“You watch what they do when you need help,” I told him.

“And you notice whether they listen when you say no.”

He thought about that for a minute and then said he wanted more tomatoes in the planter.

We made space for them.

I liked that the conversation could end with something growing.

PART 10

The refinery job sounded easy when I interviewed for it: maintenance supervisor, day shift, home most nights.

In reality, it came with alarms, inspection deadlines, and the occasional manager who thought the word “urgent” meant I should stick around until midnight.