Lily

He had a few friends, but most people he met instinctively distrusted him. When I met him, he was a young man, in his mid-20's perhaps. As I grew to know him, I learned that he had come into this world addicted to cocaine. He had only met his father a few times and was estranged from his mother. Once she paid a surprise visit to his house and stole from him.

He gave my daughter two pink lilies as a gift. They were left in their pots, largely neglected. They came into my possession at the end of summer, but I waited until spring to plant them. I used leaf mold and compost to give them a good start, knowing that without tender care in the early years, life is a continual struggle.