Mockingbird

CHAPTER 27 MISSION

ALL I CAN SAY IS IT WILL TAKE my whole entire life to get some wood cut out of that oak tree with my Virginia quarter. Monday is a teacher workday so between Sunday and Monday I have spent six hours and thirteen minutes cutting that stupid tree. I will never get a whole piece of wood out of there. Plus my fingers are all bloody from scraping the bumpy bark and they hurt.

Mrs. Brook is back from visiting her difficult sister and the babies who are finally born now. It has been so long since I’ve seen her that when I get to her room I hold my hand up and wave to say hi.

She screams. This is not the reaction I expect. She should say something like, I missed you, or, It’s good to see you again. That’s what teachers normally say.

Caitlin, Mrs. Brook says, why are there cuts on your fingers? Her voice is high and shaky. What have you been doing?

Cutting.

What? It comes out as a scream. Her hand covers her mouth. Why? That comes out as a muffled crying moan.

I need the wood.

Her hand drops and she tilts her head. Excuse me?

For Closure.

Can you explain from the beginning?

Yes. I can but it’s a long story so I’d rather not.

I mean would you please start explaining now. Her voice is getting shaky again.

Okay. Fine. Dad doesn’t want to work on the chest and whenever I ask him if we can work on it because I’m trying to get to Closure he says we can’t because we need more wood but it has to be quarter-cut oak and Dad says that’s too hard to get but we have an oak tree and I have a quarter so I’ve been trying to get a piece of wood cut out of it.

Oh, Caitlin! You poor thing! She covers her mouth again. And you’ve been working so hard!

Yes. Dad’s right about how hard it is. Now I Get It.

Well, she says, I don’t know exactly what quarter-cut oak is but I do know this much: it is not wood cut from an oak tree with a quarter.

Oh. I guess I don’t Get It then.

I’m going to call your father.

Why?

I want to ask him what quarter-cut oak is and tell him how hard you’ve been working to get it.

Here’s the funny thing. Quarter-cut oak just means the way the oak tree is cut into boards for Mission furniture like Devon’s Mission chest. I wish Dad would just tell me these things. It would make life a lot easier.