Conversation 4: Snip

Dad was a pruner.  He could be ruthless. He'd hack away at anything he didn't understand, thinking he was shaping a plant. He had this little group of 'shaped' plants sitting in the bay window. Every week or so he'd grab the yellow handled pruning snips and go at them. He called it his window garden. We called it Dad's stick figures.

He'd say, “Pruning's a thing of love, son."

I'd nod. I knew he sincerely loved his plants.

He'd say, "See this little sucker coming off this branch? It’s gotta go." Snip, went the shears, and the new branch fell to the floor.

"Now what?" I'd ask, scratching my head.

"Plant's better off."

"I see," I'd answer, not understanding.

"Something better will grow." he'd clarify.

"What if that sucker was something the plant needed?"

"It wasn't." he'd answer.

"What if it was going to be a strong branch and grow something beautiful on it?"

He'd just look at me.

"Maybe a beautiful flower..." sometimes I persisted.

"Beautiful?" he'd cock his head toward me.

"Yes, something new, different. But beautiful."

"There was no flower in that sucker, son."

"But what if—"

"No, pretty sure there wasn't. I can tell."

"But maybe—"

"Then it'll grow back."

"Why wouldn't you wait—"

"Son, you ask a lot of questions for someone who's never grew a plant."

"I just wondered what would happen if you waited a bit..."

"Waited a bit? Wait? Son, that's the problem with most folks, they wait. Then it's too late. The whole plant gets messed up.  You ever hear of 'nip it in the bud?' It's a law of gardening. You don't wait to prune."

He'd then sweep up the snipped branches and leaves that had fallen to the floor, using a glossy ad insert from last Sunday's paper and dumped the whole thing into the kitchen trash.

"Oh by the way," he one time added. "Your mom tells me you signed up for a new club or something after school."

"The cooking club."

"You ever cook before, son?"

"Well no, that's why I thought—"

"Seems to me a cooking club would be for cookers."

"And people who might to learn to—"

"Doesn't sound like a good idea to me."

"But Dad..."

"Thought you were going to be an artist?"

"Yes, but..."

Snip