So he worked until his fingers blistered and his growling stomach finally protested loud enough that it demanded he take a break. He hadn’t eaten all day. Luckily, the garden was a great place to remedy that.
His mother kept a crate of imperfect produce in the shed, so he rummaged through the bin and made a healthy snack from its fresh contents. He started with a cucumber that had already been enjoyed by a hungry caterpillar or worm, little bites taken out of the top that reminded J.P. of his favorite childhood book. He unhooked his pocketknife from his belt and lopped off the half-eaten part, then savored the rest for himself. There were a handful of strawberries with some mild bruising, but that didn’t make them taste any less sweet. And he polished it off with a near-ripe tomato and basket of purple-ish blueberries. It was a tasty bounty and provided J.P. with enough energy to continue working well into the afternoon.
Later, Pearl came by with a dozen volunteers, and as he constructed the booth, J.P. could hear the low hum of chatter from the group weeding and harvesting in the overgrown rows. There was laughter and even spontaneous song when one volunteer started in with a lighthearted, popular tune.
J.P. found himself humming along too.
Was this community? To be a part of something bigger than oneself?
It wasn’t something he’d ever experienced. And even now, he was still on the periphery of it. He knew there was truth in the saying, ‘No man is an island,’ but he’d lived his life as a peninsula, at the very least. Out on his own, as far from connection as he could get without being a total recluse.
J.P. liked his space. He liked solitude. He was self-sufficient. But there was a new portion of his heart that wanted to let others in, and he knew Nora was responsible for prying open that once sealed shut door.
He almost didn’t hear her in time, with all the commotion in the garden and the noise of his power tools drowning out her steps. But he’d lifted his head to see her making her way toward the back of the garden near the shed and the bees and J.P.’s temporary workspace.
He haphazardly threw a tarp over his project.
“J.P.,” Nora greeted with a smaller than normal grin. She eyed the canvas sheet draped over the lumber pile. “How are you?”
“I’m decent,” he said, but it wasn’t the truth. He was better than decent, especially now with her standing just a few paces away. But he was also flustered. He wasn’t ready to show her what he’d done with the booth, and her arrival had caught him off guard.
“Have you talked to Miles at all today?” she asked.
“I have. He’s taking this whole thing really well. It’s given me a little bit of freedom to not feel so guilty about it all being my fault.”
Something altered her gaze. “J.P….That’s actually why I’m here.”
His eyes tracked down to her hands, to the white knuckles that pulsed with tension. “Nora, is everything okay?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice broke. “J.P., I think I might—”
“You two havegotto see this!”
Out of nowhere, Pearl came bounding up to them. Before Nora could get out the words, J.P.’s mother had her shoulders in her grip, spinning her around and guiding her over to where a small crowd had already gathered. Out of curiosity, J.P. jogged to catch up.
The cluster of volunteers crouched at different levels, allowing those in the back to see over the heads of those in the front, but they all were staring in the same direction. J.P. peered over the mass, squinting to get a better view.
“Are those—”
“Baby bunnies!” Pearl blurted in a half-scream of delight. “I know a rabbit isn’t necessarily a gardener’s best friend, but how precious are these little creatures?”
Waylon gave a snort of disapproval, but he was the only one. All the others swooned and cooed, even Nora, who had only moments earlier looked completely stricken.
“They are pretty cute, aren’t they?” She bumped into J.P.’s shoulder with her own.
“I mean, I guess so. Right now, they kind of resemble naked mole rats, if you ask me.”
Nora laughed. “But they turn into the most adorable furry critters. I wonder what your mom plans to do with them.”
The two peeled off from the larger gathering.
“Not sure, but I doubt she’ll keep them here. Like she said, they are cute, but they’re also a big nuisance in a garden.”
“Maybe the shelter will be able to take and rehome them once they’re a little bigger?” Nora suggested.
They left the group and, rather than head back to where J.P. had been working earlier, he guided Nora toward the gate. He didn’t want her to leave, but he had to get back to things if he was going to complete the portion of the project he hoped to finish by sundown. He was on a time crunch and every minute counted.
“Is there a reason you came by?” he prompted.
