Between the Rows

Between the Rows

1Ellis had finished seventh grade on Friday. By Monday, he was standing in his grandfather's garden, holding a watering can and a page of instructions. Grandpa's wrist was in a brace, so Ellis would care for the beds for two weeks. He had promised to ask before pulling any unfamiliar plant.

2The garden looked less orderly than Ellis remembered. A crooked row of bean plants leaned toward a fence. Small green shoots crowded the space beside the parsley. Ellis pictured straight rows and bare paths, the sort of garden that would look impressive in a photograph. He folded the instructions into his pocket without reading past the first line.

3He reached for a feathery plant near the path. Through the open kitchen window, Grandpa called, “That's dill. I left some growing there for the seeds.” Ellis withdrew his hand. “I was just checking it,” he said, although his fingers had already closed around the stem. Grandpa asked him to bring over the instructions.

4At the kitchen table, Ellis expected a lecture. Instead, Grandpa turned the page over and sketched the beds. He marked the dill with a star and left several spaces blank. “I didn't write down everything,” he admitted. “Some of it I notice while I'm out there.” Ellis studied the unfinished map. “Then how will I know?”

5The next morning, Ellis found the bean leaves drooping. He lifted the watering can, then paused to feel the soil beneath them. It was damp. He carried the can back without pouring and asked Grandpa to look from the window. “Let's check them again when the sun moves,” Grandpa said. By evening, the leaves had lifted.

6On Thursday, Ellis added notes to the map: “Dill stays. Check soil first.” Beside the crowded shoots, he drew a question mark. He brought Grandpa a close-up photograph rather than pulling one out. Grandpa enlarged the picture. “Those are parsley seedlings,” he said. Together, they chose which ones Ellis would move to an empty patch.

7At the end of the week, Grandpa walked outside to inspect the beds. The bean row still leaned, and dill brushed the path. Ellis handed him the map, now crowded with arrows. “There's room for more notes on the back,” he said. Grandpa reached for a pencil. Ellis stayed beside him.