Gardens of Green: Tyre & Phoenix

By Lynn M. Dixon

Tyre and Phoenix have moved to New England. They settle in and continually grow closer as they work to make their new house a home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jul 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781490783444

Lynn M. Dixon

Lynn M. Dixon lives in Chicago. She has published two other works with Trafford: A Golden Leaf in Time and Traveling Streams.

Book preview

Chapter 1

A House is a Home

Phoenix nervously waited for the moving van to arrive with their furnishings and her car. She and Tyre had driven from Chicago to Amherst, Massachusetts. It was the home of the University of Massachusetts- Amherst where he had accepted the offer to be a candidate for their doctoral program and work as an Assistant Professor. They had graciously rolled out the red carpet. They provided Tyre and Phoenix with faculty housing which turned out to be a medium-sized house with a huge backyard.

Living in the city and in suburbia had not afforded them this type of quaint welcome. Phoenix immediately remembered Theresa’s words, All things in time, as she looked out towards the backyard. She envisioned the planting of a garden with both veggies and flowers.

Her thoughts were jarred back to the present moment, when she heard a truck, but when she looked outside, she saw that it was just the city garbage truck. She looked around and started thinking about what she would place where, because she knew that they would be in Amherst for the long haul and her ideas were flowing.

They had made the drive after a farewell party with their parents. It was lively, but the tears flowed in spurts and the only thing that moved both of them forward was getting on the road. Once they were on the interstate, there was little time for too much reflection because the present moment was requiring all of their attention.

They decided to break up the 14-hour trip by doing a layover in Buffalo, New York. They slept like babies that Friday night when they pulled in and on that Saturday, they agreed that they would stay until Sunday. They wanted to see Niagara Falls because they were too close to miss seeing them.

Phoenix saw the rainbows emanating from the water before they actually arrived at the park. They walked towards the sounds of the rushing water and followed the magical mist like excited children. They chose to view the waterfalls from the top and not go down and get on the boat rides. Tyre talked about the bravery of the tightrope walkers that had taken on the feat of walking across the Falls.

Feat? Or level of insanity? asked Phoenix.

They could see the people below in the boats called The Maid of the Mist. As they leaned over, they saw some brave souls in raincoats actually walking along the wooded planks on the side of the Falls.

Phoenix merely shook her head and said, Nope. I’m good. This is close enough, as she snapped several pictures.

Tyre laughed and said, I am in total agreement with that. No need to be on the boat nor scaling the side of the Falls.

She was reflecting on their time in Buffalo when she heard the doorbell ring. She went to the front window and saw that it was the movers. She let out a big sigh of relief and opened the door to greet the three men who would be putting their possessions in their new house.

Tyre, on the other hand, had spent a busy day on the UMass campus. He had been listening to suggestions and advice, learning his way around and setting up his new office. When the day had ended, he was glad to know that he had packed one special item that could not wait for the movers.

He looked deep in his attaché’ case and pulled it out. He removed the tissue paper that was wrapped around it for protection. He also had the mindset to bring a picture hanger. As he removed the adhesive backing, he smiled as he pushed it onto the wall in a unique location. When he was sure that it was securely mounted on the wall, he gently hung the picture of the garden that Phoenix had painted and given to him.

He stood back and smiled with a sense of satisfaction. It was the final touch to a day that had been filled with a fresh, crisp newness. He rechecked all of his handiwork of organizing and putting things in place and he locked the door to his new office.

His new keys jingled in his hands and before he knew it, he was doing something he had not done since he was a little boy. He was whistling and since no was visible, he continued all the way to his SUV. He got in, turned on the ignition and for a moment, he paused.

He asked himself, Which way was home? He thought and once he got his bearings, he said in a low voice, Home is wherever Phoenix is. He chuckled to himself and recalled the correct route and headed his SUV towards their new home.

Chapter 2

Fastening Down the Bolts

Tyre smiled when he pulled up and saw the moving van outside of the house. They had arrived on schedule and the layover in Buffalo, New York had given the moving company time to catch up with them.

He and Phoenix had slept on a blow-up mattress for a couple of nights and he knew that they both were looking forward to sleeping in a real bed. He opened the door and Phoenix stopped giving directions to the movers to walk over and kiss him lightly.

Hi, honey, she said. How was the first day on campus?

Great. Just great. I feel that it was a quite productive day, he answered.

He looked around and asked her where the blueprints were that they had drawn up and she pointed to the kitchen island. They had strategically planned where they thought certain items should be placed.

When they first walked into the house after