Gemotions

The afternoon sun beat down, and the air was thick with humidity. Mark watched as Mrs. Rodriguez approached, her face etched with a shy hesitancy. He braced himself, expecting an argument about the stray dog. Instead, she asked if she could plant some vegetables along the fence line. He’d been expecting a battle.

He eagerly assented, a wide smile spreading across his face. He found himself chuckling. The tightness in his gut vanished, replaced by an unfamiliar sensation of buoyancy. The thought of that part of the yard being anything but empty, and actually providing something, was incredibly satisfying.