TENDER AND MERCILESS

EVA FITZSIMONS

DO NOT DISTURB THE ROOTS It was emotionally painful for my old roommate to thin his tomato seedlings. They germinated on trays in the east-facing window, at first small yellow specks and then folded leaves that unbent and straightened on their thin stalks. By the time the leaves grew fuzzy, some of those stalks were too long and some of the pots were too populated and my roommate would grit his teeth and cut all the plants but one off at the soil, so as not to disturb the roots. What happened after was unpredictable. Alcohol, drugs. One time there was a woman dressed as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader in our bathroom at two in the morning. The tomatoes thrived, though. Years later, it’s still amazing to me that I…

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Kitchen Table (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 6

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