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"A garden," I said quietly Suddenly arden"

He whistled It was an old-fashioned sound, and I s sured it was ti--you’re going to have a battle with theive up easily, and they’re always convinced they’re right"

I s to deal with people like that"

He sood," I said "But I’m optimistic"

"I swear that tasted just like a bowl full of heaven" I sprawled over the lawn, full of food and satisfied, and stared up at the darkening late-spring sky We were all stretched out over some old blankets I’d found in the linen closet Somewhere in the pantry Mykia found a tray Jesse’s aunt Tess had given us, and itaway in the middle Still, we alternately swatted at the earlyour blood, enriched as it ith the sweetness of the strawberries Glynnis had bought at the market

"I told you," Mykia said "When it coenius"

"Alchemist," I said as I poured us all some more wine "That’s what you called yourself I like that better, turning so spectacular"

"I’m not sure what that , and I don’t even like vegetables"

"Anyone can do it," Mykia said, her voice growing soft "Like anything else, it just takes a little effort"

"I don’t know," I etables Cared for the incredible froht there"

Mykia turned on her sto it, but not letting it go, working it between her fingers "You’ll do the saoal, isn’t it? Soging because I was feeling shitty and it felt good Then I kept digging because I liked the feeling The idea of actually planting so about it until I saw your stuff at the ed ives h"

"I believe it"

We grew silent for ahole of dirt, which suddenly seemed to beckon with possibility

"Well, you have to do so with this," Jackie said "It seems a shame to sod it over, and I don’t even knohy This is a fancy suburb It does look awful That snobby lady was right about that"

It didn’t look awful tooroing to cover it up I’"

"It’s not too late to plant this season," Glynnis quietly contributed "My plant, zucchini It usually worked out"

"That’s not the way to do this," Mykia said, shaking her head "You should do raised beds, reenhouse on one side of the yard This requires planning You can’t just dig up your yard and drop in a few plants"

"How ht for a ht Fifteen hundred dollars? And that’s conservative"

"I don’t have the ht now"

Mykia took her tiuess dirt’s dirt If you’re not going to resod that hole, then you uys ork at our farm I can send theot some scrap wood, and they can squeeze a few raised beds out of h"