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“Is it really ours?” Levi asks.
“It’s really ours.” Erwin replies.
The small white house with the overgrown yard is the culmination of a long held dream; to own their own garden.
“Want me to carry you up the path?” Erwin grins. Levi rolls his eyes but he doesn’t say no.
They spend the first summer clearing the garden of brambles and ivy, hacking back the undergrowth to reveal current bushes, roses and a scarlet camelia. There are two ancient cherry trees at the end of the garden, too old to fruit. Erwin plans to cut them down until he discovers they’re the perfect distance apart to hang a hammock. The old apple tree looks more promising, so they prune it back and hope for the best. Neighbors drop by with cuttings, seedlings and advice about mulching.
Gardening is a process of patience and perseverance and they have as many failures as success. The vegetable patch is decimated by caterpillars, and squirrels dig up the spring bulbs as fast as Levi plants them.
“Little bastards. It’s like a fucking buffet.” He grumbles, but neither of them have the heart to scare the bold creatures away.
They plant sunflowers that grow taller than Levi. Erwin teases, calling him “my little flower”, but Levi gets the last laugh when they keep growing until they tower over Erwin too.
The apple fruits gloriously and they share the glut of apples with friends and neighbours.
Strawberries take more perseverance.
The seedlings are a gift from Mike and Nanaba. Levi plants them in ceramic pots by the back door and tends them carefully. They’re thrilled when the little plants blossom, but the tiny green berries are eaten by slugs long before they have a chance to ripen. The following year pigeons steal the precious fruits just as they’re on the cusp of perfect ripeness. The third year, they fail to blossom altogether. Levi is distraught.
“Don’t worry darling,” Erwin consoles him, “maybe next year.”
Their patience pays off, the following year they’re rewarded by a large crop of luscious red berries. They sit together by the back door on a sultry afternoon with purple storm clouds building on the horizon. Their knees are linked together, balancing blue china plates filled with plump perfect strawberries, still warm from the sun. Erwin dips one in sugar and bites into the soft red flesh, eyes slipping closed as he groans with pleasure. Levi is captivated, his own berry poised half-way to his mouth. Erwin opens his eyes and licks his lips. Sugar crystals cascade into his lap and glitter there like tiny jewels.
“Delicious.”
Levi bites carefully into his berry, tart sweetness flooding his tongue. They eat in quiet rapture then lean across the plates and kiss sugar and sweetness from each other’s lips.
As the first fat drops of rain begin to fall, Erwin takes Levi by the hand and leads him inside, leaving the summer storm to wash the plates clean.