Parental Gardening

Alex

The quiet neighborhood was asleep. Well, mostly asleep. One house, slightly different from the rest, had been awoken with a start as the police brought Alex home for the fourth time this year. Breaking and entering had continued to get the small, brown haired teen in trouble. Owen, the father of the family, ushered his unruly son into the house. Standing a couple inches taller than Alex and with a wider frame, Owen seemed to hover over Alex. He clamped his heavy hand onto the back of Alex’s thin neck and let the weight of it rest heavy on the boy’s shoulders. Alex stared down at his muddy shoes, adding filth to the already dirty carpet while his father discussed his trespassing with the officer. As Owen closed the door, Alex tried to escape his grasp, but his father had another idea. Giving his son a firm push in the direction of the stairs. Alex catching himself on the loose railing, turned to head towards his room.

Alex already knew his father saw him as a lost cause. Knowing that, he did not expect a lecture or punishment. Owen just shook his head, as he headed back to bed. Alex attempting to block out his father’s snide comments still managed to hear his whispered retort. “Boy is hopeless, no point wasting my breath, never gonna ‘mount to nothin.” mumbled Owen as he returned to his bedroom. As he hurried up the stairs, his fathers’ words bumbled about in his mind, digging small cuts and scrapes along the way to their final resting place with all the others.

He peeked into his little sister’s room on the way to his. Ensuring she hadn’t been woken up by his arrival home. Glimpsing her light brown hair splayed around her, Alex watched as she slept soundly on a mattress in her room. Alex thought about his father telling her she could get a new bedframe when he could afford it. Why his dad thought it was okay to sell it for such a pitiful amount of cash, Alex would never understand. Alex remembered seeing the sadness fill his sister’s big brown eyes as they toted her bed out the door. Shaking the memory away, he continued to his own bedroom and dropped onto his futon. Alex fell asleep fully dressed, his dirty shoes still on his feet. His final thought being the unfortunate parent he had been dealt.

Meanwhile, almost a complete opposite to Owen’s unkempt home, the house across the street had a well-maintained yard with a small flower garden in the back. The beautiful home continued to sleep peacefully. The oldest neighboring teen, Ben, slept in his queen size bed with his LED lights spreading a soft glow across his room. The younger twin boys in their shared room, tucked into their bunkbeds. Matching comforters keeping them warm as they snoozed. Both parents fast asleep across the hall. Even the little Pekinese pup snored softly in its own doggy bed. Calmness enveloped the whole home as they all slept without disruptions.

Ben

The following day, Ben woke up to his alarm. His first thought being about the dreaded SAT test being administered today. Throwing on jeans and a hoodie, Ben hurried towards his brothers’ room. Expecting to wake the twins for school but their bunks were empty. Heading down the stairs, Ben found that he was the last one to wake.  Everyone else already in the kitchen, eating breakfast. Carter and Cohen were seated at the island, eating oatmeal and toast. The twins with sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, identical in every way except personality watched a video on their tablet as they ate. Ben knew his mother had wanted a girl but instead, two more boys were born. Looking like Ben and his mother, the twins also had bright smiles and radiated positivity. His dad’s brown eyes and almost black hair had not been passed on to any of his children. However, Carter did receive his dad’s mischievous streak. Ben chuckled when he noticed Carter put a spoonful of his own oatmeal into Cohen’s bowl just as Cohen had turned to greet Ben.

Ben’s father was on his way out the door for work. The twins’ middle school being on his way to work, they recognized his cue. Jumping up and collecting their bags, they followed him out the door. He yelled a quick “good luck” as he closed the door. Hopefully luck would not be necessary during today’s test. Ben was confident in his ability to do well. With his dad’s help, he had studied and scored high on the practice test. Doing well on the SATs would get him into a great college. Ben’s mother passed him his own bowl of oatmeal and sat down at her work desk in the living room. After quickly eating his breakfast, Ben saw Alex walking out of his front door, his sister trailing behind him as usual. “Gotta go.” He said to his mom as he grabbed his backpack on the way out. His mom also shouted, “good luck” and reminded him to pick the twins up after school. He yelled an “okay” from the front door and jogged out. Knowing Alex and Lexi would start walking to school if he didn’t get out there soon.

Ben was right. The neighbor children were full of independence. Self-sufficient in every way. Not having the most present parent conditioned them to not expect any help from others. A daily routine had been established but was never expected. Ben pulled up next to them. A giant smile on his face, he told his neighbors to “Get in.” Alex smiled and responded, “Thanks man.” Lexi, following suit quietly whispered a quick thanks as well. Ben had been giving them rides to school since he had passed his driving test last fall. He could not figure out why she was still so timid around him. Ben’s thoughts wondered off to their father, Owen. Contemplating Owen’s gruff way of speaking and minimal interaction with Lexi had Ben blaming him for her quiet behavior. His thoughts were interrupted by Alex handing Lexi a granola bar.  Ben felt his own breakfast weigh heavy in his stomach as Alex ate his measly granola bar. He wanted to halt his feelings of pity, so he asked Alex if he was ready for the SAT test. Alex released a sardonic laughed and asked, “Now why would I care about SATs. Do you think my dad is going to help me get into a good college? Ben felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he glanced over at his friend. He knew that support was something lacking in his neighbor’s home.

After school, Ben picked up the twins. Feeling distracted and tired, he took his time driving home. He felt as though his brain had turned to mush after the SATs. Images of the long and taxing test flashing in his mind. Feeling confident that he had done well, Ben started to daydream about college. He wondered what the college life would be like. He pictured himself in a compact dorm room, delicious scents of hot pockets wafting through the air. People excitedly introducing themselves to each other. Hopefully introducing themselves to him as well. He found himself wandering if the professors would be like his high school teachers or perhaps, they would be more distinguished. The title professor being well earned. As he parked his car in its normal spot, he couldn’t help thinking about missing home and his family once he left for that college life. Then he remembered his mom bringing up some old saying; something about reaping and sowing.

She had been working in her flower garden when he asked her what she thought about him going to college. He had been starting to wonder if it was worth it. Would he need to get a college degree, or could he just start a business? Maybe create an app or something. She showed him some new seeds she had just received from a friend. Placing the seeds in the fresh tilled dirt she described how going to college was kind of like planting seeds. He raised an eyebrow at her and waited for her to explain. She continued, “You plant your seed, aka invest in college. Then, eventually the seed grows as you learn and gain experience. Once, you are finished then you can start harvesting from what you planted and grew, aka make more money and build a stable career.” She shrugged her shoulders and covered the newly planted seeds. “It just makes sense.” She said as she absorbed the satisfaction her flowers gave her.  

He threw one of the seeds at her and asked, “That why you had kids?” She threw it back at him and laughed. She thought about that for a moment and then answered, “In a way, I guess that is why. I planted you boys, my adorable seeds. And then I provided for your needs. Watering you every day.” She sprayed Ben with the hose and said, “see, no water shortages in this home.” Shocked and silenced, Ben glared at her for a moment. Then taking his revenge, he gave her a big hug and shook the excess water out of his hair and onto hers.

Sitting back down on the cold grass, Ben couldn’t stop himself from glancing across the street. His mother noticed and frowned. “I know you worry about them, but Alex is growing up to be quite the young man. He just might surprise you by flourishing without supportive parents. Just as the wildflowers grow without care. Those two will continue to grow as well.” Ben contemplated this. He answered with a short, “yeah, I guess.” Wiping the sweat and dirt from her brow with her forearm, his mother stood up. As she started cleaning up her gardening supplies, she finished the conversation with, “Owen is going to realize one day that he will not be entitled to reap the benefits or should I say, feel the pride that comes with your children’s success. He has not fully supported the seeds that he is sown and when they achieve greatness, he also will not reap the credit that comes with raising successful children. Those kids will be able to claim credit for being successful despite their father.” Ben nodded. Helping his mom with her tools, he took one last look across the street and followed her inside.

Alex

That night, Alex laid in bed wondering how his SAT score would be. He didn’t want Ben to know just how much the scores meant to him. Investing time and studying so much might not pay off. Sharing the importance of his scores with Ben would also mean sharing in the disappointment if he scored too low. He considered sneaking out again to hang with his friends at the old, abandoned building outside of town. Deciding it wouldn’t be worth getting caught again, he decided to just go to sleep early and mentally check off one more day until his eighteenth birthday.

Two weeks went by quicker than expected for Ben and Alex both. The results for the SATs were going to be given out at school today. Ben told Alex he hoped he did well as they parted ways in the hallway. Alex sat down and waited quietly for his laptop to power on. The scores should be in all the student’s email by now. Sweaty palms, heart racing, Alex decided to check his email. He hesitated when he saw the words SAT results. He wanted to open it but also wanted to enjoy just a little more time not knowing. He shrugged and thought to himself. If it is bad, its bad. No changing it now.

He clicked. It opened. He scrolled…

1350 out of 1600? Alex did a double take. With that score, he could pretty much go to any school he wanted! The day felt so long after he saw his score. He just wanted to talk to Ben and maybe get some help from him or his parents deciding what he should do next. His own father was all the way in the back of his mind bouncing around with all the mental scars he had created. Alex didn’t plan on telling his father anything about the test results. Owen’s disappointment in Alex ran deep. Informing him of his success wouldn’t change that.

Ben pulled into his driveway. Alex jogged over to meet him before he went inside. Ben looked pleased with himself, so Alex assumed that meant he did well, as expected. Ben greeted Alex and asked if he would like to come in for pizza. Ben’s parents wanted to celebrate his high SAT score. Alex grinned and said, “Yeah, I’d like to celebrate my high score too and maybe your parents can help me apply for some colleges.”