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“Why?” she asked.

“The needlepoint said ‘A mother gives her baby roots and wings’, which seemed like a lovely sentiment while I was stitching it,” said Olivia, giggling, “but all I could see in my mind at that moment was you, flapping your arms fast to try to get off the ground, with your feet tangled up in a mess of roots on the ground stopping you from flying. I could just picture you saying ‘Um…a little help here, someone?’”

Kate laughed heartily. “I can’t believe you’ve never told me that before! That’s hilarious.”

The two worked on the puzzle in silence for several minutes until Kate quietly said, “Thanks for giving me roots and wings, Mom.”

Olivia looked tenderly at her daughter. “You’re welcome, baby.”

~~~~~

Kate awoke the next morning very early. She hadn’t adjusted to the time change yet, but instead of forcing her body to go back to sleep, she decided to get up and go for a walk and perhaps see the sunrise. She threw on some jeans and a coat and headed out the back door.

She walked through the garden and down a path towards the creek that ran behind the house. She strolled next to the trickling creek slowly, lost in thought.
What is Ian doing right now? Does he miss me? Will he call me tomorrow to wish me a Merry Christmas?
She had gotten Ian a beautiful pen for Christmas and had it engraved with his initials, and she wished she could see his face when he opened it. She knew he would love the gift.

She walked, deep in thought, and eventually found herself back in the garden with a heavy heart. The darkness of the early morning sky invaded her spirit. All of her insecurities about Ian and about her life came flooding over her and she sank into the grass, allowing the tears to come. “I feel so lost, Lord,” she whispered into the morning mist. “I feel like a failure. What is the matter with me?” Kate buried her face in her hands tried to imagine what it would be like to come home with nothing but joy in her heart, instead of being constantly faced with so much pain and uncertainty.

Kate’s body stiffened when she heard the side gate creak open. A man whom she had never seen before walked through the gate, looking at the ground. His average frame was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, and his dark blond hair was mostly hidden by a baseball cap. When he saw Kate, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“I…I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” the man said awkwardly.

“Who are you?” she asked, attempting to wipe the tears from her eyes without being too obvious.

“I’m Jacob. Jacob Patterson. I work as Mrs. Henry’s landscaper. I promised her I’d have this stream up and running by Christmas morning, so I thought I’d stop by early and get to work on it.”

“Oh, you’re the landscaper she hired. It’s nice to meet you, Jacob,” she said, pulling herself up off the ground and wiping the grass off of her coat. “I’m Kate Henry. Olivia is my mother.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kate. Again, I’m so sorry to have disturbed you. I can come back later.” He turned to walk out of the garden.

“Don’t be silly,” she replied. “You’re here now, and it sounds like you’ve got a job to do.” She looked towards the house and saw that it was quiet and dark. Knowing her mother was still asleep, and not sure how to make an exit from this awkward scene, she approached Jacob. “Can I help you with the stream?”

“Oh no, of course not,” said Jacob quickly. “This is my job. And besides, it’s not easy work. I’ve got a truck full of river rock that I need to lay down.”

Picking up a pair of work gloves and heading towards a wheelbarrow, Kate said stubbornly, “Are you saying I’m not cut out for hard work? I’m helping. End of story. I love working in my mother’s garden, and besides, I’m not above a little manual labor.” Kate inherited a stubborn streak from her mother.

Jacob, who was very used to dealing with Olivia’s hard-headedness, realized it would do him no good to argue. He nodded his head and helped her load the rocks from the bed of his truck onto the wheelbarrow. After Kate made several trips back into the yard to drop off the rocks, Jacob began to work on the pump while she distributed the rocks in the trench. They both made friendly small talk every now and then, but were mostly focused on the work.

When the last piece of rock had been laid in the trench, Jacob motioned towards the pump and asked, “Would you like to do to honors?” She nodded, tired from the work but excited to see the result of their labor. She flipped the switch to the pump and immediately the water began to flow over the rocks and into a small pond below.

“Yes! We did it!” said Kate, high-fiving Jacob. He smiled, revealing deep dimples in his tanned face. She crossed over the small bridge that straddled the now running stream and sat down on the ground, exhausted from the work and ready to enjoy the soft trickle of the flowing water for a few minutes.

Taking a seat next to her, Jacob asked, “What was it like growing up here?”

With a distant smile, Kate replied, “Amazing. I have so many wonderful memories of cooking with my mom, and playing sports with my dad, and…” her voice trailed off and she looked at a patch of bare land towards the creek that Olivia had not yet transformed with her green thumb.

“What is it?” asked Jacob softly.

“My dad,” she whispered. “I loved my dad. I was his little princess. I was nine when he left me and my mom to marry someone else.” She kept staring at that patch of land.

“It was so hard for me to understand,” she continued. “I heard my parents fighting one afternoon. I knew they were having problems, but I never actually thought they would split up. And just like that, he was gone. My life changed forever that day.” She looked over at Jacob. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I don’t know you at all.”

“You don’t have to,” replied Jacob, “but I’m a good listener.”

Maybe her guard was down because of the early morning hour, or maybe there was something attractive about talking to a complete stranger who had no preconceptions of her, but Kate saw kindness in his eyes and decided to continue. “My mother is an incredibly strong woman. She’s the most amazing person I know. But when my father left, she fell apart. I heard her crying herself to sleep every night. She wouldn’t eat. She wouldn’t leave the house. It was like every ounce of joy had been sucked out of her life.”

“I didn’t know what else to do but to take care of her. Sure, I knew I was the child and she was the parent, but I knew that she needed me. I cooked the meals. I did the laundry. I did everything I could to support her but also give her some space. And every day it pained me to see how this man we both loved and trusted had completely ripped her life apart.”

“It can’t have just been Mrs. Henry who had her life ripped apart,” said Jacob cautiously. “Your father leaving must have been hard on you too.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong, it was,” said Kate. “I was completely devastated. I don’t think I ever completely recovered from it. But I couldn’t allow myself to go to that same dark place where my mother was living. She needed me, so I focused my energies on loving her instead of feeling sorry for myself.”

“We started this garden together,” she said. “I knew how much my mother loved flowers, and I wanted her to have something she could do to get her out of the house and make her happy. So one day I brought home some tulip bulbs and asked her if she would plant them with me. And she’s been gardening ever since.”

Jacob looked out over the expansive garden and couldn’t imagine it being bare. It was such a part of the Olivia that he had come to know. He put a hand on Kate’s shoulder and said, “She is so lucky to have you.”

She looked over again at the empty patch of land. “I spent a lot of time in this backyard daydreaming,” she said. “I imagined a beautiful white gazebo, right over there. I imagined it with beautiful wisteria growing up the sides and roses all around it. Now, don’t laugh at me,” she said, “but I always imagined a man riding up that path on a white horse and sweeping my off my feet. He would never leave me like my father did, and someday we would have a small wedding in that gazebo.” She sighed as a faint smile crept onto her face. “I’ve always seen flowers as a symbol of growth and rebirth and creating beauty from emptiness, so I thought this would be the perfect setting for our happy ending.”

Kate looked up at Jacob. She’d never told anyone about the reasons behind starting this garden with her mother, or about the deep wounds that existed in her life from a childhood snatched away by a father who abandoned her. Not even Ian.

“Kate?” said a familiar voice.

Kate turned away from Jacob and looked toward the voice. Standing in the open side gate, with a crooked tie and an even more crooked grin, was Ian.

“Ian!? What…how did you…” said Kate, confused and delighted.

“I was working late last night and I started thinking about waking up in my empty apartment on Christmas Eve,” said Ian, entering the yard. “I remembered how you told me it was just going to be you and your mother for Christmas, and, I…I don’t know. I hopped on a red-eye and here I am?” He said it as more of a question than a fact, even though he was obviously standing there in the yard. Kate stood there with her mouth wide open.

“I hope this is okay,” Ian said slowly. “I probably should have called first, but it was just an impulsive decision. Is it…okay that I’m here?” He looked over at Jacob quizzically.

“Are you crazy? Of course it is!” cried Kate. “I’m so happy you’re here!” She ran over to him and attacked him with a giant hug.

At that moment, the back door opened and Olivia called out “Kate? Who’s back there with you? Ian? Is that you?”

“Yes Mrs. Henry, it’s me,” said Ian, releasing Kate from his tight grip.

“Well I’ll be,” said Olivia, smiling. “It’s been so long! I don’t think I’ve seen you since college graduation.”

“I’m so sorry for just dropping in on you like this, especially at Christmastime. I’m not usually this spontaneous,” said Ian.

“Don’t be silly!” replied Olivia. “You know there’s nothing I love more than a house full of people. Come on inside and I’ll cook us all a big breakfast.”

Suddenly noticing the fourth person in the yard, Olivia said, “Oh, Jacob! I didn’t see you there. Good morning. Oh!” She noticed the flowing stream. Clapping her hands, she said, “My stream! I have a stream! Oh Jacob, you’re the best. Come in and have some breakfast with us.”

Jacob looked to Kate, who said, “Yes! Please come have breakfast with us,” and then looked over to Ian, who said nothing.

“Thank you very much for the offer, ladies,” he said politely, “but I’m afraid I have to be going.”

“No, stay and eat with us!” said mother and daughter in unison.

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t. But I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.”

“All right then, Merry Christmas, dear,” said Olivia, giving a big hug to the shy man who clearly couldn’t wait to get out of the yard. Ian stuck out his hand. “Jacob,” he said shortly as the men shook hands.

Jacob turned to Kate. He had no idea that when he walked into Mrs. Henry’s backyard that morning he would meet such a refreshingly authentic woman who seemed to have a great deal of depth. Evidently this Ian character had made that same discovery. He looked into her green eyes, and said, “You take care of yourself.”

“Thank you, Jacob,” she said with sincerity, “and thanks for listening. Goodbye.” She hugged him quickly and then headed off into the house, one arm around her mother and the other linked with Ian’s.

“Goodbye, Kate,” said Jacob softly to an empty backyard.

~~~~~

“Okay Ian, are you ready for this? My mom and I are pretty experienced at gingerbread house construction, so I don’t want you to be too embarrassed when our mansions outshine your little shack.” Kate was spreading out an old tablecloth over the dining room table while Olivia and Ian carried in graham crackers, homemade frosting (extra thick to help hold up the structures), and all sorts of candies to decorate with.