Page 19 of We May Be Fractured
Second Chance
[Now playing ? Human—Of Monsters and Men]
T he next Saturday at the retirement centre, Maeve, Nyle, and Ria really got into the Halloween spirit with their outfits.
Maeve wore a gothic dress, her nails and makeup dark, looking like she’d stepped out of a Tim Burton film. Nyle had put in vampire teeth with a smear of fake blood near his mouth. Ria chose a cute style, wearing cat ears.
Aaron hadn’t bothered with a costume, but his mood perfectly aligned with Halloween’s dark and gloomy feel.
Waking up to photos of Tom enjoying his life on Bondi Beach hadn’t helped. It reminded Aaron of missing out on the life he’d envisioned. A life that felt painfully distant while he was stuck here, far from his dreams.
As he mused over his situation, Cliff stalked past in his reused Squid Game jumpsuit.
“Remind you of something?” he asked with a snarl.
Aaron scanned his costume. “Yeah, you’re giving off some serious Orange Is the New Black vibes. Quite fitting, don’t you think?”
Cliff flipped him the finger. “You’re such a dick, Aaron. No wonder you befriended the local psycho.”
“Fuck off,” Aaron fired back.
Aaron turned to Landon behind him, who seemed completely unfazed by the names people called him. That indifference made Aaron angrier.
“You’re not dressed up?” asked Landon.
Aaron pointed to his scars. “These make me look spooky enough all year. What’s your excuse?”
“Oh, but I am dressed up.” Landon leered. “Serial killer. They look just like everyone else.”
Aaron snorted. “More like a ‘cereal’ killer, with your soggy breakfast fascination.”
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Landon’s mouth, revealing a faint dimple. Had it always been there?
“All right, let’s get moving,” Sarah announced in a flat tone, looking bored as usual. She briefly scanned Maeve, Nyle, Ria, and Cliff, taking in their costumes, clearly not impressed. “Chop, chop! Time to start!”
They were all on plant duty that day. So, one by one, they geared up, pulling on gloves and grabbing tools, ready to dive into the work. Landon, though, seemed to have a different plan in mind.
He approached Muhammad, and they exchanged a brief conversation, which prompted Muhammad to quickly leave and soon return with an armful of boxes filled with all sorts of gardening gear. Landon scooped them all up and headed straight for the old cherry tree.
Sarah watched Landon’s departure, annoyance crossing her face. She opened her mouth, probably to tell him off, but Muhammad stepped in.
“Leave him, Sarah,” he said calmly. “We need more young people like him, caring about our community. He should be rewarded.”
Sarah looked like she wanted to protest, but instead, she let out a resigned sigh and turned to the others. “You lot, focus on the flower beds and hedges.” She gestured towards the other parts of the garden.
Maeve sidled up to Muhammad with a grin. “Hey, I’m all about community spirit too. Do I get a special reward for my hard work?”
Ria rolled her eyes at Maeve’s antics and joined Aaron. Together, they silently made their way to the garden’s edge, where they picked out a spot to start their work.
Aaron stole a glance back at Landon. He stood, examining the cherry tree with an intensity and care that Aaron had only seen when Landon worked on his tattoo designs.
It struck him how Landon’s gentle, focused attention was so different from the aloof, tough persona he usually displayed as he gazed at each branch and leaf, suggesting a deep, silent connection to the tree.
Aaron wished the others could see this side of Landon too, not the ‘local psycho’ or the tough guy with piercings and tattoos, but someone who cared, deeply and quietly.
*
A n hour into working with the plants, Aaron’s patience had worn thin.
He’d mocked Nyle and Maeve for their persistent whining over these tasks. Yet, he was no better off, complaining about everything, his hands fumbling and dirty. This is not where he was supposed to be. He was meant to be on that fucking beach with Tom, watching koalas, maybe even learning to surf.
He should have been making a wish under the Southern Lights already, hoping for a better future. Instead, here he remained, knees deep, not in sand but dirt, struggling with plants he barely knew the names of, under a blurry grey sky.
This whole gardening thing was pointless. Why couldn’t they hire professionals and let them do something simpler? None of them had any experience with this stuff. Apart from Ria.
She seemed to be in her element, moving with a certain grace around the plants, always smiling, always cheerful. It had started to get on Aaron’s nerves. How could she be so perpetually happy? And how did Landon, of all people, put up with her?
“Aaron, could you add some more mulch here?” Ria asked him. “We need to finish this bed.”
He trudged over, the bag heavy in his arms. “Where do you want it?” he asked, trying to keep his growing irritation in check.
“Sprinkle it around the peonies.” Ria pointed, still smiling.
Aaron bent to spread the mulch, but his movements were too rough, too hasty. The bag slipped, spilling mulch everywhere but where it was supposed to go.
Nyle burst into laughter, clapping his hands. “That’s one way to mulch, I guess!”
Cliff, grinning nastily, added, “I’ve seen toddlers with better coordination.”
Aaron stood there, surrounded by the mess, wishing he could disappear into the mulch he’d just spilled.
When lunchtime finally rolled around, he brushed his hands off and stepped away from the group, needing some time to himself. As soon as he found a quiet spot away from the gardening chaos, Aaron pulled out his phone. His fingers trembled before he pressed Tori’s contact info.
“Hey, Tori, it’s me. I’m here again at this stupid community service thing, and honestly…it’s a mess. I’m supposed to do something good with these plants, and I just— I don’t get it. I can’t see the point in any of it. They’re getting free labour out of us.”
He paused, a deep sigh escaping him. “Every day that passes, I feel like…like all those dreams we had are fading away, slipping through my fingers. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever make it to our Neverland or see those Lights you were so excited about.
It’s tough, Tori, really tough without you here… ”
After he finished recording, Aaron typed out a message to Tom.
Hey, any updates on the job? Really need some good news right now. Let me know if you’ve heard anything. Thanks.
He slid his phone back into his pocket and cast a look over the garden, feeling trapped.
In a sneaky move, he stripped off his hi-vis jacket and started tiptoeing away from the group.
Maybe no one would notice his absence for the other half of the day.
After all, Landon was off doing his own thing with the cherry tree, away from the rest of them.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Sarah’s voice, right behind him, stopped him in his tracks, her tone unusually serious.
Aaron turned to face her.
She regarded him with sternness and understanding. “You walk out now; you’re just making it harder for yourself.”
Aaron hesitated. “I just…I can’t deal with this right now.”
Sarah sighed, then offered him a cigarette. “Not the best habit, I know, but it seems like we could both use one.”
Aaron nodded, accepting it.
“Look, I know you don’t want to be here,” she continued as she lit their cigarettes. “Even I don’t want to be here. But walking away won’t solve anything. You’ve still got hours to complete, and avoiding them won’t make them disappear.”
Aaron slumped, the weight of her words hitting him. They echoed what Aunt Olivia had said to him before he left.
Sarah took a deep puff, her eyes never leaving Aaron. “Listen, Walsh. You’re a decent kid. First time here, right? And for something pretty daft, if I remember correctly. But let’s be honest, I don’t want to see you back here once you’re done. You’re young; you’ve got your whole life ahead of you.”
Aaron took a drag, thinking about the new life he was supposed to have started living if not for this setback.
“You’re in a better spot than a lot of them here,” she added, motioning towards the others. “Most of them have a pretty hefty record, and they’re not much older than you.”
Aaron’s gaze automatically shifted to Landon.
“Yeah,” Sarah nodded, following his gaze.
“Bailey’s one of them. And Maeve? She’s practically a regular.
I’ve seen plenty of kids like you come through.
Some of them manage to turn things around.
Others…well, let’s just say they have a harder time.
It’s up to you which path you choose. So, what’s it gonna be? ”
Aaron released a cloud of smoke, still focused on Maeve and Nyle, who were goofing around.
“I’ve got to say, I like him,” Sarah remarked, nodding to Nyle. “He adds some spark to this dreary place.”
“Yeah, sometimes maybe too sparky,” Aaron mumbled.
“Are you finding it hard to gel with them?” Sarah probed gently.
Aaron shrugged half-heartedly. “It’s all right, I guess.”
Sarah took one last drag, dropped her cigarette, and crushed it under her boot.
“You should try to open up. Keeping everything bottled up is not doing you any favours. You gotta deal with whatever’s eating at you.
The sooner you get your head down and work through this, the quicker you’re out of here. ”
She paused with a knowing look. “And hey, you never know, you might find a silver lining in all this mess,” she added, her tone softening before she turned and walked away.
Aaron stood there, watching her leave. Her words resonated, stirring something inside him. With a deep, steadying breath, he picked up his jacket and headed back to his task.
Ria approached him, her cat ears slightly askew. “Hey, something wrong?” She looked genuinely concerned.
Aaron glanced at her, guilt nipping at him for not being helpful or friendly. “Just tired of all of this.”
“I know this isn’t the best situation, but have a look around.” she said, gesturing to their surroundings. “Think about how lovely these gardens will be once we’re done.”
Aaron found it really hard to picture, especially as he surveyed the chaotic scene before him—Nyle battling a hose that seemed to have a life of its own, Cliff awkwardly planting flowers, either burying them so deep they might never see daylight or leaving them too shallow to take root, and Maeve appearing to mistake weeds for flowers, inadvertently yanking out a few blossoms as she tried to clean up the beds.
Finally, his attention drifted over to Landon, wrestling with the cherry tree, its branches snapping back with each cut.
“Looks more like a war zone than a garden,” Aaron remarked.
“Good things take time, Aaron.”
“Suppose so. But it’s tough to see the point right now.”
“They also look messy before they get better,” Ria added. “When I gardened with my nan, she’d always say the real beauty is in the process, in doing something and then patiently watching it bloom. There’s something truly satisfying about seeing your hard work pay off.”
Aaron’s gaze drifted back to Landon and the cherry tree. “He’s putting a lot of effort into a tree that looks half-dead. Why bother?”
“Just because something takes effort doesn’t mean it’s not worth it,” Ria replied gently. “Maybe Landon sees something in it. You know, he has a way of seeing potential where others don’t. He looks past the surface.”
Aaron remained fixed on Landon and the cherry tree. It clicked right there. That tree, battered and worn, still stood and fought for life.
He walked over to Landon and observed him quietly. “I get it now,” he said, “what you’re doing with this tree.”
“Wow, a detective in the making,” Landon muttered, half-joking. He didn’t even look up.
Aaron crouched beside him and observed his forehead, shiny with sweat, and his nails covered in dirt. “You’re really into saving it, huh?”
Landon finally looked at him. “This tree’s been neglected. It’s got a fungal infection, probably from all the damp weather we’ve had. If left untreated, it suffocates the tree, stops it from blooming. It deserves a second chance.”
Aaron smiled slightly. He knew there was more to Landon’s words than just the tree. Landon’s life had been a series of challenges, moving from one foster home to another, never quite finding his place. Now, here he was, giving this tree a chance he rarely got himself.
“All right,” he rolled up his sleeves. “How can I help?”
“You?” Landon said, incredulous. “Help with this?”
“Sure, why not? I’m no expert, but there’s always Google.” Aaron pulled out his phone and did a quick search on treating tree fungal infections. “Here, it says we need—”
“Got it covered already.” Landon dropped a pile of tools at his feet. “We need to trim the roots and improve the soil.”
As they started sorting things out, Ria came over. “So, what’s the master plan for the tree rescue, team?”
“There’s no plan.” Landon shook his head. “And there’s definitely no team .”
Ria ignored him, her eyes already sparkling with excitement. She slipped on a pair of gardening gloves and crouched. “We’re saving it, right? My gran showed me a few tricks.”
Landon nodded, approving. “Well, at least one of us knows what they’re doing.”
And so, they got to work. Aaron, Landon, and Ria, an unlikely trio, united by a mission to revive an old, forgotten tree.
Aaron found himself immersed in the task, frustrations fading into the background. Sarah’s words echoed in his mind; maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.