362 A Father’s Pride

(Jayden)

Bobby is looking at me with such hope in his eyes, and I can’t say no. “Alright,” I say quietly. “Let’s go.”

Henry settles off to sleep as we walk. It’s a good distance, but finally we head around to the back yard area.

Winona wasn’t wrong. It’s huge in here. Like a private forested area, beyond the cleared spaces.

“I did this today,” Bobby says, pointing towards two huge flower beds. “I cleared them out for Mom. I thought she’d like it.”

I blink, surprised and honestly, amazed. “You did all this?” There’s a massive pile of weeds stockpiled at the side. “Mom and the girls are going to love it. Look at the butterflies and bees.”

The brightly colored flowers beam back at us with insects buzzing about. It’s beautiful.

Bobby nods, a hint of pride creeping into his voice. “Yeah. And there’s more. Look.”

He leads me to a brick wood-burning grill near the back of the cottage, which really isn’t anything like a cottage. The grill is old but in good shape, and Bobby’s clearly been wor