“That’s not an apology either.”
“No.”
He exhaled.
“I’m sorry.”
Dad nodded.
“All right.”
Brent seemed surprised.
“That’s it?”
“What else?”
“I thought you’d want me to withdraw the complaint.”
“I figured you would.”
“I did.”
Dad nodded again.
“Then we’re done.”
Brent remained there.
Finally he said, “Could I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you just explain this when I complained?”
Dad leaned against his hoe.
“You’d already decided what the garden was.”
Brent looked away.
Dad continued.
“Sometimes explaining yourself to a person who has already decided about you is just another way of begging.”
That landed harder than anger would have.
Brent nodded slowly.
Then he went home.
The following Tuesday, Aaron called.
The citation had been formally withdrawn.
The garden qualified as a charitable food-production plot.
Dad listened.
Said thank you.
Hung up.
Then returned to shelling peas.
