Dating : Sunflower Seeds

Garrett couldn’t wait to move away from the family farm. He ran all the way to New York City, went to college, and found a job as a stockbroker. The apartment on Park Avenue and a private parking spot in the 42nd street garage are as prized to him as the blue ribbons from the county fair for corn are to his father. Once he left home, Garrett never looked back. He phoned home the morning of his wedding to let his parents know at least what her name was. For two years, Garrett and Elise never visited or thought of his parents in Nebraska. The day Frank was born, though, Garrett called just to let them know they were grandparents. Over the next five years, a picture here and there was all they knew of their only grandchild.

Life as a stockbroker afforded little time to play with Frank, even if Garrett wanted to, which he didn’t. He would rather attend gallery openings and theater premiers than spend time with a child. Elise did what she had to do, but nothing more. Pregnancy had taken a toll on her body, and she had to work very hard with her private fitness coach to get back into shape. She blamed Frank for that. Needed to feed, change, and entertain Frank on his schedule instead of hers, was also difficult. At least that’s what she always told her life coach and private therapist.

“Garrett,” Elise said one spring day as Kindergarten was coming to a close, “I refuse to be that boy’s slave this summer! We need somewhere to put him.”

“Haven’t thought about it,” he replied, rolling his eyes in thought. “That would be nice, though. Then we don’t have to take him to Europe with us.”

“Maybe summer camp in the Adirondacks?”

“Do we really want to spend money on him for the summer?”

“You’re right there.” Elise touched up her nail polish, thinking.

The phone rang, interrupting the debate on where they could tuck their five-year-old son out of the way where they didn’t have to think about him.

“Hello, Mother,” Garrett said. “How are you?”

Sitting on the bed, mimicking his mother with his hand and faking sighing with each passing minute, he began thinking of Frank.

“Mother?” He interrupted her story about the new planter at the Feed & Grain. “How would you like to have Frank visit for the summer? You and Dad can get to know him. He has been talking a lot about wanting to meet his favorite Grandparents all year.”

Sounds of Alice’s sobs could be heard throughout the room. “We would love to have him!” she said, between sobs.

“Perfect,” Garrett said. “I will send him out as soon as school is over.”

Life on the Nebraska farm was just the right place to grow up. For the last eight summers, life was heaven for Frank on the farm. Warm days spent running down by the creek, catching tadpoles, then back through the cornfields to the farmhouse for supper. Nights spent on the front porch watching Grandpa whittle and listening to Grandma tell stories about when she was a little girl on the farm. For five generations, the Olsen family owned the farm and grew corn on most of the 250 acres. Frank wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life tending the corn by day and watching fireflies at night.

One day, while the family was in town, Alice and Frank went to the ice cream shop to wait for Mason to go to the courthouse.

Mason’s face was drawn and disappointed when he joined them at the shop. “We can’t, Alice. They said he’s too young.”

“Oh,” Alice said, frowning, looking at the table. “Well, that settles it then,” she chuckled, looking at Mason, “we’ll just have to live a little longer.” She and Mason laughed as Frank looked at them, confused. He didn’t get the joke.

It was a lovely day, and the family had fun in town. After ice cream, they went to the Feed & Grain to look at new equipment. Alice enjoyed browsing new designs in the fabric shop and bought new patterns for the men in her life.

“Oh, won’t you look sharp,” she told Frank, holding up a McCall’s shirt package and cotton fabric up to his face. “That suits you so well.”

Frank smiled. He loved seeing her so happy. Life during the summer was so different than life the other nine months out of the year. Garrett and Elise often left him alone now. He hated being alone. He loved the farm and summers in Nebraska.

Clouds rolled in quickly as they often can in the Midwest, and the skies were becoming darker with each passing minute. “Best be getting on home,” Mason said, looking up at the sky.

The sky turned black, and the winds picked up quickly as they left town. No one knew what they were driving straight towards.

Frank stirred to the sound of his father’s voice. Confused, he opened his eyes to be blinded by bright lights. Rapid movement near him startled him, and suddenly he was wide awake, sitting up in a bed. His father was arguing with a man wearing a white coat, and his mother was on the phone complaining about the reception.

“What’s going on?” he asked, becoming quite scared. “Where’s Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Good, he’s awake,” Elise said impatiently. “Can we go?”

“Is he free to go, Doc?” Garrett asked.

“Well, yes, his vitals are normal. He’ll be sore for a while, and you’ll have to keep an eye on his memory, but, yes, he can go.”

“Finally,” Elise said, grabbing her purse.

“Let’s go, son.”

“Where’s Grandma and Grandpa!” Frank demanded, protesting going anywhere with his parents before the end of the summer.

“Oh, I’m glad I caught you, Mr. Olsen,” a man said, walking into the hospital room. “I have something for your son.”

“And you are?”

“I’m sorry,” the man said. “I am Franklin Hopper. Your late father’s attorney.” He put out in hand, which was indignantly ignored by Garrett.

“Whatever.” Garrett hated interruptions. “What do you have?”

Franklin pulled out a key and handed it to Garrett. “That’s the key to Mr. Olsen’s safety deposit box. It was his wish that everything in the box go to Frank.”

“Thanks. Is that all?”

“Well, yes,” Franklin got the hint he was not welcome here, “that’s all. Have a good day, and I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Loss?” Frank asked. “What loss? Where are Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Will you stop asking that!” Elise yelled. “They’re dead, you idiot!”

“Let’s get to the bank and get out of this dump,” Garrett said, hustling everyone out of the hospital and to the car.

Frank’s body moved as it was told, but his mind was screaming in disbelief and bawling in grief. He didn’t remember anything after the sky went black, and Grandma said they should turn around — No, he remembered the last sound he heard — his grandma screaming in terror.

He stayed in the car while Garrett collected whatever was in the safety deposit box. When his father returned to the car, he tossed a large manila envelope in Frank’s lap.

Inside the envelope were a letter and a packet of sunflower seeds. Frank opened the letter and began reading:

Dear Frank,

I hope this letter reaches you long after graduating from high school and joining us on the farm. We tried giving you the farm today in town, but I was told you were too young to own property. Lousy rule if you ask me. You and Alice are waiting for me at the ice cream shop, but I wanted to leave this for you in case I never get a chance to tell you. I love you! We don’t know what happened to Garrett, but Alice says that things happen for a reason. I guess that reason was you. Without him, I wouldn’t have my favorite harvesting companion and fellow champion whittler. I have a secret to tell you, though, I didn’t really like growing corn. I loved Alice, and it was Alice’s farm. I would do anything to keep that farm going for her. To take care of her forever. If, after we are gone, you want to sell the farm…it’s okay. Here’s another secret, I always wanted to grow sunflowers in Kansas. Maybe you’ll live my dream the way I lived hers. Remember, Frank, we are so proud of you and love every summer we have been blessed to have you in our lives.

Love, Grandpa (and your Grandma, if she knew I was writing this)

Unable and unwilling to hold back the tears, Frank cried all the way to the airport, on the flight home, and only stopped when he collapsed in a heap on his bed. The next five years without the summer on the farm was hard, but Mason’s letter got him through every hard day and horrible night. The day Frank turned eighteen, he packed a bag and left home. Leaving only a short note behind him: Going to raise sunflowers in Kansas. Don’t look me up!