When we return to Atlanta, we will likely purchase a condo, boxing ourselves into a stackable community.
Knowing this future helps me enjoy our current backyard all the more. Squirrels spiral up and down the weathered pines. Chameleons skitter along the lip of the pool. Dragonflies swoop from boxwood to boxwood, and hummingbirds hover in the azaleas.
In the middle of it all, Clyde works like an alchemist. He walks along the edge of the pool, pouring in packets of white powder. He buys hand-sized plastic fish, snipping off their top fin and squeezing out an invisible gel — a chemical solar shield designed to passively heat the water. He dips strips of test paper and peers at the tiny squares — red, violet, pastel green.
The water sparkles. Clyde is why.
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