The Scarlet Pepper (40 page)

“The bread’s still warm.” I moaned my delight at the rich flavor and hearty texture of the artisan bread as I ate it.

“I’m glad you’re pleased. I baked it this afternoon.”

“You did? This is delicious.” I reached for another piece.

“My mother worked two jobs. If we wanted to eat something other than takeout, we had to learn how to cook.”

I feasted on the bread and that rare personal morsel from his past that he’d shared with me.

When we finished sipping the wine and nibbling on the bread and cheese, it was nearly dark. The fireworks would soon begin. I dug the envelope out of my purse, explaining to Jack how Kelly had given it to me.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” I said as I broke the seal.

An old newspaper clipping fell out and fluttered to the picnic blanket. I caught it. The paper had yellowed over the years, but was otherwise in good shape. Someone had written “April 1978” and “Phoenix Daily Record” next to the headline.

I frowned. Phoenix was the last place I’d seen my father. And April 1978 was the month and year my mother had died.

The headline screamed, “Murderer Escapes Police.”

I shifted so the streetlight above us shone directly on the paper. “James Calhoun, wanted for the murders of at least six people, including his wife, was nearly apprehended yesterday afternoon. During a struggle, Calhoun killed the arresting officer, Blake Douglas, father of two young boys. Calhoun is still on the loose and is considered armed and extremely dangerous.”

A weight pressed down on my chest so hard I couldn’t breathe. Had I blocked out a memory of seeing my father one last time? Had he been there when I watched those men shoot my mother? Had I blocked out the memory that my own dad had pulled the trigger?

And what about that other memory (or had it been a dream?) of that time when we had lived in France? The sight of my father shooting the man who had charged through our cottage’s front door replayed in my head in slow motion like a scene from a horror movie.

“What is it?” Jack asked with a note of concern.

“Nothing.” I crumpled the newspaper clipping and stuffed it back into my purse. I didn’t need to read the rest. “Nothing at all.”

The sky exploded with a blaze of red, white, and blue as the William Tell Overture began to play over a distant loudspeaker. I grabbed Jack’s hand and leaned back on the blanket.

Behind me the lights shining on the White House gleamed like a beacon of hope. In front of me a sea of revelers had gathered on the National Mall to celebrate being part of something bigger than themselves. And above me the sky danced in vibrant colors.

This was my life. This was my future. Jack was my future.

“It’s time,” I said. “It’s time I let go of the past and live in the now.”

Jack turned toward me. “That sounds like a good plan.”

Not one to drag my feet before acting, I rolled over and met Jack halfway. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

He took the hint and kissed me breathless as the world exploded into brilliant colors.

A Page from Casey’s
Summer Gardener’s Notebook

June

Week 3

PLANTING:
Replanted mysteriously uprooted heirloom tomatoes using trench method—burying most of the stem in a long, shallow hole to promote a healthy root system.

SOWING:
None this week.

CULTIVATING:
The chefs are gleaning the vegetables as needed for their recipes. We’ll be harvesting the spring crops and planting more summer crops next week.

FERTILIZING:
Fertilized the vegetable and flower gardens with a complete organic fertilizer that contains seaweed, fish emulsion, and compost tea. The vegetable garden is fertilized every two weeks. With this heat, the fescue grass is turning dormant. Won’t need to fertilize until sometime in the fall. In two weeks, we’ll give the roses their final feeding of the summer.

PRUNING:
July Fourth is the last call for pruning spring-flowering trees and bushes, which will soon be setting buds for next year’s spring flowers. Conducted a pass through the North and South lawns and gardens. Shaped up the azaleas, rhododendrons, and especially the President Lincoln and Dwight D. Eisenhower lilacs so they will produce a showy blue flower display again next spring.

Over the next couple of weeks will prune chrysanthemums back to about half their height and cut back the impatiens to
about an inch high. Doing this now, leading up to the Fourth of July holiday, will encourage new growth and blooms well into the fall.

Constantly deadheading the annuals to keep them blooming.

WEATHER:
Hot! Heat wave has hit D.C. The First Lady’s favorite bell pepper plants love it and are thriving. The lettuce is starting to bolt. I’ve covered part of the lettuce plot with a tarp to keep it shaded from the worst of the heat. This has kept the plants from bolting and turning bitter before next week’s harvest. Pop-up afternoon rainstorms are keeping the flowers and vegetables lush and green.

NOTES:
A new mystery for me to puzzle out. If not Milo, I need to figure out what’s digging up the vegetable garden. Whatever it is, it’s not eating the vegetables. Will install netting to protect the plants from four-legged pests, especially the fruits that will be starting to set and the tomatoes.

Keeping on top of weeding, as always.

Recipe for Quick and Easy
Sheet Composting

Determine the size and location of your planting site.

Spread a layer of newspaper or cardboard over the planting site, overlapping the sheets. There’s no need to pull grass or weeds or till the soil, just layer the newspapers over the existing ground.

Using a hose, soak the newspapers or cardboard.

Add a layer of greens (see list above). Wet with a hose.

Add a layer of topsoil. Wet with a hose.

Add a layer of browns (see list above). Wet with a hose.

Continue adding layers of greens, topsoil, and browns until you have a mound/planting bed that is at least two feet high. Wet each layer with a hose.

Finally, top the mound/planting bed with three to four inches of topsoil. Wet with a hose.

Plant your garden. (There’s no need to wait. The roots will help break down the compost material as your plants grow, in turn providing your plants with nutrients.)

Add a thick layer of mulch.

Enjoy!