5-6 Transition – Choosing a Branch

Zoysia had something on her mind. It was increasingly invading her thoughts, just as the stiffness invaded her joints. This aging business was not for the weak-hearted! She and her slightly younger cousin Camellia joked about needing to warm up before lifting their forks at breakfast, but some mornings it just wasn’t so funny.

Deep down, Zoysia knew that it was in part because of the pains of aging that this decision was weighing so heavily on her mind. Faced with her own mortality, she knew it was time to choose one of her children to be her heir or heiress and carry on the Foliage line. As her father had entrusted the responsibility to her, she must in turn pass the mantle. Oh, she wasn’t at death’s door or anything, but it was time to prepare. She had tried to be a good leader, maintaining good ties in the community and seeing that the family garden was not neglected. She had added three children to the family line, including a rare son! But even though she still was striving to reach her goal of becoming a Grand Master at Chess, she knew that the time was ripe to pass on the family leadership role.

And so she considered her three children.

Kale, her youngest, had her husband’s hair and her preference for staying indoors. He also had a good friend who happened to be an attractive young lady. Zoysia wondered if they would go to prom together. Kale had spent some time learning how to plant tomatoes and lettuce, but she wasn’t sure if it was out of a genuine interest or more out of duty.

Nandina was the middle child. Of course, she would bristle at the term “child,” because she had been much happier in her teen years than in her childhood. Although she still struggled a bit with her weight, Nan was a very active girl and had come into her own socially. She had a wide range of friends and had dated a little but didn’t have a special someone at the moment.

Ivy, the oldest, was a mystery to Zoysia. Her lean figure and striking looks should have made her quite popular, but she preferred her own company to a crowd. Her late-night jogs to destinations unknown made Zoysia a little nervous, but her fears were allayed when she saw Ivy hard at work, fertilizing the soil around a tender young plant. It was hard to reconcile that Ivy with the one who laughed when somebody suffered an embarrassment. Zoysia hoped to connect with her over the chess table and find out what was going on behind those guarded eyes of hers.

Zoysia talked a little bit with her sister Violet and with cousin Cam, but they were very busy with their own lives. Cam dedicated most of her time outside the science lab to cultivating the family garden and conducting science experiments around the house.

Violet was so busy trying to get promoted – now that on her fourth try, she had finally found a career that felt right – that she had very little free time. Zoysia even helped Petal with her homework and read her a bedtime story every now and then when her mother had to work late.

Zoysia did talk to Kurtis about the decision, and she asked him for his thoughts. He offered what he knew about the kids’ thoughts on marriage, raising children, running a household, and maintaining the garden, and his input matched Zoysia’s thoughts, more or less. He said he would try to chat with each of them and really sound them out.

In the middle of all this, prom night arrived with all the pomp, circumstance, and limousine rides that a teen could want. Nan and Kale surprised Zoysia and Kurtis by both going stag, but they looked so stunning and almost grown that she could barely keep the proud tears from overflowing her eyes.

The whole family was there to see them off, except for Ivy, who was inexplicably missing…

When Kale and Nandina got home that night, all they could talk about was Kale getting elected prom king and Nan dancing all night with Brady, that cute guy that had come by to babysit for Petal a couple of times when she was a toddler.

Petal was growing up so quickly, too. On her sixth birthday, she had made such a funny face on taking a big bite of her bakery birthday cake. She immediately declared that she could make a better cake than that, and she made friends with the Easimbake oven that her cousins had played with years ago.

As the school year drew to a close, Nan and Brady were seeing a lot of each other. He came over often, and several of the family members got to know him. None as well as Nan, though.

As the school year drew to a close, Nan and Brady were seeing a lot of each other. He came over often, and several of the family members got to know him. None as well as Nan, though. Kale jokingly started referring to the couple as Brandina, and Zoysia and Kurtis struggled not to laugh at the nickname.

One day when Kale was joking around in the kitchen, Zoysia took the opportunity to talk to him about his feelings for Quiana and his plans for the future, since he would be next to graduate. He confessed to having a bit of a crush on his friend Quiana, although he hadn’t yet worked up the courage to tell her. He told his mother about his interest in writing; in fact, he had already been working on a book and hoped to have it published soon! He also told his mom that he hoped it wouldn’t hurt her feelings to know that he didn’t really enjoy being outside in the garden. “Now if you get some little pots of herbs in the window sill, I’ll be glad to take care of them during writing breaks, but I’m just not wild about the outdoors,” he said. Zoysia smiled and hugged him. If he only knew how like her he was!

Finally, in the middle of her hardest chess match yet, it came to her. Zoysia’s decision was made. Energized by her decision, she could suddenly see moves far ahead, and just like lives playing out in the future, she could see the fates of each little pawn, knight, and rook. Like that she won the game, defeating the reigning master and winning for herself the title of Grand Master!

She knew who would be the one to carry on the Foliage legacy in this house on the hill. She went right away to tell her chosen child.

She found her standing in her room, looking wistfully at the picture from her prom night.

“Nandina, I need to talk to you,” she began. Nandina turned and smiled questioningly at her mother. And Zoysia began to tell her all that her father had told her, about how their family began when a young woman named Flora came to Legacy Valley and resolved to put down roots, both figuratively and literally. Zoysia explained their heritage of family and land, of nurture and growth. Of course, she had shared parts of the story with all her children before, but this time she gave the full history. As she told of each generation, Nan’s eyes shone brighter, and understanding began to dawn.

“Nan, dear child – no, dear young woman – I see in you a zest for life, the ability to love strongly and well, and an interest in continuing and even improving our family’s life here. Do you accept the responsibility of carrying on the family legacy?”

“Yes!” Nandina said firmly and then grabbed her mother in a strong bear hug. They both laughed and then wiped a couple of tears away.  The moment had been intense, and they both felt the release.

“You’re just starting out, and I’ll be here to guide you, but I have confidence in you, my beautiful Nandina. Don’t ever doubt yourself.” And with that encouragement, Zoysia gave her daughter a quick hug and then walked away to leave her with her thoughts. For a moment Zoysia felt a twinge of wistfulness at having passed the torch, but this was quickly overcome by her satisfaction in having made the right choice. Family was important to Nan, and she would see to it that the Foliage garden would never lie fallow.

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