Early one morning, a lovely woman named Candy woke up to the sun shining in her window. She stretched and yawned and then smiled.
“Today, I’m going to get me a peach!” she said right out loud.
Now, Candy had been thinking about peaches for some time. But today, she was ready to do something about it. She knew she could probably find a peach at the grocery store. But those peaches were small, hard and bland. No, she would have to go somewhere special for the peach she wanted.
She got up, put on her nicest clothes, fixed her long dark hair and finished off her look with her special gold hoop earrings. Then, she stepped out her front door and headed for the Garden District.
The Garden District sat on the edge of town and stretched for miles. All the streets in that area were graceful, nonlinear roads. Great gardens could be found on every street. But only little of the garden could be seen as they all were behind great stone walls 10 feet high. One could see tall trees above the wall, maybe a spire or a tile roof. Some trees grew near the wall and branches hung over the wall. And occasionally, a vine spread its tendrils down the outside of the walls.
In the middle of each garden wall stood the gate. Each gate was unique and interesting. Some were ornate, others multi-layered, still others embossed with carvings and even sculptured. These gates were almost always closed tight as the Gardeners fiercely guarded their gardens. But sometimes, they stood out in front of their open gates and greeted those passing by. Some might be selling their rich and bountiful harvest or even giving away samples.
As one passed these gates, it was impossible not to take a peek at the garden that lay behind it.
And what gardens they were! Large swaths of rich green lawns that seems to stretch forever, bordered by groves of all manner of trees. Fountains, flower beds, shaded seating areas and many special features could be glimpsed.
The sun seemed to shine brighter and more beautifully in those gardens.
Candy knew she would find the peach of her dreams somewhere in these gardens.
But she didn’t even know where to start. So, she walked down the first street. It was quiet and empty. But the fragrance of the gardens flowed around her and it was intoxicating! She could detect rich soil, sweet fruit, pine, maybe a whiff of flowers, and was that a hint of smoke?
No gates were open. Should she knock? That didn’t sound right. So, Candy found another street. Then, another. By the time, she entered the fourth long and winding avenue, she decided she’d better knock or maybe she’d never find that peach. Bo one answered her gentle knocks. She knocked louder.
Eventually, a gate creaked open a crack.
“What you want?” barked a man Candy could barely see.
“Uh…I…well…”
“Spit it out, child!”
“Okay.” This was not going as she had envisioned! “I am looking, hoping to find a…a peach. A beautiful, delicious peach.” She felt her confidence returning. “You know, the kind of peach you need two hands to hold.”
“Bah,” said the Gardener. “No peaches here. Or anywhere I know of.” He opened his gate an inch further. “But listen, girly, don’t go knocking on gates round here. It’s not done.” He glared at her. “Now, get along!” And he slammed the gate shut.
She jumped back. Tears immediately filled her eyes. He didn’t have to be so mean!
Candy walked and walked through the Garden District. It was so quiet! Where was everyone? But she did find a few open gates. She rushed towards them and the group of people gathered around each one.
Unfortunately, most of these were private affairs, by invitation only. Dirty looks, raised eyebrows and backs turned made her keep right on walking.
But then, she would find one of those gardens and Gardeners welcoming anyone. Yes! That meant her. She put on her best smiled and joined the group, waiting and watching for a chance to meet the Gardener.
“No peaches here,” she heard over and over. Her heart sunk a little deeper each time.
“I might have peaches in a month.”
“Okay!” Candy smiled her sweetest smile.
“One hundred dollars a peach,”
“What?” she said. “One hundred dollars for one peach?”
“Take it or leave it.”
These Gardeners were a tough group!
Candy plodded down the streets, exhausted and discouraged. She thought the Garden District would be a magical place of kindness and generosity. And no one had any peaches. At least they told her they didn’t.
The sun was low in the sky and Candy decided she would try one or two more streets and then she was heading back home. Her feet hurt, she was hungry and she had lost one of her gold hoop earrings somewhere.
Even before she turned down the next street, Candy could hear people and they sounded like they were having a party! She rounded the corner (because all corners were round in the Garden District.) and saw a large cul de sac. A big group of people had gathered around a garden on the far side of the circle. She stared in wonder. This was exactly what she was hoping to find.
The people, who looked like just normal people to Candy, stood or sat around little wrought-iron tables. They held plates of cut fruit, eating with their fingers. People laughed, chatted, and mingled like old friends. Candy found herself hurrying towards them. A couple of people saw her coming and waved her over, smiling and welcoming her.
Who were these people that were so different than everyone else?
In the first two minutes, five people introduced themselves. Two of them handed Candy a plate of fruit and one person gave her a glass of something that looked a lot like champagne. Her smile grew and grew.
“What is this fruit?” She asked someone. She’d never seen it before. The skin of the fruit looked golden, not yellow, or even deep yellow. It looked like gold. But not dull, ordinary gold. This gold shone like a brand new, freshly minted medallion or a piece of jewelry that royalty would wear.
“It’s the Golden Shining fruit,” answered the person.
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“No?” asked the person. “Well, it is rare. But special. It’s hard to grow. Even master Gardeners have failed to raise a single tree to fruit-bearing.”
“Oh!” Candy looked down at her two plates in alarm. What was she doing, getting ready to eat this rare and probably very expensive fruit?
“I haven’t paid yet,” she said.
“Oh, no one pays. The Gardener gives it away.”
“Really?”
“Yep, just the way he does it. So, try a bite.”
Candy put a piece of the fruit in her mouth and instantly her mouth was filled with joy. Wait! What is happening in my mouth? The joy quickly faded into a gentle sweetness of…of an apple? No, more like a melon or maybe a--. Then she gasped, for the flavor of the fruit suddenly became sharp and tangy like a lemon mixed, with watermelon. Even though the fruit had been solid, it had dissolved in her mouth until only the peeling was left. She felt sweetness flow through her entire body. She shivered with happiness. What was happening?
“When the fruit is gone,” offered the person talking to her. “Chew on the skin.”
Candy nodded and chewed. Flavors burst into her mouth, a hint of vanilla, cinnamon, and was that rose? Tears filled her eyes. Somehow, she felt deep comfort and love. How could that be?
“We all cry the first time,” said the person and handed Candy a napkin.
It was true. She was crying! And she couldn’t stop.
“Let it out,” said the friend, because obviously, they were friends now. Of course, they were. “You’re safe here.”
For the next two hours, Candy laughed, chatted and nibbled on the Golden Shining fruit. Everything felt magical. But then came the moment when one of her new friends grabbed her hand and led her through the group of people.
“You have to meet the Gardener,” said the friend. “He is just an amazing guy.”
A moment later, they were standing in a group, all listening to the Gardener tell a funny story. He stood a head taller than the rest of them. He had a strong jawline and thick wavy brown hair. But Candy was drawn into his bright blue eyes, which were, at that moment, twinkling in delight.
As soon as he finished his story, the Gardener turned right to Candy.
“Welcome!” he said and stretched out a hand. “I saw you earlier and was on my way to meet you. I’m Andy.”
His large and rough hand enveloped Candy’s. She could barely speak.
“You’re Andy?” she finally squeaked. “Well, I’m Candy.”
A big smile showed Andy’s bright, white teeth. “So, you are! Very nice to meet you, Candy.” And he held on her hand one…two…three… nanoseconds longer than necessary.
For the rest of the time, Andy was never far from Candy and his eyes often glanced her way. As darkness fell, the crowd thinned out, but neither Candy nor Andy noticed as they were deep in conversation.
“Hey Andy,” called a friend, “do you want some help carrying the tables and chairs?”
Andy looked up surprised at the hour and that only a few people were still there.
“No thanks,” he answered. “I’ll get it tonight.”
And then it was just Candy and Andy.
“I should be going too,” said Candy, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do.
“Please stay a little longer.”
“Okay, thank you. I’d love to.”
They sat, talking until the moon rose.
“Wow, look at that full moon,” said Candy.
“Yes! Look at it!” Andy paused as if considering something. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
He led her to the gate of his garden. Candy’s heart began to pound. Was he going to take her into his garden? This just didn’t happen. Gardeners were private to a fault. Only very special visitors or friends were ever invited past the gate.
“What is happening?” she couldn’t stop asking.
Andy opened the gate. “It’s okay. Come on in.”
Though it was fully night, the rich moonlight lit everything with a magical glow. Candy saw so many things, she couldn’t take it all in. And the scents of the earth and growing things were overpowering. She almost felt dizzy.
“Come over here.” Andy took her hand and led her to the left. As she turned to follow him, she gasped at the sight in front of her and couldn’t take another step. Andy gave a deep chuckle.
Before Candy stood a grove of trees whose height blended in with the night sky. But each glowed with dozens, no, hundreds of golden lights. The beauty grabbed her heart. She felt tears on her cheeks.
“I…I have never seen anything…like this,” she said.
“No,” said Andy. “Few have.” He pulled her toward the trees. “Come closer.”
“It’s the fruit?” Candy couldn’t believe her eyes. The fruit glowed like a bright light bulb.
“Yes,” answered Andy. “In the light of a full moon, the fruit glows like this.”
“It’s so beautiful!” Candy's voice shook and tears filled her eyes again. She raised her hand to touch a low hanging fruit and stopped. “Can I?”
“Go right ahead.”
Softly, she laid her fingertips on the fruit, gasped and jumped back. A tingle shot through her whole body. She brought up her hand again, slower. But this time, a warmth throbbed in her hand. It felt so comfortable and even familiar. Like the beat of her own heart.
Together, Andy and Candy strolled under the branches of the Golden Shining fruit trees in silence as light and peace flowed around them. It seemed but a moment and they were back in the open. Candy’s eyes, now accustomed to the low light, looked around. Close by stood a lone tree, perfectly round and pleasing to the eye. But the leaves were odd. And yet familiar. Was that…? No, it couldn’t be.
Andy turned to her, still holding her hand. “Thank you for sharing the night glow with me.”
“Oh Andy, no, thank you for sharing it with me. It was, well...magical, wonderous, breath-taking. And more than any other word I could come up with.”
They stared into each other’s eyes. But the tension was too much for Candy. “I…I really should be going. I have a long walk ahead.”
“Not to worry. I've texted for an Uber. It's waiting right on the other side of this gate.”
But before Candy could say a word, Andy pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“Come back tomorrow.”
Laying in her bed that night, with two of Andy’s magical fruit glowing on her nightstand next to her, Candy’s mind replayed everything over and over.
But that tree at the end. Could it really be? She’d heard of these trees but never actually believe the stories. But now she’d seen one with her own eyes. The leaves weren’t leaves at all. They were money. It was a money tree.
Finally, as she sunk into the most blissful sleep, a last thought popped into her mind. “I never got a peach!”
Candy did come back the next day and the day after that. She felt a thrill every time she was in Andy’s presence. The first time he took Candy in his arms and gently kissed her lips, that thrill sang in every cell of her body.
Soon, Candy and Andy were an item, greeting party guests together, serving platters of the Golden Shining fruit and later, much later, clearing all but two chairs. Long they sat in the night talking, laughing and just sitting in soft silence.
Then came the night when they were, once again, walking under the glowing fruit in the moonlight. Andy stopped and turned to Candy. He tipped her head up to him and smiled.
“Candy, my love – for you are my love,” he said. “Do you know that? That you’re my love?”
“I can’t believe it or understand it,” she answered. “But I do know it.”
Andy chuckled a little. “If only you could see yourself as I see you.” His fingers stroked her cheek. “You are so beautiful. But it’s so much more than that. I’ve been looking for someone just like you for a long, long time.”
Candy sighed and laid her head on Andy’s chest.
“That’s why,” began Andy.
Candy’s head shot up.
“I want to ask you to become my Garden Mate.”
“What?” cried Candy. “But I don’t know anything about being a Gardener.”
“Not true,” said Andy. “From the first day I met you, I could see that you have gardening in your blood. That night, when I invited you into my garden was a test. And you passed with flying colors. I knew I wanted you to be my Garden Mate that very first night.”
“Really?” Candy could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“Yes! I used to be greedy with my Shining fruit. But no more. I want – and need a Garden Mate. And you are perfect.” He smiled into her wide eyes. “Please say yes.”
“Yes!” Candy grinned with joy.
Becoming a Garden Mate was serious business and many Gardeners never chose a Mate. Contracts of many pages had to be signed by both parties. The Gardeners Commission required both Candy and Andy to attend a “review session” with the commission compliance board to listen to all the rules and regulations of the Garden Mate agreement. It took two hours.
After all the official work was completed, a grand party was spread in Andy’s cul de sac. People filled the circle and spread down the street. Great platters of the Golden Shining fruit lay on every table, of which there were many. Golden Shining fruit jams, pastries and dipping sauces delighted the guests. Tall flutes of Golden Shining fruit bubbly set the whole party to laughing.
Late into the night, the final guest stumbled down and street. Andy opened the gate and, with shining eyes, led Candy into his garden. He shut and locked the gate. Candy looked up into his face of love. She knew she had found everything she had ever wanted.
The next day, they arose and began their work tending the Golden Shining fruit. These trees required a lot of specialized attention. In the morning, they needed watering from a fresh spring. But nutrients had to be added to the water. These nutrients were unstable and fragile and had to be refrigerated. Then, brought to exactly 65 degrees before mixing with the water. Otherwise, the trees couldn’t absorb them. That was job one. Job two was just as complicated. Each tree had to be inspected from root to trunk to leaf to fruit. Any anomalies were noted in a special app that Andy had developed himself. After the inspection, it was time for lunch. The afternoon followed the morning with many tasks required to keep the grove healthy and strong. Every hour or so, Andy would stop his work and spend a few minutes with the baby trees, making sure they were all thriving.
A lot of hard work was required of Candy, but she loved it all. The Golden Shining trees were quite responsive to her care and she could see how her gentle touch made them happy. Andy could see it too. It brought him much joy.
One day Candy remembered something. Peaches! She had asked Andy about peaches that first night.
“Yes, yes,” he had said. “I have lovely peach trees.”
But now, she wondered where they were in his garden. And did they have any peaches?
Sitting at lunch, she asked him.
“I would love to see the peach trees. What part of the garden are they in?
Andy waved his hand with little precision. “Somewhere over there. But no time for that today.”
Every day, Candy looked at the money tree in wonder. A real money tree! Andy didn’t seem to care much about it. But it was a miracle to Candy. Technically, anything on the garden grounds, she had the right to as much as Andy. But she wouldn’t dare touch the money tree. No, no. It wasn’t really hers to use. But she could sure look at it.
Little by little, Candy began to notice that all was not perfect in Andy’s garden. Golden Shining trees were spectacular! But other places were not so well cared for. She never saw a fountain. Didn’t all gardens have a fountain? And some of the trees were old, overgrown, and even dead. Andy has said that he had beautiful flowers but all Candy found was a few miniature rose bushes in a small plot surrounded by a rock circle. This was his only flower garden? How could that be?
Another strange thing Candy noticed was that even though they put on the parties several times a week, they rarely ate more than a nimble of the golden fruit themselves.
“Can I have a second bite?” Candy asked at lunch one day.
“Oh no,” answered Andy – with no explanation. But he only ate a bite himself.
But at the parties, they generously gave out as much fruit as people wanted. She often snuck extra bites. It was glorious! The Golden Shining fruit was more than delicious, it made you feel good. It made you feel great!
One day, Andy announced that it was a day of rest.
“The trees will be okay without much care for one day,” he said. “In fact, with your love and care, they are thriving more than ever. How about we go for a little outing?”
Candy was thrilled. She was exhausted from the constant work and needed a break!
The next day they were back, hard at work. But Candy felt again the desire for a peach. Actually, she’d been thinking about it for some time.
“Well, today is a free day for you,” Andy told Candy a few days later. “I’m going to go up to the mountains for a load of new soil. But you take the day for yourself. Go visit your friends or shop or get some books at the library. Whatever you want.”
Candy knew exactly what she wanted. She was going to find those peach trees.
She looked for two hours the next morning and found – nothing! But Andy’s garden was confusing and somewhat of a maze. Had she overlooked them? Not recognized them? She decided she was going to start at the gate and follow the wall all around the garden, even if it took her eight hours! She traversed the Golden Shining trees, pushed her way through brambles and thorns, crawled under overgrown vines and dug around old and forgotten trees, some dead others barely alive. When she worked around the entire wall and arrived back at the gate, covered with dirt, grime, dead leaves, moss and more than a few scratches.
But only one hour had passed.
She sat down under the Golden Shining trees in shock and confusion. Questions tumbled through her mind. What had she just experienced? How could she have finished the entire wall in one hour? What did that mean? Was Andy’s garden really that small? Really? It was incomprehensible! Candy’s distress grew and grew. And why was it so… She could barely make herself think it. Why was it so messy?
Plop! A Golden Shining fruit fell right next to her. She looked up and said, “Thank you!” And then, ate the entire thing. Even the core and seeds. Which was a big “no-no” with Andy. The seeds were always preserved and kept in the seed depository. She’d seen this seed depository. It was a small room in the great garden shed that Andy maintained. This room was filled with bins and vats of seeds, thousands upon thousands, all identified by tree and date.
She felt better immediately. But the questions remained. The next day, when all the happiness of the fruit had dissipated, the questions became a torture and she had to find answers.
“Andy, I looked everywhere for the peach trees yesterday. I couldn’t find them. Anywhere.”
“They’re over there,” he made a vague nod.
“Where over there? I search every inch of that part of the garden.”
“They’re over there.” His voice hardened.
“Then show me.” Candy’s voice hardened as well.
“Not now, okay? Not now.”
“Yes, now! Right now.”
They stared at each other, a little in shock. Never had they spoken to each other like that.
Andy looked away first. “Okay,” he paused and shook his head. “Okay, I don’t have any peach trees. Happy now?”
“What? But… I thought you said… I asked you because…”
“I’m going to work and don’t ever ask me about peach trees again.” With that, he walked away.
This began a time for Candy of alarm which led to unhappiness which led to desperation. She tried – without success – to comprehend what she experienced in Andy’s garden. She knew what these gardens were like. She’d seen the articles and pictures online. They were huge tracts of land of beauty and peace with elaborate flower beds, extravagant sitting areas and fountains. Oh, the fountains! This was one area where the Gardeners were more open. Fountains were the pride of the Gardeners and they were very competitive with one another.
How could this scrawny, unkempt, fountain-less garden really be Andy’s? The great Gardener Andy, one of the very few who could grow the Golden Shining Fruit. No, it wasn’t possible. But here she was, day in and day out.
She tried to talk to Andy but he would turn away from her in silence. Rage began to grow in Candy. She pushed Andy, demanding answers. His eyes lit on fire but he turned and walked away. Then, he ran away. They would avoid each other for days. Until Candy couldn’t stand it. One time, when Andy ran away from her, she followed him. She knew this garden; he couldn’t go far.
Andy ran to the back of the garden, straight toward a thick wall of ivy.
Where is he going? There was only the wall back there. She had explored all of this.
Andy slipped into the ivy. Candy was close behind him and saw a strong, metal door in the wall behind the ivy. Andy had it open and was stepping through it.
“Andy wait. Please talk to me!”
Just as Candy reached the door, Andy slammed it in her face. And locked it.
Candy stared at the door in shock, her mind roiling with questions. What just happened? Where did that door come from? Where did it go? Did Andy always escape from her through it?
Then, the pain hit her.
Andy didn’t really love her or even want her. He was pushing her away with everything in him. He had lied about the peach trees. She didn’t want the Golden Shining fruit no matter how amazing it was. She wanted peaches.
Candy began to cry. How could this be her life? She never wanted this. She just wanted one peach. She began to make her way back through the garden, the sad, small – ugly garden. She walked past the money tree, no longer a wonder. What good had it done her? She wandered through the grove of the Golden Shining tree and felt no love for them.
Finally, she found a quiet corner and sat on the dirt, still weeping.
There was one more great grief in her. She pulled out a small leather bag that hung around her neck on a cord. She opened it and pulled out a huge seed which was as big as a mango or peach seed. The seed looked like a great walnut but it was an iridescent grey and very smooth to the touch.
Many years ago, Candy had been given this seed. It was her most prized possession. She knew that someday she needed to plant it, but she had no idea what kind of seed it was or how and where to plant it. She had shly showed it to Andy long before they became Garden mates.
“Do you know what it is?” Candy had asked as Andy turned it in his hand.
“I don’t,” he’d answered. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“I know it needs to be planted but I don’t anything about planting.”
“Well, my dear, I do. And we’ll find the perfect spot in the garden and plant it together. It will be a special project.”
Remembering these words that now, she knew would never happen, Candy burst into tears anew. Such sorrow and pain poured out of her. It felt like her heart was literally breaking. The tears ran down her face and dripped off of her chin. Some of them fell into her hand holding her precious seed and right on the seed. The seed quickly absorbed them.
A few minutes later, Candy stopped crying. She suddenly felt better. There was a soft sensation of calm and well-being flowing through her. She looked at the seed in her hand, a hint of a glow emanated from it. She held it to her heart and squinted her eyes shut. The beautiful flow increased. All is well, all is well. She heard in her soul. She sat there a long time, wrapped around her seed.
And then she was done. Candy stood up, blew out a quick breath, and looked around. She saw the garden with new eyes. This was her garden. She lived here. With her own free will, she had committed to tending this garden with Andy. If she was unhappy about it or didn’t like part of it, that was just too bad because this was her life. And she'd better make something good out of it. Starting right now.
The freedom and clarity of these thoughts were so delightfully shocking that Candy laughed right out loud.
“Okay! I need to get to work.”
At that moment, an imperative bloomed inside of her. She needed to plant her seed.
Of course! Why hadn’t she felt this before? She lived in a garden, for goodness sake! What was she waiting for?
Candy walked around the garden until she found an unused, unkempt corner at the very end of the front wall. A dead tree of some sort stood there with weeds, leaves and brambles surrounding it. But there was some sunshine and probably the soil was good. Plus, she didn’t think Andy would mind – or even notice.
For days, Candy raked, pulled and chopped all the dead and dying plants. She carted wheelbarrow loads of trash to the recycle bins. But eventually, a wide space was smooth and ready. Indeed, the soil was rich, filled with all the nutrients of the decaying plants.
On the day of the planting, Candy sat with her precious seed. She was reluctant to part with it. She had carried it next to her heart for as long as she could remember. And she didn’t really know what to do next. How deep should she plant it? Was the soil right? What if it needed to be dryer? Or wetter? How long would it take to germinate and begin to grow? A week, a month, a year, ten years? She had heard about special plants like that.
Andy planted his seeds exactly eight inches deep. But Candy felt she needed to go deeper. Ten inches? Twelve? Fourteen? That was deep! Finally, at a full 24 inches into the soil, it felt right. She sang the growing song over her seed and laid it in the deep hole. It looked so beautiful, nestled in the dark soil, almost glowing, that a tear sprang to her eyes and a single silver droplet fell upon the seed. She covered the seed and patted down the dirt. She sang the growing song again and poured a bucket of water on the spot.
Afterward, Candy sat in the sun next to her newly planted seed. A soft breeze blew across her skin. She heard birds chirping nearby. Oh, such peace enveloped her! She was going to come to this lovely place every day. In fact, maybe she could bring that old lawn chair from the back of the shed.
The next day, Candy hurried through her tasks with Andy, who was now happy and cheerful with her again. Then, she hurried to check on her seed, even though she knew there wouldn’t be anything to see. A seed that size could take weeks or even longer to germinate. Andy had taught her much about germination.
But she stopped short when she stepped into the clearing. A tiny stem with two leaves rose above the soil. But they were pure white. Candy dropped to her knees and leaned in close. She couldn’t believe it. How could it have already broken the surface? But here it was!
Candy laughed with joy! Her precious seed was alive and growing! She sang the planting song again and added more words. She wanted to show Andy or…or anyone! But stopped herself. It felt too private. Not yet. Later.
Candy came every day and sat with her new tiny tree. It grew an inch or two a day. The pure white leaves and stem deepened into a soft gray. In the sunlight, the leaves shone like silver. As they grew, the leaves developed the most interesting shape. They were long and slender but at the tip, each leaf curled into a tiny tube.
Though there was nothing for her to do, Candy sat in the old lawn chair for hours each day watching her little tree, which was now over a foot tall. One day she glanced around the area and thought maybe while she was out there, she could do a little more clearing and cleaning. Down the side wall, about 20 feet from her tree stood a huge tree that must be ancient. But it was overgrown and under-cared for. She would see what she could do there.
After more raking, pulling and cutting, she needed some bigger tools to trim the tree. Andy had none to offer but he casually offered the money tree.
“Grab some cash off the money tree and the guys at Home Depot will get what you need.”
“Really? I can do that?”
“Of course,” Andy laughed. “You’re my Garden Mate. You can use whatever is here.”
Two hours later, Candy stood in front of the old tree with several tools, including a small chainsaw. She knew from helping Andy, that she could only do light trimming until after the season when a deep pruning could take place. But there were plenty of small, scraggly branches – many of which were dead – to remove.
After only 15 minutes, Candy couldn’t believe the transformation. Every few minutes, she stepped back to view her work. It was amazing that ridding the old tree of these old twigs could produce so much beauty. She kept at long after her arms shook with exhaustion, tree refuse covered her head and her cheeks glistened with sunburn.
“What happened to you?” asked Andy when Candy dropped off her final load of trimmings.
“Come see.”
“Wow,” said Andy standing in front of the ancient, but tidy-looking tree. “That's my granddad’s old oak. He planted it as a child. Called it Oakie.”
“Oakie?” Candy laughed. “Oakie it is.”
Andy slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “You did a great job. I’ve been meaning to get out here for years. I’d forgotten how beautiful this tree can be.” He turned to her. “Thank you.” And he kissed her.
“Can I show you something else?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s right over here.”
“Well, well, well,” said Andy, kneeling in front of the little tree. “Look at this. Very interesting.” He stood and smiled. “Back to work for me. See you at dinner.”
Candy watched him walk away with her heart quaking. “Very interesting”? That’s all he had to say? She had planted her own tree and it was growing and all he had to say was, very interesting? Had nothing changed between them? Guess not.
But then Candy looked back at her silver tree and felt a jolt of joy. Yes, this was her tree! She’d made a place for it, planted it and it was growing.
Candy had noticed something as she was trimming and clearing the space around old Oakie. Nearby, in the shadow of the great limbs of the oak, sat a huge boulder, resting against the sidewall of the garden. But what was remarkable about this boulder was that it was completely covered in vibrantly green moss. When Candy studied it up close, there were several kinds of moss covering its surface. The boulder’s craggy, mossy look fit so well with the old tree that at first, she didn’t give it a thought. But one day, a thought struck her, “why is that boulder covered with moss?”
And then, could there be a water source nearby?
There must be!
Soon, she had hauled her rake, shovel, and wheelbarrow out to the site and was hard at work clearing the area around the boulder. Once it was clean and smooth, she began to dig. Shovelfuls of dirt first easily loosed their hold on the ground. About ten inches down, the soil began clumping together. At a foot, it was heavy and then wet! Yes! There was water here!
Candy dug at a furious pace until she had a hole that was about two feet deep. She stepped back and wipe the sweat out of her eyes and took a swallow from her water bottle. When she stepped back to continue digging, her mouth dropped open. In the bottom of the hole stood a tiny puddle of muddy water.
That night, lying in bed, she replayed the day’s discovery over and over. Water, right there! Close to her tree. It would make irrigating so much easier than hauling it from across the garden.
Wait! Water right there?
A huge idea filled every part of her being.
She could create a water feature! A well, a pond or even a fountain!
The next morning, Candy rose before dawn, begged off work for the day and gobbled down a quick breakfast. On her way out of the garden, she stopped at the money tree and grabbed several handfuls of cash.
Candy was the first one in the door when Home Depot opened. She headed straight to the garden area. The employees there had become familiar and felt like friends.
“Guess what? Guess what?” she shouted to everyone. With no other customers in the area, all the workers gathered around her.
“I found a water source in my garden!”
They all murmured in happiness with Candy.
“So, I need your help. I have no idea what to do with it.”
For the next hour, the workers opened books of kits displaying every kind, size and complexity of water feature. Candy wondered how she would choose; the choices were so delightful! But when she saw the section on waterfalls and streams, she knew instantly she wanted a little stream.
Two employees helped Candy gather all the supplies she would need and promised to deliver them shortly. And they offered to stay and help her with the installation.
Standing in her garden, with the supplies spread around them, they looked over the area and, of course, noticed the moss-covered boulder.
“Nice boulder,” said one of the men.
“That’s Bob,” said Candy. “Bob the boulder.”
“Well, we can use Bob the boulder,” offered the worker. “We could incorporate it into a small waterfall at the head of the stream.”
“I would love that!” exclaimed Candy.
“It would get the whole thing off to a nice start.”
Together the three of them shoveled, leveled, layered and laid the various components to create a small stream with Bob the boulder at the top of a very small waterfall. By sunset, they stood back and admired their work.
“Wow!” said Candy. “I can’t believe how beautiful it is!”
“It is,” agreed one of the workers.
“And lots of potential,” said the other worker.
“Oh yeah,” said the first.
“Potential?” asked Candy.
“Yeah, you’ll see,” said one of the workers.
“By the way,” said the other. “With the good soil, sunshine and water close by, this area would be a great place to plant flowers.”
“Flowers!” said Candy. “What a great idea. I’ll need to think about that. What kind, how many, colors, and then the layout. It’s a big deal, right?”
“Or you could just start with a nice wildflower mix and see what happens.”
“I could do that? But aren’t these special gardens supposed to have really magnificent flower bed arrangements?”
“Eventually, sure. But you don’t have to start that way. Most don’t.”
“And,” added the other worker. “It’s your garden. You can do whatever you want. It does not have to look like anyone else’s.”
After more raking and leveling, Candy spread the wildflower mix on either side of her stream. In two months, the entire area was filled with tiny shoots and blooms.
Every day, her silver tree grew. Everything about it was beautiful to Candy. She brought water from her stream, picnicked next to it, napped, read and even sang to it. She loved her tree.
One day, a storm was brewing. Candy and Andy ran around the garden, preparing the golden shining trees. But as soon as she could, Candy ran to her little tree that was now about three feet tall. She wanted to protect it from the rising winds but what could she do? But it was relatively quiet in the secluded corner of the wall.
“Well, well,” she said, kneeling next to her tree. “It looks like you’re going to be okay!”
At that moment, a breeze blew into the corner and lifted the slender leaves. Candy gasped. They had made a sound! A small, sweet sound. Candy waited and another breeze blew in. The ringing tone sounded again. She gently held a leaf. It must be the little tubes at the end. Every leaf had them. What was this tree??? A tree that…that sang?
Soon, winter came and all the trees lost their leaves, standing bare in the cold light. Candy was worried sick about her tiny tree. And no one could help her as no one had ever seen or even heard of a tree like hers.
But when spring spread its warmth, the singing silver tree budded like all the others and was soon filled with new leaves. And it grew like crazy. In fact, Candy noticed that it loved water and drank all she gave it. The more she gave, the faster it seemed to grow. The leaves were a little bigger, so the notes of the tree changed from light and airy to something a little deeper and more mellow, soothing and seemed to resonate with the pulse of the beating heart.
By the third season, Candy’s tree produced tiny blossoms of blue and lavender. Bees buzzed around them. But Candy knew it was for naught as there were no other trees like hers for the bees to fertilize. But the petals of the blossom fell and in their place, a tiny hard nugget clung to the branch. Could this be fruit?
“Sure,” said one of her Home Depot friends. “Some trees produce both male and female blossoms. They’re called hermaphrodites. The flower with both male and female parts used to be called a perfect flower.”
“A perfect flower,” said Candy. “I like that.”
“But your tree is only a few years old, right? It’s flowering already?”
“It is!”
“Well, let’s see what happens.”
Every day, Candy rushed through her work with Andy and raced to her tree. After the years of working under Andy’s diligent care of his grove, she knew exactly the number and location of the fruits were growing on her silver tree. She measured every aspect of the fruit: color, shape, size, texture, scent and weight. She created her own app to track each dimension. She wondered if the mature fruit would be silver like the rest of the tree. She would have her silver tree and Andy his gold. But what started as a round, brown nub slowly elongated into the perfect oval. The brown lightened into green and as the summer came to a close, the green deepened into a shimmering mix of blues, greens and lavenders. It was spectacular. Even though there were only a few fruits on her tree, the scent was intoxicating and filled the corner of the garden.
As the nighttime temperature dropped, the leaves began turning blue. Candy felt in her heart it was a signal. Was it time to harvest the fruit? She trembled at the thought.Though she had carried the seed for many years, this tree and its fruit did not feel like her property.
Three days later, she woke to a strong wind blowing in the first storm of fall. Urgency gripped her and she ran to her tree.
She heard it before she arrived. It was singing, ringing and humming a beautiful song, haunting yet joyful. The scent filled the area. For a moment the sun came out and its light set all to glowing. The flowers waved their glorious blooms, the stream sparkled and danced. Oakie quaked and moved in slow motion. Candy felt transported into glory and tears filled her eyes.
A moment later, she stood by her silver singing tree. There was joy here in this tree. She could feel it. She cupped a shimmering fruit in her hand and gave it a tug. It came off right into her hand. She almost dropped it. Then she moved on to the second fruit and third. But that was all that would release.
Tomorrow more will be ready, she told herself.
In the house, she found a beautiful bowl and put the three fruits in it and set it on the table. She gazed at it for a long time until she sat down and held each fruit.
An hour later Andy came in.
“What’s going on in here?” he asked.
“My first harvest.”
Andy’s eyes grew large and he sat next to her. “These are from your tree? They’re beautiful.”
“I can’t take my eyes off of them.”
“I felt the same way about my first harvest.”
They sat silently for a few precious moments, lost in the wonder.
“Well,” Andy said at last. “Are you ready to try one?”
“Honestly, it’s all I can think about.” Candy felt embarrassed to admit it but she deeply desired to bite into the fruit and eat it.
“Then, go for it.”
“I…I don’t know.”
Andy put his hand on hers. “Yes, you do. This tree is something special. You planted it, cared for it and now you’ve harvested its fruit. You have a bond with it. If you want to eat it, it’s because it wants you to eat it.”
Candy held the shimmering fruit in her hand for only a few seconds until she raised it to her lips and sunk her teeth into it. Juices shot into her mouth and dripped down her chin. Flavor overwhelmed her senses. She tasted what felt like a dunk in a fast-running stream in the midst of a forest. It was sweet and tangy beyond belief. She quickly swallowed the bite, because it was just too much to keep in her mouth.
“Wow! That was powerful!” But moments later a rich sense of peacefulness spread through her whole body and soon Candy felt like she was floating.
“Whoa! That is strong stuff.” She began to giggle and couldn’t stop. Andy just stared at her.
“Uh oh,” Candy.
“What?” asked Andy in alarm.
“Going to sleep right…” Before she could finish, she dropped her head on the table and fell sound asleep.
Candy woke up 10 hours later. She stretched like a cat and grinned at Andy who was sitting next to her.
“Andy!” She reached for him and held him tight. “I love you!”
“Feel okay?” he asked.
“Oh yeah,” she yawned. “I feel absolutely wonderful. What time is it?”
“It’s about six am but you’ve been out for almost ten hours. After you ate a bite of your fruit.”
“Right!” her eyes glowed with joy. “Well, I’m never doing that again. That was a bit much! But I sure feel good!” Candy threw back the covers. “Well, let’s get going! After I finish with your trees, I have lots to do with my tiny grove of one tree.”
“Okay,” said Andy. “Let’s get to work.”
Candy dressed quickly but her heart felt heavy with a familiar ache. On this most wonderful of mornings, with a new fruit with powerful qualities to explore and celebrate, could not Andy give her some words of praise? Could he not give her one day off to work on her tree? And what about when she said, “your trees”? Shouldn’t he have said, “no they’re our trees?” Was it always going to be this way with him? She so wanted him to be happy for her.
One day, Candy heard a firm knock at the closed front gate. That was odd. No one ever knocked. It just wasn’t done. Then the knock came again.
When she opened the door, three middle-aged professional-looking people stood there, two men in suits and a woman who wore a doctor’s lab coat over her blue dress.
“Hi Candy,” said one of the men. “You are Candy, right? We work at the clinic where Andy gets his yearly physical. I’m Dr. Jones.” And he stuck out his hand to shake.
The woman stepped forward. “I’m Dr. Shirley. I’m very happy to meet you.
Finally, a tall and thin man with a quick smile said, “And I’m Dr. Donner. Now, you know Andy recently had a check-up?”
“Yes. But Andy isn’t here right now.”
“We know,” nodded Dr. Shirley. “That’s why we came today. We want to see you.”
“Yes,” said Dr. Donner. “We did a full evaluation on Andy. Recently, we’ve added a few extra areas, mental, emotion, relational.”
“Because of the fascinating results we wanted to talk to you personally.
Without Andy.”
“Okay….” Candy felt very unsure of what was happening. “Why don’t you come in and I’ll make us tea.”
“As you know, we specialize in treating the Gardeners,” said Dr. Donner after a sip of peppermint tea. “Gardeners can be a tricky lot. That’s why we’ve added mental and emotional health services.”
“Now, when we do their yearly check-ups, we’ve added some extra tests,” said Dr. Jones. "Some of the Gardeners resist these tests, but most go ahead with them. Andy enjoyed taking them.”
Dr. Shirley smiled and took Candy’s hand. “Andy is truly an amazing Gardener. His golden shining fruit is legendary. He is beloved by all. A generous, loving man who opens his heart to everyone. He is unique in the world of the Gardeners.”
Candy winced internally, but externally she smiled broadly. “Very true. Every word.”
The three doctors glanced at one another.
“But,” continued Dr. Shirley. She looked into Candy’s eyes. “Perhaps – that might not be your experience. As Andy’s Garden Mate, you may see,” she paused, “another side to him.”
Candy felt her heart beating in her chest. It was hard to breathe. Her mouth was dry. What could she say? There was no way she would ever reveal her life to these people! What if they spread her words to others and they ruined Andy’s reputation?
“Well,” she finally said. “Most everyone is different in private.”
“Very true,” said Dr. Jones. “Would you like to hear about our tests?”
“Okay.” Candy relaxed. This felt safer. And she would like to hear about their tests.
“First, though,” said Dr. Shirley. “We want you to know that what we are doing here is something we have never done before. And is outside of our medical guidelines. But we felt it was important enough to nudge that line.”
“Plus,” added Dr. Donner. “This conversation is completely private, off the record and confidential. We will never speak of it again to you or anyone else. Unless you initiate contact with us, we will never reach out to you again.”
A cool breeze of relief blew through Candy.
“Really and truly?” she asked.
“Absolutely. You have our word.”
“Our solemn word.”
“Alright, down to business?” Asked Dr. Jones and he opened a briefcase and removed a folder of printed pages.
“Andy has three conditions that by themselves are not unusual. But in combination, they present a compelling case.
“Okay,” said Candy
Dr. Jones pulled out a sheet with some numbers and a graph. “This is a report on a condition called Interpersonal Sensor Malfunction or ISM. Most people are aware and concerned about how others respond to their words and actions. We all have a sensor system that informs us of others' reactions. But for some, Andy’s sensor system doesn’t work as it should. A good number on our test is 25. A number that is too high can be as much a sign of malfunction as a low number. Anything over 40 or below 12 is going to cause problems.” He looked down at his sheet again, although Candy was sure he knew the number. “Andy’s number was point five.”
“Five?” asked Candy in surprise.
“No, point five. Half a point.”
“How can that be?” Candy asked. “He is always trying to make people happy. He cares how people feel. I see that all the time.”
“Candy,” said Dr. Shirley. “Is he always trying to make you happy? Does he care about how you feel? Do you see that all the time?”
The questions hung in the air. Everyone was silent. Candy shut her eyes and shook her head. “No,” she said in a small voice.
Dr. Jones continued. “We have never seen a number this low. It’s as if there is no function at all in his Interpersonal sensor system. We have some theories. Perhaps a childhood illness such as a high, prolonged fever destroyed the sensor. Or there could be a genetic component of his underdeveloped sensor. Or there could be calcification buildup that is the result of his years of consuming the golden shining fruit. But we’ll get back to that later. But what we surmise might have happened to caused such massive dysfunction, is a combination of all three. At any rate, Andy shows that he has an extremely low understanding of how you are affected by his words, actions and choices.”
“Wow, that explains so much,” said Candy. “What’s the second condition?”
Dr. Jones again took the lead.
“The second condition is something we observe frequently in Gardeners. It’s called oral spazmitis.”
“What?” Candy smiled. "Seriously?”
“It’s actually a neurological problem. What happens is that Andy receives some sort of stimulation. It can be something he sees, hears, feels or even something he thinks. His sensory receptions light up bright green. But here’s the interesting part. His prefrontal cortex goes momentarily dark. That’s where executive function resides. As soon as he is stimulated, a reaction takes place and he blurts out words that the control center of his brain never had the chance to edit, temper, restrain or organize.”
“Ah, all the interrupting. I experience that about ten times a day,” said Candy.
“Gardeners are notorious for interrupting. Andy is no different. But combined with ISM, both conditions exacerbate the other.
“Oh my gosh!” said Candy. “I can see that. Like a one-two punch.”
“And then, there’s the third condition,” said Dr. Shirley.
“I’m almost afraid to hear it,” said Candy.
“The third condition is a personality disorder called Uber Self,” said Dr. Jones. “Every one of us is the most important person in our life. We highly value selflessness but the truth is, we’re all looking out for number one.”
They all chuckled at Dr. Jone's little joke.
“As we should. We are our most important responsibility. Even a very caring parent knows that to take good care of their children, they must take good care of themselves first. But Uber Self is taking that to an extreme. See this square?”
Dr. Jones showed Candy a drawing of an 8-inch by 8-inch square. Inside the square was a large circle whose circumference reached within an inch of the square.
“We asked Andy to draw a picture using this square. We left him with colored pencils, pens and markers. And told him to ring the bell when he was finished.”
“Interesting,” said Candy, looking at the square.
“What would you have drawn?” asked Dr. Shirley.
After a pause, Candy spoke. “I would have made the circle a window, looking out on a lake or ocean with the sun above it. And maybe a boat or some trees around it. Pretty clouds. A bird. Something like that.”
All the doctors smiled at Candy.
“I can tell you for sure that we’ve never had anyone draw something like that,” said Dr. Shirley. “It sounds lovely.
“Most people,” continued Dr. Jones. “Draw a face. And ring the bell in a minute or less. Andy also drew a face. Here’s his drawing.”
Candy gaped at the picture. “Wow, that is amazing. I didn’t know he could draw like that. It looks just like him.”
“Yes,” said Dr. Donner. “An impressive self-portrait.”
“There are a few things to consider here,” said Dr. Jones. First, Andy took a full 30 minutes to draw this. In fact, look at this.” He turned the paper over and on the back were several “practice versions” of Andy’s face. “Second, he obviously wanted to make a perfect rendition of himself. No one has ever done that. And third, do you see how he colored all the space around the circle black? As if nothing else exists.”
“My goodness,” said Candy, at a loss of what to make of this picture.
“There were other tests we ran along with this one,” said Dr. Jones. “But they all gave the same result that Andy’s level of Uber Self is extremely high.” He nodded at Dr. Shirley, who took over.
“Candy,” she said gently. “When we saw the results of these tests and what they might look like behind the garden wall, we felt that you might be suffering.”
Candy felt a great well of sadness surging from the depths of her being. She tried with all her might to hold it in.
“Maybe, a little,” she said.
At this, they all laughed. And then the dam broke. Candy wept harder than she ever had. Though she felt humiliated and embarrassed, she couldn’t stop or even control the fountain of tears gushing down her cheeks. She kept mumbling, “Sorry, sorry.”
And the doctors kept murmuring, “No, no. It’s okay.”
Finally, after many minutes, Candy managed to dial it down to a slow leak.
“All this time,” she said. “I’ve felt so terrible about our life. Well, my life. He seems so happy with everyone else. I’ve tried so hard to figure out what I’m doing wrong. What happened to that wonderful life we had at the beginning when he loved me so much?”
Candy burst into new tears. She patted her pockets until she found a crumpled Kleenex, dabbed her eyes and blew her nose.
“I never thought that maybe there was something…wrong inside of him. I’m sorry to admit, but I haven’t liked him much for a long time.”
“Well, there’s one more part of the picture here that you need to understand,” said Dr. Shirley. “Dr. Donner will explain. This is his expertise.”
“Candy,” Dr. Donner smiled and his eyes twinkled.
Instantly, she felt comfortable. She could tell that he was a nice man. And probably funny too.
“Studying the Shining Golden fruit has been a life-long passion of mine. I’m not the world’s foremost expert, but I’m up there.” Here he grinned at Candy. “And I’m gaining on those guys.”
Everyone chuckled.
“This fruit is rare, as you know, and unique. The tree is very difficult to grow and even more difficult to achieve a regular, repeating harvest. I’m sure you’ve ascertained that Andy so freely gives out his fruit knowing very well that no one will be able to reproduce the results he has.”
“Yes,” said Candy. “He has told me this himself. But still, he guards his trees very carefully. I think if he ever found a person that was able to merely grow a tree for a few seasons, he would never give the fruit away. And honestly, he rarely gives away a full fruit without removing the seeds. He has a huge hoard of seeds, meticulously cataloged.”
Dr. Donner was writing everything Candy said in a notebook. “Interesting! Very interesting. I would love to watch Andy care for his trees and ask him a few questions.”
“Oh no,” said Candy. “I assure you, that will never happen.”
“Of course, of course,” said Dr. Donner. “Just dreaming over here.”
He grinned at Candy and shut his notebook. Then opened it again.
“Are you ready for my spiel? Here goes. I could talk to you all day about the Golden Shining fruit, the history and possible origins – it’s ancient! Or the many varieties, the growing methods, soil, water and nutrient needs. The ideal climate, preferred latitude. And on and on. I have amassed many uses and recipes for the fruit. I have even found a source that will allow me to study the fruit firsthand in my lab. I have my own tree. Yes, there I said it. I have my own tree.”
“Wow,” said Candy. “There are people who know more than you?”
“Well, not many!” Dr. Donner’s eyes twinkled again. “And I have studied the people who grow, eat and handle the fruit. Especially those who have been doing so for many years.”
“Like Andy,” said Candy.
“Yes. And you.” He nodded at her. “I have vast databases filled with information on every person I can find who deals with the fruit on a daily base. I have found that there is a very strong correlation between the growers of the Golden Shining fruit and the same conditions that Andy is beset with.”
“Wait, stop,” said Candy. “What?”
“Yes,” said Dr. Donner. “In fact, it is somewhat of a joke among those of us who study this fruit that these Gardeners are remarkably similar in their ebullient public life but curmudgeonly private life. I’ve coined the term, ‘party misers.’ Love to party on the outside, but misers on the inside. This similarity was a bit of a mystery until recently. But now, we have empirical evidence as to the source of this correlation.”
“Really?” asked Candy. “What is it?”
“Well, it started with a pretty simple question. As do most of the great discoveries. I’m sure you’ve noticed that some people are crazy about the Golden Shining fruit while others don’t care for it at all.”
“Oh, yes, I have noticed that and wondered about it as well.”
“I determined to sleuth out the answer.”
“Sleuth out?” asked Dr. Jones. He turned to Candy. “See what we have to put up with?”
“Okay,” said Dr. Donner. “After over a hundred interviews with those who don’t like the fruit, it became very clear that it had nothing to do with the actual taste or flavor of the fruit. But it was more of a vague mental or emotional distaste. One person told me, ‘I’d rather eat a lemon! But I’m not sure why.’
Candy felt edgy and nervous as Dr. Donner continued. She rose from the table and heated more water for tea. It felt as if danger was approaching.
“At this point, I knew some other dynamic must be affecting these people. Could it possibly be the same one that made others so enamored of the fruit? We all know that there’s no accounting for taste. But could it be something more?”
“And was it?” asked Candy, eager to get the conclusions.
“Among many other things, I began looking at the molecular structure of the Golden Shinning fruit. I used a number of sophisticated and expensive tools including a powerful microscope. That’s when I found it!”
“Found what?” Candy nearly shouted.
“A never before identified microbe slash parasite!”
“What?” Candy asked
“Yes!” said Dr. Donner. “It’s so interesting. It operates like a parasite but it is clearly intrinsic to the fruit. Oh, the science on this is utterly fascinating.”
“Donner.” Dr. Jones gave him a nod that meant focus here.
“Yes, yes. Just a short deviation I think will be helpful.”
He turned to Candy.
“Parasites are one of the most surprising and intriguing organisms on the planet. Here are just a couple of examples of this. First, there’s the lancet fluke. It gets inside of ants and actually makes them climb to the top of plants where cattle will gobble them up. Inside the cattle, they lay their eggs. But here’s the interesting part. This parasite forces the ant to do this only at night since the heat of the sun during the day would surely kill them.”
“Seriously?” said Candy. “That is…well…scary and amazing at the same time.”
“The second parasite,” continued Dr. Donner, “is a wasp that lays its eggs inside of a caterpillar. When the larva hatches, they claw their way out of the caterpillar’s body and spin cocoons around it. Unbelievably, the caterpillar is still alive and hangs around because the wasp larva has chemically altered the poor caterpillar's brain to be their bodyguard and keep the other insects away from them. There are a multitude of other examples of how parasites control and manipulate their host. And, as it turns out, we can observe something very similar in the Golden Shining fruit.”
“It does something like those parasites?” asked Candy, shuddering.
“Something like,” answered Dr. Donner. “It’s not a parasite, more a microbe. So, a bit of an anomaly. But it has that same drive to survive and reproduce. Here is how it manifests that.”
He paused and opened a thick binder to a tab near the back.
“First, the Golden Shining fruit appears to “choose” a host. Many of the farmers I’ve read about and interviewed myself have been growers of the fruit from their youth. It was almost as if they felt a call. They all had great pride in their position. And under their care, the trees and fruit flourish. But not so for the many who greatly desire to grow this tree. And often their efforts, soil, and environment are identical to those who are successful. Andy’s story mirrors this closely.
“It does,” agreed Candy.
“Second,” continued Dr. Donner. “The fruit seems to influence these traits we talked about earlier of not hearing, not understanding, not seeming to care and over-inflated sense of one’s person. Honestly, if there is a Golden Fruit Gardener personality, it is that. I have accumulated quite a number of life histories of these gardeners. Before they began growing this fruit, they had any number of personal qualities. But after sometimes only a year or two, all of them became like Andy. And in a few cases where the Gardeners had to quit, they eventually became more outer-focused again.
“But Andy seems very outer-focused,” said Candy.
“He does,” agreed Dr. Donner. “Let’s get to that. I have observed Andy any number of times at his parties. He is a marvel of a gracious and fun host. But let me ask you this, outside of these parties, when he is engaged with people in everyday life, how is he then? When you grocery shop, go out to eat, stop at the library or book store? And especially, with you. How is he with you when the party is over and you’re both back behind the gate?
“No, you’re right about that,” said Candy, nodding. “He is completely different. I’m used to it now. But at the beginning, it was shocking and disturbing. It was like he was two different people.”
“I believe that is the influence of the fruit. Again, the drive is for survival and reproduction. So, when Andy is taking the fruit to others, that serves the fruit’s drive. My analysis is that the fruit manipulates Andy’s neurotransmitters to give him a huge burst of positive energy. I would dearly love to study this more in-depth with a brain scan and blood analysis but I haven’t found a single Gardener open to that kind of examination.”
The small group chuckled.
“Have you noticed,” continued Dr. Donner. “That even though Andy’s parties are open to all, they are relatively small?”
“I have wondered about that,” answered Candy. “I would think hundreds of people would show up.”
“As far as I am able to ascertain, the fruit only endows certain people with these “feel-good” emotions. If a person is not much of a fan of the fruit, well, the fruit is not much of a fan of that person. And neither is Andy. Do you know anyone who isn’t crazy about the golden shining fruit?”
“Yes, my sister for one.”
“And how does Andy treat her?”
“Well, this is a very sore point in our partnership for me. Even though my sister is a lovely person and always kind and friendly to Andy, he appears to almost openly dislike her.”
For once, Candy let real anger show in her eyes and voice.
“I have confronted him about this but he completely denies it. Even though, it’s so obvious.”
“The fruit has no use for someone who is not going to serve their drive for survival and reproduction.”
“So all of this,” Candy made a sweeping gesture, “is controlled by some microbe in the fruit? And everything with Andy?”
“One day,” answered Dr. Jones. “We will have enough data to create a solid profile of this ‘microbe effect.’ But even when we do, we will keep it quiet. No need to make enemies.”
“But you, Candy,” said Dr. Shirley, taking her hand. “We thought you needed to know what you are dealing with. You’re actually a rarity. Most of the Golden Shining fruit Gardeners are single and solo. It shows that Andy really did see something special about you that he loved and wanted. So, you are up close and personal with these varied and challenging dynamics. We all felt you deserved to know what you were dealing with.”
“Now,” said Dr. Jones with a twinkle in his eyes. “We’d love for you to show us your part of the garden.”
“What he really means,” said Dr. Donner. “Is that we would love to take a close look at your special tree.”
“I’d love to show it to you,” said Candy. “No one knows anything about it, including me. And of course, Andy isn’t interested in it. But now I know why.”
Soon, the four of them were standing by Candy’s tree. Candy told them her story of the seed and the first bite of fruit. She showed them the leaves and how they hummed. All the doctors had many comments and questions.
Finally, Dr. Donner said, “I have a great many contacts because of my many years researching the Golden Shining fruit. One of these people is an expert on rare breeds. I could put him in contact with you if you like.”
“Yes! Please do!” said Candy.
Then they walked to the rest of her garden, continually commenting on the beauty and balance.”
“You know, I love this area but I don’t understand something,” Candy said. “Sometimes I think I am going a little crazy, but my water feature has changed. It’s a little bigger. I know we only used one bolder for the waterfall but now there’s several. And look at the flowers! I have worked on them but not enough to make them look like this. And over here,” she pointed to a small tree. “That is a money tree. I know it. But I don’t know how it got there unless Andy planted it. And finally, it…it just seems so much bigger than it was. How can that be?”
The three doctors listened but were grinning so big, that they looked ready to laugh out loud.
“What?” asked Candy.
“Oh Candy,” said Dr. Shirley. “Has no one explained about the gardens to you?”
“Explained what?”
“This area, the Garden District, isn’t just where people who are really good at gardening set up shop.”
Candy looked at the doctors. “It’s not?”
“No. There is some special quality or dynamic about this area, not found anywhere else. No one is sure what is it. And most of the Gardeners come from a long family line. Like your oak tree planted by Andy’s grandfather. Everything about the Gardens is special and unique. But the most interesting aspect of the gardens is that, well, they’re growing! All of it. Of course, the plants are growing, but it’s almost as if the garden itself has a will and is caring for the garden. Your waterfall is getting bigger. The flowers are becoming something more than you planted. And your garden walls? They are growing and expanding too.
“What?” Candy’s mouth hung open. “Like magic?”
“Well, we are scientists so we can’t call it that. But yes.”
“Have you noticed any animals yet?” asked Dr. Jones.
“Yes,” said Candy. “Lots of birds. But some squirrels and rabbits. I thought maybe a hedgehog. And look over there.” Candy pointed to the bench where a large orange cat slept in the sun. “She just showed up and a month later she had kittens. Apparently, she’s my cat now.
“Yes, that’s how it works,” said Dr. Donner.
“As you care and love your garden, it grows in response. That’s why you hear of gardens that stretch for miles and are rich in beauty and plants.”
“Candy,” said Dr. Shirley. “You are a true Gardener. I think that somehow Andy saw that. Your life may not be filled with the kindness and concern you were longing for in a partner. But you have a unique opportunity to grow a remarkable garden.”
“And, if I do say so myself,” said Dr. Donner. “Your true calling as a Gardener may well be your silver singing tree. I would like to help you explore the fruit. And its obvious powerful effects.”
“Really?” Candy asked, joy beaming from her eyes. “Oh thank you, Dr. Donner! I would love that. I have always known that I held something so special when it was just the seed. But when the tree began to grow, that understanding blew up like a balloon. But when the fruit came and I took that first bite, well, I know – I know this tree is like nothing else on the planet. I don’t know why I am the one entrusted with this gift but I want to honor that with everything in me.”
In the years that followed, Candy did indeed explore, study and investigate everything about her silver singing tree. Dr. Donner and especially his rare tree expert became her trusted friends in this quest.
Many compounds, serums, teas, juices, medicines and essential oils were derived from every part of the tree. Candy never put any waste from the tree in the recycle bins. Every part was used.
For ten years, Candy planted a new tree every year or two, until she had a small grove of her own. But she felt no need to keep the seeds private or secret. She felt the tree was such a gift to the world that she was happy to help anyone who wanted to grow their own tree. She had a few takers but not many. The silver singing tree had an aura of holiness about it that took one’s breath away. Most people were happy to let her be the grower.
While the Singing Silver tree and its fruit were remarkable in many ways, what touched people the deepest was the beautiful music the special leaves made. After about five years, the trees were visible above the garden wall. The striking appearance drew amazed stares. But when a breeze blew and the leaves began their chorus, people stopped and couldn’t move. The sounds blew past their busy lives, logic, to-do lists and analytics and nestled in their hearts with joy and kindness.
Candy loved the music deeply. She felt it healed and nurtured her. She longed to be a part of it somehow. One day, a friend said to her that the music reminded her a little of pan pipes.
“Yes!” Candy shouted out loud, surprising her friend. “That’s it!”
The next day, Candy ordered an assortment of pan pipes and learned to play them all.
When she felt ready, but not ready at all, and the wind was blowing, she took them out to her trees, a tidy grove by now, and played each pan pipe. The beauty of the mingled songs wrenched her heart. Tears flowed and flowed. But she did not stop. Even when night fell, exhausted and exhilarated she laid under the trees and continued to play.
Andy came out and listened to her, laying by her side. Tears flowed from his eyes as well. He had no words to describe the feelings surging inside of him.
Finally, Candy fell silent as did the trees. Andy wrapped his arms around her. Their hearts beat as one as together they made another kind of music – also filled with love and beauty. A seed was planted that night that would fill their garden with joy and hope and a future.