The Carpenter: The Void

Josh, a retired carpenter, was experiencing a tremendous void in his life even though he had a golden lab retriever, Sparky, who was at his side most of the time. He was lonely and longed for human companionship. Josh saw himself as still being a young man, even though he was approaching seventy years of age. He was arthritic and beginning to have difficulty carrying out some of the tasks he had been able to complete when he was younger. At heart, he was a carpenter and always would be, but he missed his work.

“Josh, please help us!” pleaded Montana, a young woman holding an infant, when she appeared on his front doorstep, early one morning. “You are Josh, right?”

Josh nodded. “I am. How can I help you."

“My name is Montana Whitney. Paul, my husband, lost his life in a tornado that went through our area, several weeks ago,” she said sadly. “But he saved our lives.”

Sparky, immediately sensing her grief, sat down beside her. She reached down and patted his head.

“I am so sorry for your loss, Montana,” replied Josh. Tears welled up in his eyes, as he saw the grief-stricken expression on her face. “I knew your husband.”

“There was a lot of tornado damage to our farmhouse in Bounty.”

“Montana is so young to have experienced that much tragedy,” thought Josh to himself. His heart went out to her, as he recalled his own feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, when he had come to know the pain of tragedy and loss in his own life.

“I knew Paul to be a fine young man and a good worker. He did some concrete work for me, a while back.”  

“We named Paula after him.”

“He was loved and will be missed by many.”

Josh beckoned Montana to take a seat on the patio deck, while he poured a cup of coffee for her.

“Would you like some cream and sugar?”

She nodded and smiled at him.

With her innocent-looking face and long, blonde hair, Montana reminded him of his wife who had died along with their infant daughter in a ravaging forest fire, several years after they were married. He looked at Montana’s four-month old infant and smiled.

“She is beautiful,” said Josh, reaching out to take the baby from her mother’s arms. Montana did not hesitate and handed Paula to him. “Very much like her father.” 

Inwardly, his heart was still aching for his own wife and daughter. 

“Paul would want me to help them,” he thought to himself. “He helped me.”

“Josh, Paul had a lot of respect for you, your carpenter work and your work ethics,” she said, looking at his gnarled fingers and swollen, arthritic wrists. “Are there any other carpenters around here? If you cannot assist me, maybe you know someone who can.”

“Your house will likely need some repairs,” said Josh. “Let’s go out there. I will take a look at it and see how I can help.”

“I won’t be able to pay you much.”

“Life is not just about money,” replied Josh. “I am not that young anymore, but I can still do carpenter work.” Working with his hammer and saw, had always been Josh’s passion. He loved to build things. He was not about to let his age prevent him from helping Montana, or anyone else, for that matter. 

Few carpenters in the area ever acquired Josh’s level of expertise. His father and grandfather had both been carpenters who loved working with wood. Over the years, the three of them built many of the local homes and businesses.   

“There are some things here that you may be able to help me with if you are worried about that,” said Josh after a moment of silence. “We can work something out.”

Montana, breathing a quick sigh of relief, looked around and was pleasantly surprised to see how well Josh cared for his home and garden.

A brief visit to the damaged farmhouse on Montana and Paul’s small farm, a while later, immediately convinced Josh to take action on her behalf.

“I don’t think this house is structurally safe for you and your daughter to live here any longer,” said Josh, as he gazed at walls that were caving in. “This roof could collapse any day, too.”

“But, we have to live here!” protested Montana. “We have no where else to go. I don’t have any other family.”

“I have an idea,” suggested Josh. “It is going to take me a while to repair your place. While I work on it, you and your daughter could live with me at my place. I am alone in a huge house, with a big garden and a few head of cattle. You will both be safe there and no one will bother you.”  

“I don’t want to impose on you,” replied Montana, who was actually quite relieved and amazed at his kindness and generous offer. “Thank you.”

“It won’t be imposing,” said Josh. “You can help me out while you take care of Paula. That way, I know that both of you will be all right and I can put my carpenter hands back to work.”

With that, Josh and Montana began loading her undamaged, household items and personal possessions into the back of her truck.

Twelve years later, when Josh quietly passed away in his sleep, Montana was still living there. She had sold her farm at a profit after Josh repaired the house for her. Josh had insisted that she and Paula stay on with him, as he had grown to love them both. It was like raising his daughter with the added blessing of a granddaughter. Their relationship had progressed beyond either of their expectations and having a family filled the void in his life.