The Piano Teacher

Chapter 23

Nels found it almost amusing how formal Charlotte Richmond was when she worked at the mercantile. It was as if all their closeness was gone as soon as she tied that apron around her waist.

But he supposed he was very formal at work as well, perhaps more so than usual, out of habit. And yet, it was delightful to have Charlotte working in the mercantile. For years, the store was something that he liked managing, but at the expense of his wife's frequent, foul moods. While she was efficient, her cut-throat nature made the simplest tasks very unpleasant. Even when Nels did exactly what she asked, she'd still have something to complain about.

But Charlotte was so different. She managed to be efficient and kind at the same time. He had never heard her shout, even when she was frustrated. Her only weakness seemed to be chatting with the customers who came in, as she would stiffen up with anxiety as soon as she had to tend to them at the counter. But it wasn't a significant problem since Nels had her organizing things throughout the storeroom or writing down orders anyway.

Each morning, they would meet in the store before the sun could rise, tying on their aprons and going over the work they expected for the day. He'd lean on his elbows against the counter as he went over the orders they had to fulfill: certain colored fabrics, a scarf for someone's mother, a cameo, a special type of liquor.

And she would lean on the counter, too, wedged between him and the nearby oil lamp. Sometimes, her elbow would be so close to his that they would almost touch. And throughout the day, Nels found himself, subconsciously, getting close to her in similar ways.

Tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention.

Touching the back of her hand for but a moment to make her pause as he spoke to her.

Gently grabbing her shoulders and moving her as he passed by.

He liked touching her, in those innocent ways. He missed having the opportunity to carry her through the prairie as he had done a few times before. On rarer occasions, she would touch him in return.

He remembered one occasion in particular when he had been in deep thought regarding where he could get a special porcelain vase for a customer, and Charlotte needed to ask him something, getting his attention by wrapping her hand gently around his wrist. Her hand only remained on him for a moment, but it made his heart feel light as air.

I feel as young as springtime around her, he'd sometimes contemplate at the end of the day, staring up at the ceiling. But it isn't true. It isn't true.

He distracted himself from these thoughts by trying to phone Harriet and the children, but she never picked up. All the letters he sent out east had not received any replies. He had hoped to at least hear from the children if not from his wife, but he supposed Harriet was preventing them from writing him.

It made him angry.

At this point, the argument that caused this situation had no meaning. He knew the only reason why this problem was still going was because Harriet wanted to prove a point, to spite him. He did want her to come back, but her cold shoulder irritated him so much that he also hoped that she wouldn't return for some time.

He was curious to live this new style of life a little while longer, working with Charlotte Richmond at his side instead of Harriet, having fewer responsibilities and having the freedom to do what he wanted instead of what his wife told him to do.

He knew that if Harriet knew that Charlotte was working at their mercantile, she'd go into a fit that would surpass all her other fits. But he didn't intend on Harriet finding out. He expected that Charlotte would be financially stable enough to stop working here once Harriet returned. Perhaps Charlotte would even return to her father by then, wherever he might be.