I asked Elias to meet me by the rosebush after supper.
The brass gauge was still at zero. A fresh line of water darkened the soil, but the branches remained bare.
Elias arrived carrying two mugs of tea. He handed me one without asking what I wanted in it.
"Thank you," I said.
"I thought you might need it."
"That's kind of you."
"Are we going to talk about the rosebush?"
"Eventually."
He sat on the low stone wall. I stayed standing, because my hands were shaking and I didn't want to spill the tea.
"Why did you choose me?" I asked.
He looked down at his mug. "You asked me that already."
"I know. You said you hadn't known me. I want to ask again now."
"All right."
"Why did you stay?"
For a moment, he didn't answer. The night breeze carried the smell of damp earth from the greenh
