“No,” he shook his head.“We were pruning.”Tugging a new pot forward, Carlos skimmed a gentle hand over the leaves.“See here?See what a perfect job you did pruning the leaves?See how perfectly it’s shaped?You did a good job.”
“Thank you.”
I’d been terrified when he’d handed me those tiny shears, astounded he would trust me with his babies.I swear the man died a little inside every time he sold one.
Gently, he lifted the tiny plant from its pot and brushed the dirt from its base.Turning it over, he revealed the finely twisted snarl of roots.“The roots,” he pointed with his shears, “we need to ensure enough room for growth.If we don’t guard against overcrowding, we risk rot.You can prune all you want, and it won’t make a bit of difference.You’ve got to nourish the roots.”
After demonstrating and ensuring I’d caught on, he left me alone at the pruning table.His deep baritone echoed back to me from all corners as he went about his business, singing his heart out.
You have to nourish the roots.
Is that where we’d gone wrong?
I pulled the next tiny tree forward, its glossy leaves perfect.I gently freed it from its confines and dusted off the roots.The tangled snarl clenched around the taproot like a fist, leaving it no room to breathe.
Suddenly Carlos voice sounded behind me.“That one is overgrown.It needs to be trimmed and repotted.”
Maybe I needed to be repotted.
3
Trapped
Aaron
Running on less than three hours of sleep, I slid back behind my desk by 6:00 AM in order to avoid Lynda.So far, I’d been firm but kind, but I needed to get out of here before I blew up at her.The situation was no less delicate for the fact I no longer gave a shit.
With the promise of escape, I quickly wrapped up what I had spent hours staring at blankly the night before and headed back to my car.
I closed my eyes and dropped my head against the back of my seat.Get your shit together.
What the hell was I going to do with myself for the next two weeks?
Should I take Nadine to the cabin?
I shook my head grimly as I started the car.I wasn’t fit for company, especially not her sweet company.She shouldn’t have to deal with my midlife crisis bullshit on top of grieving the loss of both her parents.
I’d seen the questions in her eyes, I wasn’t blind, but I had no answers.
None I cared to share.
I pulled onto Main Street.At the intersection, I sat drumming my thumb on the steering wheel.Knowing Nadine would be working at the garden center all day, instead of heading home, I turned right.
My lips quirked as I pictured Nadine standing over our withering houseplants with a perplexed look on her face.When the kids found out she was working at the garden center, they teased her mercilessly.We had howled with laughter.That day seemed so far away, now.
She had always been creative.Cooking and crafting came easy to her, and our outside gardens were immaculate.She was like my mother in those ways.I’d lost count over the years of the hours Nadine and my mom spent bent over one project or another.
It had been a while since I’d seen her so absorbed.
My eyes widened as a chill skittered down my back because I had no idea how my wife had spent her time over the past several months.
I shook my head.Disengaged.We were disengaged and disconnected.And we’d never been that couple.
The world fell away outside my window.It didn’t escape my notice that the farther I traveled away from Sage Ridge, the better I felt.
We’d had a tough year.
First, Nadine’s father passed unexpectedly.
