Chapter Three: "The Garden of... What?"
Zoe had hoped that Aunt Pauline had been exaggerating about the community garden. But by 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, Zoe realized that there was no exaggeration in Pauline's world.
Aunt Pauline had insisted they meet Mrs. Wanjiru and Doreen at the church, who both arrived with large bags of gardening tools, which were... a little more "exotic" than Zoe was prepared for.
Mrs. Wanjiru was a towering woman with a parrot perched on her shoulder, squawking loudly at every passerby. Doreen, meanwhile, was too busy directing the parrot on how to "sing" for Zoe to notice.
"Are we just planting roses?" Zoe asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Oh honey," Aunt Pauline said, wearing gloves that were at least four sizes too large for her, "We're planting a vision. A garden isn't just about flowers. It's about bringing the community together."
Zoe stared at the barren dirt patch in front of her. "By planting... dirt?"
"Oh, sweetheart," Doreen said, still distracted by her parrot, "this is a sacred garden. You can feel the energy, can't you?"
"Feel the energy?" Zoe muttered under her breath. "The only energy I feel is a headache."
By the end of the day, the garden was officially "planted." By "planted," they meant they had sprinkled some soil around a couple of wilted roses and called it art.
Zoe knew that Aunt Pauline had a gift for drama, but she had no idea that she could make gardening feel like an award-winning performance. Everyone, including the parrot, had their own part to play. The "grand reveal" of the garden ended with Aunt Pauline giving an impromptu speech about "the power of the earth," which was interrupted by the parrot squawking, "Where's my food?"