Pain earned

Yesterday was wonderful. It really was. I woke up on my own (that took a while) and let myself linger in the warmth of the sheets for some time. I picked up the book I am reading (The Alchemist if anyone was wondering) and absorbed its message for a while.

Later on that morning, my aunt came and picked me up. We went to Home Depot to my favorite section--the garden section. We spent around $100 on plants. We took them to my grandparents' house, and we went to work. My grandparents were enjoying their last day at the Atlantis in the Bahamas, a well-earned vacation, and a nice way to spend the two weeks in between chemotherapy treatments.

Four hours later, covered in mud, sticks, leaves, brick dust (don't ask), and probably spiders, we packed up our shovels and headed home. It looked beautiful, if I do say so myself! We planted flowers and grasses and ferns in the two planters by the door that had been empty since I could remember (empty aside from ten million bricks). I crouched in the mud of Saturday's rain and weeded her roses. We raided the side of her house and her planting table for plants she wasn't using. My grandmother is amazing at taking cuttings from plants, especially plumeria which she has brought back from numerous trips to Hawaii, and making them grow. We planted them in the front yard. We washed the sideboards of the house, we hosed down the walkway. We swept, dug, and pulled until what was left was orderly, colorful, and alive.

My grandma called me this morning, and the conversation went something like this: "Korey Ward I love you."

I could hear the tears choking her throat.

She described to me how she entered through the garage and missed what we had done. My grandpa walked to the front door and starting banging on it. When she opened it (sounding annoyed, I'm sure) he covered her eyes and led her out slowly. She couldn't believe what we had done. We couldn't believe we had done it all in one day. I couldn't believe how dirty I was.

Wonderful.