Angie moved to her current location at the age of eight. In Mrs. Fleck’s third grade class, she felt isolated except for Maricela who became her best friend. Maricela practically became a member of Angie’s family, until Angie’s little brother Evan was born with autism. Angie worried that their friendship would suffer, but Maricela remained loyal. Fast forward eight years, both Angie and Mari have dropped out of school. Mari is also nine months pregnant and asks Angie to accompany her to a garden event so she doesn’t have to interact with Dolores, a conceited girl.
I agreed to visit under one condition: Evan had to come with me. At eight years old, Evan was struggling academically. He couldn’t grasp concepts and was repeating first grade for the third time. In Puerto Rico, where we used to live, there was a special class for children like him who had difficulty understanding things. Unfortunately, our parents passed away due to their drug addiction, so my brother and I were supposed to go to an orphanage.
However, because our parents were constantly under the influence of drugs, I had already taken on the role of the responsible adult in our family, even though I was just a child myself.
Despite the school’s lack of funding for my brother’s class, I continued to support him. While some may perceive him as slow and bothersome, those who truly know him acknowledge his kindness, caring nature, and polite demeanor. One day, I decided to bring Evan along with me when visiting Mari at the garden. Surprisingly, a Korean woman approached us and offered raspberry seeds. Initially refusing the offer, Evan pleaded for them until I finally gave in. We then entered the garden to find Mari. After locating her, we discussed our plans and exchanged hugs. However, panic ensued when Maricela realized that Evan had gone missing. Frantically searching the garden while attracting curious stares from onlookers, I eventually discovered Evan planting seeds with a young man around my age. It turned out that Evan mistakenly believed this guy’s help was necessary for planting our raspberry seeds.
I was extremely embarrassed, but I allowed him to stay because he was kind. It was difficult to believe, but we conversed for nearly 3 hours. We only realized the time when Evan began dozing off on the ground. In any case, I discovered that his name was Royce and that he had sisters. Additionally, I found out that he was somewhat homeless. Therefore, Evan and I returned home and rested well. After all, it was a day that would forever alter our lives. Mari informed me that receiving a gift from Royce in the garden was considered an honor.
Receiving presents from him every day made me feel very honored, and within a few weeks, Royce and I became a couple. I shared my life story with him, and he promised to assist me. We both knew that Evan needed help to survive in this world, so Royce joined the same workplace as me while Evan was at school. We also knew how to help him.
I arranged for Royce and Mari to meet me at the garden gate, but only Royce showed up. Then, a nurse dressed woman approached me asking if I was Angie. When I confirmed, she informed me that my friend Maricela had just given birth and mentioned that I would be here. Excitedly, I rushed to the community hospital where I saw Maricela’s parents, Maricela herself, and the beautiful baby named Leona after the woman she had told me about.
After a few weeks, we gathered again to discuss helping Evan. Mari came up with a brilliant idea of organizing a fundraiser, and we all contributed something.
Even Evan contributed by advertising for us, resulting in a large sum of cash. When I returned to the school, they informed me that Evan would start his new class on Monday. To celebrate, all of us returned to the garden with our friends. The raspberries brought us immense happiness, including Evan. They became a symbol of our unity and closeness, with Royce, Maricela, and little Leona becoming part of our family. Together, we worked towards bringing positivity into each other’s lives, which is what families do. Just like the raspberries continue to grow and prosper, so will our family.
