June, 1948

Ed is awakened by a pounding and then a scraping. He opens his eyes and looks around the room. Even with Margaret and their bedroom furniture, he is still not used to sleeping in this house. Margaret turns over and looks at him. "What's that?" she whispers.

"Shh" he says and sits up. He gets out of bed. It is almost time to get up.

"Go check on Milly" he says to Margaret.

"What is it?"

'I don't know," he says. Then he turns to her, "Don't worry. Just check on Millicent. I'll go downstairs."

Ed walks down the stairs. He stands in the living room and through the dining room window he can see a dark figure in the back yard. Slowly he walks out the back door. The garden smells of fresh mud, dew is just catching the blue morning light. His feet crunch on the pebble pathway. He can see a figure in the rose garden. His heart is racing. In a moment, he realizes it is Henry.

"Henry?" Ed calls out. Henry turns and starts to run. He, tries to run past but Ed catches him easily with one arm. "what are you doing Henry?"

Henry's face is streaked with muddy tears, he has scratches on his hands. "What are you doing to the flowers? Why are you out here so early in the morning?" Ed looks at the battered rose bushes. Few are left in tact. "You must have been out here since the middle of the night."

Henry acts strange. He can't speak, he looks as if he is holding his breath. His hair is matted with sweat. Ed looks out into the rose garden again.

"Come over here, Henry," Ed says softly. He is leading him by the shoulders. Henry has gotten big. He's almost ten. Certainly he could free himself from Ed's grasp, but he doesn't try. The light is growing brighter and the ground is covered with broken canes, one of the plants has been torn out by the roots.

Ed stands tall above him. "This is your house Henry. I'm just taking care of if for you. When you get older, if you want this house, its yours.It will always be yours when you want it."

"I don't want it," Henry said and it was a kind of grumble sounding more like an animal.

"You will," Ed said.

"No. No. No way."

"Henry, you can always come here. You are always welcome here. In fact, I need some one to help me care for the place. Would you like to do that, Henry?"

"No."

Ed stared at him for a long time. The boy looked like Rose. His dark hair, although cut short was wavy. It was the same color as his mother's. His skin was the same ivory with a flushed complexion.

"I want you to help me here. Come over on Saturdays and help me with the garden. "

"No."

Ed rubbed his hands together and looked down.

"I work at a museum, you know and I need someone to take pictures of things for me. Pictures of the flowers and buildings. Whatever I'm working on. I have been looking for an assistant."

Henry didn't say anything. Ed could hear the birds chirping. The branches above shaking from their early activity.

"What do you think?"

"I don't have a camera."Henry stared at the ground.

"No. I have one for you. But, I will need my assistant to..." Ed kind of smacked his lips and looked the gardens "You're going to need to be responsible."

Henry stared into Ed's eyes for a long time. Ed wondered if Henry remembered him. Of course he did. "Ok. I'll try," Henry said. And, Ed had no idea why Henry had agreed to his offer.

Ed bent down and looked at Henry in the eye. "I know it hurts to talk or think about it so this is the only time I will. I miss your mother too. I miss her all of the time." Henry's lip started to quiver and his eyes filled with tears. Ed put his arm around Henry and Henry leaned into Ed's embrace. He cried hard and strong, and Ed kept him there in his arms.

When Henry stopped crying he looked down at the ground.

Ed said to him, "It's going to sound strange, but you are a part of my family, Henry. You are welcome here any time. This is your house. I am just taking care of it for your mother until you are old enough. She asked me to do that. That's why I am here. That's why I'm here, Henry."