Chapter 20: The Departure
The final days of August brought a bittersweet, golden haze to the estate.
Lily’s bedroom, usually a sanctuary of neatly organized books and trailing house plants, was currently a chaotic landscape of half-filled cardboard boxes and open suitcases. In just three days, she would be leaving for upstate New York to begin her freshman year at Cornell University, majoring in botanical sciences and nonprofit management.
She sat on the edge of her bed, carefully wrapping her father’s leather-bound gardening journal in a soft sweater to keep it safe during the drive.
A gentle knock at the doorframe made her look up. Leo stood there, shifting nervously from foot to foot. He had shot up several inches over the summer and was currently wearing a Sterling Foundation volunteer t-shirt covered in fresh potting soil.
"Hey, Leo," Lily smiled, gesturing for him to come in. "Taking a break from the seedlings?"
"Yeah," Leo said, stepping into the room and looking at the boxes. "It's getting pretty real, huh? You're actually leaving."
"I am," Lily nodded, sensing the apprehension in the teenager's voice. "But I'm not disappearing. I’ll be back for Thanksgiving, and Arthur and Sarah are still running the foundation. You won't even notice I'm gone."
"That's a lie," Leo said bluntly, though a small smile tugged at his lips. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, carefully wrapped package tied with twine. "The younger kids and I made this for you. For your dorm room."
Lily took the package, her throat tightening. She carefully untied the twine and folded back the brown paper. Inside was a beautiful, hand-painted ceramic pot. But it wasn't empty. Planted inside was a small, thriving cutting from the resilient jasmine plant she had found in the ruined greenhouse five years ago.
"We propagated it in the spring," Leo explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "So you'd have a piece of the greenhouse with you. You know, to remember us."
A tear slipped down Lily's cheek as she looked at the delicate green leaves. "Leo, this is the best gift I’ve ever received. Thank you."
She stood up and pulled the teenager into a tight hug. When she pulled back, she looked him squarely in the eye.
"I need a favor from you while I'm away," Lily said seriously.
"Anything."
May you like
"The new kids coming in this fall, the ones from the shelters... they’re going to be scared," Lily said softly. "They're going to think they don't belong here. I need you to be the one who shows them that they do. I need you to show them how to plant their roots."
Leo stood a little taller, the anxiety leaving his shoulders, replaced by a deep sense of purpose. "I won't let you down, Lily. I promise."
