Chapter 9 - The Garden Belongs to the ChildrenThe apartment building was transferred into a resident-owned nonprofit trust.
No luxury condominiums.
No forced evictions.
Renovated heating.
Safe wiring.
New windows.
And the garden—
the garden became the heart of it.
We repaired the brick wall.
Planted grass.
Built a sandbox.
Picnic tables.
Vegetable beds.
A small oak tree was planted for Gabriel.
On opening day, Luna ran through the gate holding Bunny.
“Mama!”
“What?”
“The grass is soft!”
Elena laughed.
“That is generally the idea.”
Luna found me standing beside Gabriel’s tree.
She held up half a sandwich.
“Mr. Adrian?”
“Yes?”
“Do you want some?”
I looked at it.
“You eat it.”
She frowned.
“We share now.”
Those words nearly destroyed me all over again.
We share now.
Not because she had too little.
Because she finally had enough.
I took one small piece.
“Thank you.”
She smiled.
Then ran away.
Elena stood behind me.
“You’re crying.”
“No.”
“You are.”
“Wind.”
“There is no wind.”
“Hostile weather.”
May you like
She laughed.
It was the first time I realized I loved the sound.
