The Table

Ben ran his hand over the surface of the stone table he was sitting at, marveling at the number of tiny rocks all joined together to build this sturdy surface. It had to weigh a ton and, just as he thought each and every time he saw it, he wondered how it had come to rest in this backyard. He was in his brother, Jordy, and sister in law Mels backyard, the sun beginning to burn through his shirt. Mel approached with two glasses and a pitcher of icy water, her blonde hair falling neatly onto her suntanned shoulders. She had been his girlfriend before his older brother had come in and swept her off her feet. In fairness though by the time that happened, they had already broken up and Ben held no hard feelings. They made for better friends than lovers, anyway. Dont tell me, Mel smiled, pouring him a glass of water You are obsessing about this table again.

Its just that its so solid, and whoever put it here has to have built it, dont you think? She shrugged, poured some water for herself and sat across from him. Your brother thinks we should pour some heavy duty resin over it to smooth it out. Oh, shit, that is so like him. Smooth away all of the character, he said, rolling his eyes. He doesnt like the way his plate wobbles when we eat out here, she laughed. Hes so steady. Do you suppose they collected the rocks themselves? Ben asked. Who? The couple whose house this was before you. You know, whoever made this table. I think it goes back even further. I think it goes back to the gold rush. The guy who built this brought his family out here to find their fortune, and all they found were a bunch of rocks. Yeah, Ill bet the wife was mad, so he built her this table as a kind of peace offering. Do you suppose she liked it? she asked. No, I think he spent months putting it together, and when it was finally done, he told her it represented how solid his commitment to her was, and do you know what she said? No, what? But Harry, his name was Harry, its all lumpy and bumpy! And he told her, thats because marriage is not all smooth sailing, but you take the bumps and make something beautiful out of it. To which she replied? I think you should pour some resin on top to smooth it out, he laughed. Yeah, that sounds about right, she agreed.