nonetheless.
“And when this leader saw how beautiful this gesture of his people was, he ordered that anything restored be brought before him. And every piece that was brought before him was ordered to be taken to another.” Sophia paused to assure Edward was still interested. She took a long gulp of her wine and paused giving Edward opportunity to comment.
He sat quietly.
“The people in the rubble continued their work, even though the pieces were taken from them. Their objective was to restore. What they didn't know what the ruler had sent every piece to a goldsmith. The goldsmith was ordered to line every piece that had known damage with gold. The gold not only increased the value of each piece, but highlighted the cracks and scars. He assured every piece brought to him was returned to his people after the gilding. He told each one that the scars illustrate resilience and one must embrace those things from the past cutting deep enough to help us heal.”
§
Edward brought gladiolas from the nursery to the garage and unlocked the door thinking he was certainly going to encounter a mess. The sun was setting and a pink hue arched over the sky as he took a deep breath before entering the garage.
Edward pushed the button to illuminate the bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. He looked up to the yellow light and noticed the air looked slightly green with the combination of synthetic lighting and natural sunlight coming through the cloudy glass blocks along the ceiling.
Edward placed the flowers on the floor out of his way and grabbed another pair of gloves to cover his skin. He reached in his back pocket for a face mask he brought from home.
The garbage from the day before still lay on the floor. He walked to the pile and pulled it up, placing it in the receptacle with which he was working.
Edward looked into a ceramic vase left behind from the previous owners and could see there was more garbage. He stood and considered the obstacle before him and looked at the space around him to figure out the best way in which to handle the mess.
A drain remained in the middle of the floor. The cement floor was sloped to the drain. Edward knew how to cope with the garbage. He squatted down to pick up the gladiolas again and carry them out to his car. He opened his trunk and pulled a large quilted blanket and then placed the flowers in the trunk.
Edward walked back into the garage to lay the blanket on the floor and roll the vase onto the quilt giving it a cushion between it and the floor. He grabbed the hose from the corner and pulled it over to the vessel and hosed it out with a gentle spray, coaxing out the garbage with his gloved hand when needed.
Edward sprayed the garbage into the drain. Anything that could run off the solid waste ran into the sewer drain. He then picked up the solid waste for disposal. The job was still something foul and Edward fought back gags throughout the process. Edward sprayed a mild detergent in the vase and sprayed it until the water ran clear.
When he was comfortable that the vessel was free of debris, he righted the vase and moved it carefully away from the area he had to scrub further.
Edward filled the vase with water from the hose. He tied the garbage bag and carried it out of the garage to dispose of in the outside dumpster. He opened his trunk, picked up the gladiolas again to return to the vase.
Edward found a puddle of water on the floor surrounding the vase. He looked in the vase and noticed it was holding water, just not all of the water he poured. Edward sighed thinking of Sophia's story and still put the flowers in the leaking pottery.
He sprayed the cement around the drain with the detergent. He sprayed over and over again until he felt the floor was clean. He pulled the quilted blanket into a large trash bag putting it back into the trunk of his car to take home and launder.
Finally, Edward walked back into the garage, inspected the vase and the moisture around it considering the vase may in fact just be moist from the cleaning. He shook his head in negation knowing the vase was cracked and is leaking. He wondered if it was cracked before it was used as a garbage can or if the weight of the misuse caused the fissures in its integrity.
Edward locked the door behind him and drove home to launder the quilt. He then went to the hardware store to look at the service hours posted in the window. The owner was locking the door, but when Edward asked what time he would be open in the morning, he turned the key to push the door open again and said, “We're both here now. If you know what you want, I have the time to get you what you need.”
“Thank you so much,” Edward sincerely extended appreciation.
The hardware store owner shook off the gratitude and Edward felt comfortable as if it was the middle of the sales day instead of an after-hour inconvenience.
“I need some epoxy or resin and some gold paint.”
“What are you fixing?”
“Glazed pottery.”
The shop owner handed Edward a small can of epoxy. Edward asked for two wanting to assure he had enough. He offered two cans of gold paint and then asked the question, “do you have the tools you need for the job?”
“The pot is three feet with a six inch opening. I guess I need the longest handled paintbrush you have.”
The shop owner showed Edward what he had and suggested using a broom’s handle and duct tape to get the length he needed. Edward purchased several brushes as well as the other suggested supplies.
Again expressing appreciation, Edward walked to his car with the bag of supplies. The shop owner again waved away the appreciation saying, “I'll sneak in a little late tomorrow.” with a wink.
Edward started his car knowing the exchange he just had was the reason he wanted to return to a neighborhood shop.
Back at the garage, he drained the vase knowing it needed be dried before the epoxy was applied. He stuffed a bath towel in a vertical roll into the vase to soak up the remaining moisture and left the hardware store supplies in the garage for the next day. He took the gladiolas home.
When Edward returned to the garage the next morning before going to work at the nursery, he mixed one can of epoxy with one can of gold paint and reached into the dry vase to coat the interior. He closed the container and turned the switch that moved a motor close to the ceiling controlling a belt that moved blades to stir the air. Before leaving the garage for the day, he thought about the contraption that was the ceiling fans and allowed himself to be impressed with the craftsmanship of such a system.
A second coat of gold tinted epoxy fixed the vase. It held water. The gold shone through the ceramic just as in Sophia's story. It was beautiful. And in the next week, when Edward was assured the epoxy cured completely and he put yellow and red gladiolas in the vessel, the lines of the patterns Edward wanted to explore more seemed to shine.