The Gardens of Digby Green: Bring Spring Home
On his way back into town, Digby pulled into the first self-service carwash he saw. The visits to his new gardens had left the truck dusty, and odds were good his boss at the Garden Center would gripe about that.
Since most people rarely chose a carwash at random, Digby could work at a relaxed pace. He wouldn’t be noticed by anyone he knew. Humming “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” he hosed out the truck bed until the last of the sand deposited there washed away across the parking lot in a widening fan, rinsing his shovel and trowel in the process.
Digby washed the exterior, and vacuumed the interior, taking extra care to collect every sand burr from the floor mats, his boot strings, and his work gloves. He polished off the job by wiping down the interior passenger door handle, the passenger side seat belt buckle, and the dashboard.
When he was certain nothing remained to connect him to his rose gardens, Digby returned to the garden center.
“Green!” His boss said. “I’ve been looking for you. Go to the back lot and move that shipment of redbuds, dogwoods, and forsythia out to the front property line. Corporate headquarters has scheduled a sale.”
For the next four and a half hours, Digby made multiple trips with a Bobcat, transporting young trees and bushes in the bucket, and organizing them for the best visibility. As he worked, another employee scaled a ladder and changed the lettering on the Garden Center’s street-side sign.
Bring Spring Home! 40% Off Flowering Trees and Bushes.
“No way can I fit anything else out here,” he muttered as he spun the machine in a tight circle, preparing to drive it back to the rear corner of the lot. On his way he passed his boss, who stood beside a display of lawn ornaments.
“If you’re finished with that,” the man called, move that pallet of manure bags farther from the back door. Customers complained about it.”
Digby gave him a thumb’s-up, though he was tempted to use a different finger. The Bobcat gas gauge showed half a tank, so he parked, and moved over to the forklift.
The Gardens of Digby Green is a serialized story that posts on Fridays.
Next week, part thirty, Synonyms.
Find a link to purchase Heartland Treasures anthology here.
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