The air felt cool and still against my face as the sun dipped behind the roofline.

I knelt on the foam garden kneeler beside Eleanor’s flower bed and cleared away the dry brown oak leaves.

I dug six small holes in the dark dirt along the red brick border.

From my jacket pocket, I pulled out six fresh tulip bulbs I had bought at the hardware store on Saturday.

I set each bulb deep into the earth with the pointed end facing up.

I smoothed the rich soil back over the top until the bed was flat and even with the lawn.

I finalized my divorce six months later after Daniel gave up all claims to Eleanor’s house in exchange for avoiding formal fraud proceedings.

I chose not to pursue criminal charges against him for the forged equity transfers, and he moved into a small rental unit in Golden on his own.

Ava kept going to family counseling and sometimes visits me on Sunday afternoons for tea.

Standing in my backyard garden, I placed my hand on the rich soil where the new bulbs were buried.

The morning light rested quietly across the yard.