of when we were happy.  I nearly have to beg my mind to recall the days when we smiled at each other simply because we could. But I can still see the flashes of when we met in my mind so I will tell you a story.

Let me ask you a question… How many of you could resist a dirty woman on her knees? That’s the position I was in when I first met Joshua. You see, for as long as I can remember, I have loved to garden. As a little girl, I would dig up weeds and transplant them into the empty dirt filled flower pots that littered our yard… my mom’s half hearted attempt at domestic ventures. As a teenager, I fenced off a part of the dog run, cleaned it out and used money from my job to buy 6 packs of Kmart flowers as they arrived bright in Springtime. It is a passion that centers me and keeps me sane when nothing else can.  

That day, I was outside, digging rocks from the half-clay, half-cement soil left behind from too many years of strip mining and wind erosion. My son, close by, was using a stick to torture 6-8 legged bystanders. The house next to our apartment was a bed and breakfast… owned by Joshua’s mom.  She and I had exchanged the customary “hello’s and how are you’s” for the few months we had lived there.  My nose to the ground, my hands busy and my mind free, I hear a sweet little voice and a response from Dryden. I turn my head and spy a wispy halo of strawberry blond hair on the frame of a tiny sprite.  Sydney is squatting next to Dryden and he is giving her instructions on how best to poke a bug. I smile and stand up, hand shading my eyes, looking for the guardian of this little girl. I see Joshua’s mom standing at her door, half open and she speaks with someone. I holler to her “Is this cutie yours?” She smiles the smile of a proud grandmother and says yes.  

Keeping an eye on the toddlers, I walk over to her with the intention of having a friendly chat but I see she is still talking. I stand a bit away out of respect for her privacy. She turns and motions to me… “Kim, this is my son, Josh.  Josh, this is Kim, she lives in Alice’s old house”. There is some interest, he is male and I always have enjoyed men.  After some polite conversation, I walk back to the kids and kneel down to better see what they have found. Soon it is time for Sydney to nap and I take Dryden inside for lunch. The first meeting is just that, nothing substantial, just perfunctory, simple, neighborly.  

Over the next few months, Sydney will wander over to our open door and make herself at home with any toy she finds, Dryden will begin to ask to play with her, and Joshua and I will begin to talk about the kids and move onto other subjects. It’s a comfortable beginning and I liked being around him.