The Unwilling Recruit

Just a few years after moving into their first home, Jeff and Margaret were walking in the neighborhood and Jeff spotted a Mimosa seedling in the middle of a yard. This particular yard was overgrown, the house was run down, and piles of garbage often lined the sidewalk. Jeff grumbled about the seedling and proclaimed his disgust for the Mimosa plant. This was not the first time Margaret heard about Jeff’s dislike for the Mimosa tree. She ignored his complaints. As they rounded the corner, a lawn mower sputtered to life. A smile spread across Jeff’s face as he took pleasure in knowing the seedling would soon be shredded. Weeks went by and Jeff noticed stakes on either side of a now taller Mimosa sapling. Months went by and this house continued to have overgrown grass, weeds, garbage, and a larger Mimosa tree supported by ropes and stakes. 

One day Margaret could no longer ignore Jeff’s grumbles. The grumbles exploded into a raised voice. “They do not take care of their yard or house, but they are putting effort into saving a MIMOSA TREE!” Jeff’s two little children wondered why their typically calm father was so upset about a tree. Margaret showed her children the bat-sized stick that was kept by their father’s bed. Jack knew that his father kept the stick by the bed in case of an intruder.

“This stick came from a sculpture your father made in college. It was one of several sticks at the center of the structure. The sculpture had prints from the mimosa leaves on the front and a story painted on the focal point.” She then read the story to her children, Jack and Max.

Their eyebrows raised. “But we don’t saw and remove branches with dad.”

“No”, their mother said, “we do not have Mimosas in our yard.” 

“That’s good for us!”, said her children as they ran off to play. Margaret smiled as she remembered digging up the Mimosa tree the week they moved into their house.