Page 79 of Give Me a Reason

“Just one, huh? I think we need to work on that.”

“Veggies are gross,” Paisley said over her shoulder.

“But they’re so good for you,” I said as we took a left onto the road that passed by the water.

“Blah. Blah. Blah.”

“Peppers have vitamin C that prevents you from getting sick. They have vitamins and minerals that you can think of as superpowers. They give you extra abilities.”

“Like I’m going to be able to fly if I eat a green bean?” she asked skeptically.

“Well, no, but you might not get sick as often.” When we were little, my parents could only afford canned fruits and veggies. As soon as I could, I bought fresh ones. They were so much better. I was forever grateful for good, quality food.

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Finn asked Paisley.

“I guess so.”

“You should grow your own garden this spring. It’s fun.”

“Did you have a garden growing up?” Paisley asked.

“My teachers would hand out seeds occasionally. It took me a while to figure out where to plant them and what they needed to grow, but when I got it right, it was fresh food right in our backyard.”

“That is kind of cool.”

“Right?” I asked as she swung our joined hands. “That’s something you and your dad can work on this spring.”

“Why not you too?” Paisley asked.

I didn’t want to say I wouldn’t be around because it was a long way off, but how did anyone know? “Tell you what, we can check out some books and start planning it. It’s always good to sketch out what it will look like and what you’ll plant where.”

“Really?” Paisley asked, looking up at me.

“Drawing isn’t just for art class. You can draw plans whenever you want to build things too.”

Paisley skipped a little ahead of us, dropping our hands. “That is neat. I think I want to draw houses when I grow up.”

“An architect would be a good job.”

She threw her hands in the air. “I’d draw a mansion with a pool and a basketball court.”

“Is this basketball court indoors or outdoors?” Finn asked her, with his hands in his pockets.

Paisley rolled her eyes like the answer was obvious. “Indoors.”

Finn rubbed his chin. “Mmm. I like this house. Go on.”

“There’ll be a pool with a water slide and a mini-golf course.”

“This place sounds fun,” I said with a smile.

“We could put an arcade in the basement,” Paisley continued.

“A whole arcade?” Finn asked.

Paisley nodded enthusiastically as we walked around other families and couples, enjoying a stroll.

When we reached the hot dog stand, we checked out the menu before ordering. Finn got the works, which looked like too much, so I ordered grilled onions and peppers on mine.

---