Dad set up a vegetable garden on the roof. Yes. On the roof of our one-story house.
Nice. Is it pretty?
I don’t know… It’s hard to say. He used buckets. Yes. Empty buckets of paint.
Interesting. Well, everyone has their own way of doing things. At least you’ve been able to eat some delicious fresh veggies, I presume.
Not really. Mom and I ate one radish one day, that’s it. Dad ate the other one.
Only two radishes is all the vegetable garden has ever produced?
Yes. Only two radishes. And one of them—ours—was not very good.
What was wrong with it?
I don’t know… It tasted funny. More bitter than usual.
Yikes. Well, give it some time. It’ll yield something good soon, I’m sure.
It’s been six months. Dad works on it every morning before going to work. Says he doesn’t know why it’s not working. Sometimes I feel like telling him that Mom makes me take the seeds out right after he’s planted them, but I can’t—I don’t want him to get mad at me. Or her.
That’s very bad. Why does she do that?
I don’t know... She said something about him caring more about his work than about us. And now more about his garden, too.
Is that true?
I don’t know… Dad cares the way he cares, I think. He works a lot. I think we all care about things in different ways, right?
Right. But do you feel like he doesn’t care enough about you and your mom?
Hmm… I don’t know… but…
Yes…?
…sometimes I wish he’d talk to me… the way he talks to his vegetables.
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I can't speak about your dad but my dad was never emotionally available. So, I never really got praise, or an "I love You" but I know he cares and he does love me in his own way. It's just he doesn't show it emotionally.
Haha!! I can't believe You took out the seeds from the pots. That's so devious! I love it! Just don't do it to me please. I really like my little garden in pots. I like to have fresh herbs readily available when I cook.
Cheers!
Very nice! It feels to me like the dad is a caring guy deep down, just that he's on a different wavelength for expressing it than his family. And very insightful of the son to recognize this.