The Secret Garden Of Martha Grim
By Richard A. Lopez (c)1992

Page 4.


John Hawkins was watching the exchange of words that was going on at the end of street. He wondered what trouble that Willie Cole was giving Ms.Grim this time? Every time Cole came around, it seemed that he would go out of his way to bother that poor young woman. Probably trying to hit on her, like he had with John's wife, Ann. Oh yes, John knew that Cole had a thing for Ann. Since the very first day he came to work for them, last August. John had received a notice from the town council, that his yard was beginning to look a bit unsightly, was the term they used, and that according to a city ordinance he would be charged one hundred dollars a month if the the problem was not rectified soon. That's when Willie Cole came knocking. It seemed like a good idea at first. John was still to busy with the new job, and Ann was taking care of the house and Tommy. Plus the price was reasonable enough, Cole only charged forty dollars a month to maintain the yard. He even dressed up the flower bed at no additional cost. That was in the beginning. Once he got set in, he was like a tick. He'd dig in and was almost impossible to remove. His work was shoddy, he was always giving Tommy a bad time. Sometimes, Hawkins truly believed that Cole and the Town Council were in league with one another. He knew it sounded melodramatic, but he would not put it past the two. And then there was Ann.
He and Ann had been married for eight years, and, though the first two had been just fine, She seemed to have changed after Tommy was born. It was like the boy was the stopper in her life. She seemed rarely kind to the boy, constantly on his back for something. Sometimes, and he knew it was wrong to think this, but sometimes it was as if she hated Tommy. John had wondered if Ann had secretly blamed their son for somehow ruining her life. If it was true, he could not understand why. Tommy was everything to him. John loved being a father, and it showed in the relationship he had with his son. Tommy was always there to meet him when he got home from work, with a big smile and hug. He wish he could say the same for his wife. It seemed she was never satisfied with anything. Worse part was that it seemed to be getting worse
as the years went on. If it wasn't money, it was things, or Tommy, or his job. She complained they didn't have enough of the things that she thought were important. Mostly material things, a new car, new furniture. It was always about money. If not money, then his job. Wanting him to be more aggressive with his boss, when it came to asking for a raise, or a promotion.
"Hey", he would tell her, "these are tough times. Business has go to get a little better before I could make such demands."
Besides, they weren't that bad off. They had a roof over their heads, food on the table, and not to mention that closet full of clothes. She had her own car, and that was only three years old. Still it wasn't enough. Then there was the sex thing.

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To be Continued