“Giff! Are you back here?” Patty called ducking under a low branch of the apple tree. Blossoms brushed her hair, their sweet fragrance filled the air.

“Ya” Giff replied, straightening up and leaning on the shovel handle. Sweat poured down his cheeks and dripped onto the bandana around his neck. “What can I do for you Patty?”

“You planting a garden?” she asked. “I’ve been thinking about that but don’t know when I’ll have time to tend to it.”

“How’ve you been?” Giff asked. “I haven’t seen you for a while”

Ruby, the cat, sprawled on the top step to the porch, soaking up the warmth of the mid-morning sun. Patty moved over to give her a hug. Ruby’s eyes closed in contentment. She and Patty had their shared secret.

Giff put down the shovel and joined the two on the steps. He wiped his brow. “I thought I’d get in a few radishes and onions, maybe some lettuce, this year. That is, if the critters will leave some for me. I think the chipmunks are already working on my petunias I set out last week. How you been?”

Patty sighed and looked at Giff’s awakening backyard. “You knew my Dad passed away last year. Mom has been struggling ever since. Now my aunt Heddie says she’s worried about her and wants her to come live with me. I knew it would happen. Mom was so dependent on my Dad for everything. I just don’t know how I can handle it. With my job, I have to travel some and she would be alone. Mom won’t know anyone here. What few friends she has left, back home, are too frail to get out, so she doesn’t really have friends there, either. I just don’t see a solution.” she said.

Giff patted her knee and said, “This is a pretty friendly place. Maybe you could talk to Marilue, across the road, and see if she has any suggestions. Is your Mom, well, you know, is she okay mentally?

“Oh yes!” Patty said. “She’s sharp as a tack and gets out for her daily walk, she’s just lonely!”

They sat, enjoying the first warm day of the year, catching up on neighborhood news.

After Patty left, Giff returned to his garden. Ruby curled up for her midday snooze. A gentle breeze scattered petals from the apple blossoms. Memories of Earlene, drifted into Giff’s thoughts. It was this time of year when he lost her. Sadness lingered.

Sometimes Giff saw Patty and an older woman drive by. He assumed her mother had arrived. They always waved but never stopped.

One morning, while Giff pulled the paper from the box by the road, Patty’s SUV stopped. Patty leaned out the window and said, “Morning Giff! I’d like you to meet my Mom.” Giff leaned down to look inside and smiled. “Mom, this is Giff, the friend I’ve been talking about. He has the most beautiful kitty, her name is Ruby. Giff, this is my Mom, Mildred”

Giff’s heart skipped a beat. Seated beside Patty was a very attractive older version of Patty. Her smile warmed him. He thought he might be blushing! This was embarrassing!

“We’re on our way to the hardware store. Mom wants to plant some flowers about the house. Goodness knows, the place could use some bright colors after that long winter. Can we pick up anything for you while we’re in town?”

Giff thanked her and said he could use a tomato plant or two….only if they looked healthy. He thought he’d set them in pots on the back porch. That way, if the weather turned cold he could set them inside.

The women nodded and drove off.

Giff waved at Marilue who was collecting her paper. She crossed the road and said, “Who is the woman with Patty? I’ve seen them go by. Is that her mother? She sure looks like Patty.”

He told Marilue about Patty’s visit.. “I remember when Ralph ‘s mother moved in with his sister. That was anything but pleasant for either of them. She ended up going into assisted living. I hope this works out.”

Giff thought, ‘I hope so too!’ He turned back toward the house and took a deep breath of sweet scented air.

Late that afternoon, Giff answered a knock on the door. He found Patty and Mildred holding large pots with tomato plants. Inviting them in for a glass of tea, he thanked them, profusely, for finding the beautiful plants. They chatted about gardening while they sipped their tea and ate cookies Marilue brought, the day before. Time slipped by. Afternoon shadows crept across the kitchen floor.

After promising to come back soon, the two women waved as they drove up the mountain. Giff, still smiling, held the door for Ruby. She looked up at him, rubbed against his leg and purred.

Life on the mountain slipped easily into summer time activities. Giff saw Patty and Mildred occasionally as they drove by his place. The garden grew and kept him busy tending it. Ruby helped where she could.

One morning Giff was startled by a huge moose in his garden. “HEY!” Giff yelled. “Get out of my garden!” The moose pulled his head from a bunch of lettuce, chewing the delicacy and looked at him. Giff grabbed a garden hoe and started toward him. “SHOO!” he yelled. The moose stood on alert but didn’t move. “I said GIT!” Giff yelled as he lunged toward the animal. Giff caught his foot in the garden hose and fell on his face. The moose trotted across the garden and around the corner of the house.

“Giff, are you back here?” he heard. “I knocked on your front door but a huge beast came at me around the ….. Giff, are you alright???”

Giff moaned and struggled to roll over and sit up. “Yeh, I’m okay” he said., wiping grit off his face. Bloodied mud covered his hand.

“Let me help you up,” she said. Mildred leaned over, grabbed his hands and pulled. Giff stood, a little wobbly, and staggered toward the house.

“Sit on the steps,” she said. “I’ll get something to clean you up and we’ll see what damage you have.”

Giff sat. ‘What a fine mess I must be’, he thought. ‘Mildred shouldn’t see me like this!’

She handed him wet towels and sat beside him while he wiped away the dirt. A small trickle of blood ran down his cheek. His face was red and scraped, but no real damage was done.

“I just walked down from Patty’s to invite you for supper in the yard tonight. Ralph and Marilue are coming. Patty is gone this week so it will be just the four of us. Do you think you will feel like coming?” she asked, with a smile and furrowed brow.

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll feel like coming,” he said. “This is just a few scratches, not a problem.” He stood and reached in his pocket for keys. “Let me run you home, though. With Mr. Moose on the loose, I don’t think you should be walking back up the mountain today.”

She patted his arm and smiled. “Thank you, Giff. I wasn’t going to ask but I would appreciate a ride home. These legs still aren’t ready for high altitude and that sun is pretty hot today.”

Ruby trotted from the shade of a nearby rose bush and watched the two hobble toward Giff’s old truck. She sat, licking her paws, and smiled.

© April 28, 2021