CHAPTER 23

It was the middle of autumn, yet the day was so hot that standing outside felt like being in an oven. The trees shed countless leaves and the lawn demanded watering twice each day to keep it green. The layer of dry, fragile leaves scattered across the yard made what would have been a green lawn look like charred land. Garth had been working the yard for about two hours without taking a break. Sweat streamed from every pore of his face. He struggled with every swing of his arms and cringed at the scratching of the fork’s teeth against the dry ground. It used to be one of his favorite times of the year but that had changed. He paused and took a long look around as he wiped the sweat from his temple. Garth thought back to his younger years, back when he could do almost anything for as long as was needed. He wanted to believe that the sun had grown hotter in the years since, but he knew the truth. He looked up between the branches of the olive tree, trying to get a peek at the sun. Garth smiled. He wasn’t a young man anymore. He shrugged and continued with his work.

The back door opened and Joanne stepped out, carrying a tray. On the tray was a tumbler and a bottle of orange juice. Joanne hadn’t seen Garth work so hard in a long time. She had been so eager to see him that she forgot to take off her art apron, which had several layers of paint smeared over it. She paused for a moment and watched her husband at work. She smiled, then continued toward him. The sound of the leaves crunching under her feet alerted Garth to her arrival. He turned and saw Joanne coming toward him. He stopped working for a moment, choosing to admire his wife’s beauty rather than continue his labors. He wondered how she still made his heart race so easily in her late sixties. She no longer had the curves she used to, nor the smoothness in her skin, nor could she move as effortlessly as she once had, but she was every bit as beautiful as when they met. Her face still had a warmth that never seemed to leave it, even on their worst days.

Garth put down the rake and met Joanne halfway, smiling through his exhaustion.

“Garth, you don’t need to work so hard,” Joanne said, stopping in front of him. “I can help you later in the afternoon.”

“And leave you too tired to finish your painting?” Garth replied with a smile. “Don’t worry, Jo, I’ve got this.”

Joanne offered the tray to Garth. He picked up the jar and poured a glassful of orange juice. He quickly gulped it down and placed the cup back onto the tray. It took the edge off the intense heat, if only for a moment.

“Thank you,” he said. “You know how to look after an old man.”

Joanne giggled. “You may be an old man, but you’re my old man.”

Garth smiled as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He pulled away and motioned toward the rake.

“Well, that was brief,” Joanne complained.

Garth’s eyes widened as he turned around. He hurried back to his wife and pulled her in with both hands to give her a long, tender kiss. He continued kissing Joanne until she pulled away, grinning.

“That’s better,” she said. “Now, you can get back to work, old man.”

“Aye aye, sir!” Garth performed a playful salute and returned to the shade under the tree. He picked up the rake and dragged it across the ground once, then stopped. He watched Joanne as she walked up to the porch. In the many lifetimes he had lived and all the families he had raised, Garth had never met anyone like Joanne. He knew that he was unlikely to ever do so again. She was the rare star in the vastness of cosmic light that shone the brightest. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and continued raking.

Joanne stepped into the house and closed the door behind her. She went to the kitchen where she rinsed the cup and returned the jar to the fridge. From the kitchen, she walked past the internal garage door. She opened a blue door and entered a large room with a vast table at its center. Several canvases were leaning against the wall, most of them covered with fabric. In the far-left corner of the room near the window was an unfinished canvas on a stand. Joanne stood in front of the canvas. The painting was in its early stages and yet to take shape. She looked around the generously-sized room, admiring the space she had to work with. It had been Garth’s first project after retiring. He had converted the old garage into an art studio so Joanne would no longer need to commute and could work from home.

At first, Joanne had been against the idea. She knew it would make her life much easier, but she was unconvinced by having her studio at home. She was also worried about what might happen to her marriage if both she and her husband were at home together all day. In reality, Garth had been very supportive and understanding. He steered clear of her studio unless he was invited in. Somehow, they made it all work out. With their children no longer at home, being together in the house had only made their love grow stronger. Joanne smiled as she remembered setting up the studio together. She sat on her stool and picked up her brush and palette. She looked around the canvas until she saw Garth beating at the piles of dried leaves. Joanne smiled, touched her brush to the paint on the palette, and continued her painting. It took a couple of hours, but it gradually turned into a painting of a beautiful, old man, gathering dried leaves under an olive tree in the autumn sun.

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Two vehicles pulled up in front of the house: a minivan and a sedan. The sound of the approaching vehicles caught Garth’s attention. He dropped the rake when he saw the cars. Tyler stepped out of the minivan and hurried to the passenger side to open the door for his wife. She held their youngest child in her arms. Tyler helped her out of the vehicle, then opened the sliding door and two young girls jumped out.

“Grandpa!” they excitedly cried out in unison. They ran past their father to the side of the house and jumped into Garth’s arms. Garth held them in a tight embrace, lifted them off the ground, and spun them a few times before setting them down.

“My little angels,” he greeted. “I’ve missed you so much.” Garth looked up and saw Tyler carrying a bag.

“Hi, Dad,” Tyler greeted and hugged his father.

“Hello, son,” Garth replied, patting Tyler on the back. He broke away and embraced Chastity, his daughter-in-law. “You’re looking well, Chastity.”

Chastity laughed. “Thanks, Garth.”

Garth looked down at the baby. “And who do we have here?” he gently rubbed the baby’s cheeks with his thumb. “Baby Jericho is growing up.”

“Hi, Dad!” Sky called from behind, carrying her baby.

Tyler stepped aside for Sky to greet their father. Garth hugged her, mindful of the baby in her hand.

“Hello, Sky,” Garth said. “Where’s Donald?”

Sky shrugged. “He had to work and couldn’t make it. He sends his best, though.”

“That’s no problem,” Garth muttered. He lightly tapped the baby’s nose and made a funny face. “You’re starting to look like your grandpa, aren’t you?”

The family went inside. Joanne gasped when she saw her grandchildren. She hugged and kissed everyone and quickly went into the kitchen to fetch drinks.

“Dad, have you heard from Clayton?” Sky asked.

As if answering her question, a motorcycle roared into the front yard. It revved a few times before the engine shut off. They immediately knew who it was.

“About time,” Sky muttered.

The front door opened and Clayton walked in, wearing a black leather jacket and gloves. The children excitedly ran to him. One by one, he picked them up and hugged them. Clayton embraced Garth, Sky, and Tyler, then gave Chastity a kiss on the cheek. He lowered his head to baby Jericho and lightly rubbed his cheek. Jericho giggled. After greeting everyone in the living room, Clayton went through to the kitchen. He hugged his mother from behind and kissed her cheek.

“I’ve missed you, Mom.”

Joanne ruffled his hair. “Then you could call occasionally.”

“Come on, you know I’m busy,” Clayton said as he returned to the living room and joined the others.

“Right…” Joanne rolled her eyes.

Sky and Chastity joined Joanne in the kitchen, while Garth, Tyler, and Clayton prepared the table on the rear porch. Clayton stood on the porch, looking out across the yard. He smiled, remembering the days of him and his siblings helping their dad in the yard. They would make big piles of leaves, climb up the olive tree, and jump down into the heap. Clayton walked over to the rake and kicked it up.

“Ty, what do you say we finish Dad’s work while the ladies are busy?”

Tyler grinned. “Sure, bro.” He hurried into the shed behind the house, grabbed another rake, and helped Clayton pick up the leaves. Garth sat by the table, smiling proudly as he watched his children, each of them having grown up. Tyler and Clayton finished tidying the yard. They filled four bags with the leaves, grabbed two each, and took them out to the roadside in front of the house. When they returned to the backyard, Sky and Chastity were already setting the table with food and drinks. They took off their gloves, tidied up, and returned the tools to the shed before joining Garth and the others at the table.

Everyone was sitting at the table except Joanne, who was still working in the kitchen. After a few minutes, Joanne appeared with a large tray of skinny taco dip. The moment she stepped out of the house, the smell of the food wafted across the table, even before she reached it. Clayton stood up, took the tray from Joanne, and placed it on the table.

“Just don’t dive into it,” Joanne muttered. Her family laughed.

Sky slid the dish in front of everyone, then Joanne scooped the food into their dishes one at a time. When she had served everyone, she uncovered the large soup bowl at the center of the table, stirred it, poured two spoonfuls over Garth’s food, then her own. She dropped the spoon and sat down, with her hand resting on Garth’s. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, smiled, then picked up their spoons and started eating. Clayton took the spoon next, then passed it to Chastity.

Joanne cleared her throat. “You still haven’t told us what the occasion is.”

Sky giggled. “Is it too much to pay our parents a little surprise visit?”

Joanne raised her brows at Garth. He shrugged.

“You’re right,” Joanne said with a smile. “A little surprise visit is very welcome.”

She placed her hand on Garth’s hand under the table and squeezed it gently. Garth smiled, which turned into a chuckle. Everyone at the table turned their attention to him. Garth paused and raised both hands. “What can I say? It’s a delicious meal.”

Everyone at the table laughed, including the children. They continued eating their meal, chatting about their lives and what they had been doing lately. Chastity remarked about Clayton coming to the next gathering with a lady. Clayton replied with a smile and laughed, but Garth didn’t hear him. He was too busy wondering how he had been so lucky this time. He had the most wonderful family a man could wish for. Garth watched his beautiful grandchildren, laughing at something Tyler said, and he looked at Joanne, watching her children with love. Deep inside, Garth knew no man could be this lucky twice. With pain in his heart, he reached within himself and prayed that when his time finally came, when he finally closed his eyes and died, it would be the last time.

Garth sighed, wiped some soup from the corner of his mouth, and took another spoon.