April in New England is full of mud, crocuses and daffodils. Evan watched the yard come alive as the weather shifted towards warmth.
“Your moms planted all of these bulbs?” Evan asked Harper as they walked around the side yard towards the back.
“We all did. Mama loved hyacinths and tulips and Mum was all about the daffodils and crocuses,” Harper said. “I planted some kitchen herbs and Hayden wanted the foxglove and morning glory.”
Evan snorted a laugh. “Why does that not surprise me?” She paused and crouched down to brush some dead leaves away from a cluster of crocus shoots. “I’ll call the landscaping guys to come clean up the yard near the end of the month.”
“Ask them to leave the herb garden alone, would you? I like taking care of that myself,” Harper said.
“Sure, whatever you want. How are the college applications going?” Evan asked.
“I haven’t done any,” Harper said. “I don’t know what I want to do yet. Hayden has four she wants to send out and they’re almost done.”
“That’s kind of what college is for, though. To figure out what you want to do. Do a year of liberal arts studies and see what makes your heart happy.”
“I don’t even know if I want to go to college. I really like cooking. A lot. I think I’d like to go to a culinary school. Hayden wants to be a journalist and travel the world. I want to travel, too – and learn how to cook food from different countries.”
“Well, there are culinary schools that offer degrees. Like the Culinary Institute of America? There’s one in New York, near Poughkeepsie. Hyde Park, I think? Why don’t you look into that?”
“You don’t mind?” Harper asked as she stared at Evan.
“Why would I mind? If it’s what you want to do, go for it. If you decide it’s not what you imagined, change things. I started at Harvard with a poli-sci program and switched to criminal justice. Figure out what you want as you go and change if it’s not right. Life is all about change, Harper. Learning how to adapt and grow doesn’t stop when you’re a kid, either. I’m still figuring it out.”
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