Magpie 22

Gardening was never my thing, nor my brothers' or my sisters'. I much preferred to write, and my brother would draw and my sister different still, would much prefer to play with her dolls. Outside my mother would work, most the time and on most days. She'd spend countless hours out there harvesting food for our dinners. She had to work much harder after my father left and spent even more time out there. We'd all been unhappy since he'd left and were as broke as ever. I'd sit inside writing, staring out the window. Mother would be in the garden and it would be raining. I would think to help her but push the thoughts aside as it would be much too boring and I didn't feel like getting wet.

One day when I got home I found my mother in her bed. My sister told me she'd fallen sick, most likely from the cold rain.

"But what about our dinner?" my brother asked and my tired mother didn't reply. She sighed long and deeply and that's when I started to cry.

"What about our dinner?" my brother asked a second time.

"Go get your boots on," I told him, although he only crossed his arms across his chest.

"Go get your boots on!" I screamed at my stubborn little brother. I felt the tears run down my face and the fury build inside me. He stormed out of the room, realizing how serious I was. I knelt down by my mother. Her body was cold and her eyes stayed shut even when my warm lips touched her cheek.

"Tell me what to do," I said.

"I don't know," she whispered, "I can't remember what was almost ripe." This time i was the one to sigh.

Just like I had, she sighed too, "Tomatoes," she whispered.

My brother stood by the back door with my sister by his side. I knelt down in front of him and stared right into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said, "for yelling at you. But we all owe apologies to our mother who has worked outside all this time for the benefit of all of us. Now it is time, for us to work for her so she can get well again." We all went out to the garden where stray weeds covered the once brick path that sat outside of our home. I stepped past fruits of green and red and vegetables of all sorts. Most of it would not survive and most of them looked bad. I went to the back where I saw circles of red. There where some sun shun through the trees sat 5 red tomatoes. I carefully pulled them off the stem and knew what I had to do. I would make tomato soup and my mother would be well after some time of rest. I felt horrible for leaving my assistance so long but from that point on my mother would not have to be the only contributer to what we all benefited from. I looked at my brother and sister skipping in the garden. Maybe we would all be happy again aswell.