Lucia's Bench

The first repair began on a Tuesday. Workers closed the lower path and placed signs where visitors could see them. Giulia walked the temporary route with the assessor, who checked the surface and handrail. The gardener moved several pots so the path was wide enough for a wheelchair and a companion to pass.

Ada helped Renata prepare the garden room for a visit from the childcare provider. The provider, Marta, examined the exits, asked about restrooms and counted the tables. She explained that her team would bring age-appropriate activities and that parents would receive clear information about collection times and contacts.

“We can offer the service if we have enough qualified staff,” she said. “I'll confirm after checking their availability.”

Silvio attended the meeting for the first ten minutes, then left the details to Marta and Renata. Ada noticed that he asked who would be responsible rather than assuming that anyone nearby could supervise children.

After the meeting, he found Ada looking at a wooden bench beneath a lemon tree. A small brass plate carried Lucia's name.

“She used to sit here with a notebook,” he said. “She wrote down what the gardeners needed and what visitors asked for.”

“Was she a gardener?”

“She was an architect. The garden was her way of making a place where people could meet without buying anything.”

Ada looked across the lawn. “The family center could use a place like that.”

“That's what she wanted.”

He explained that after Lucia's death, the garden had stayed open on limited days. Over time the costs rose, and he had begun to think closing it might be the only responsible choice. He had not considered asking local groups how they used it or what they might contribute.

“You can't ask them to pay for everything,” Ada said.

“No. But I can ask what matters to them before I decide.”

They arranged a public meeting for the following week. Leila offered to invite families from the center, and the gardener would explain the proposed repair stages. Silvio asked Renata to circulate the budget in plain language, with a separate note about which costs the company would cover.

The meeting was not easy. One neighbor accused Silvio of neglecting the garden. Another wanted the event canceled because parking would be difficult. A parent asked whether the accessible path would remain open after the dinner. Silvio answered what he knew and wrote down what he did not.

“We won't call the work finished until the assessor confirms it,” he said. “And we will publish the schedule for the remaining repairs.”

A retired teacher offered to organize volunteer planting days after the construction. Leila suggested a small advisory group with parents, neighbors and staff. Giulia cautioned that volunteers should not be asked to repair paving or take on work requiring specialists. Everyone agreed.

At home, Ada told Nina that the flowers would have many guards. “Do they get badges?” Nina asked.

“Maybe paper ones.”

“Mine should have a lemon.”

Ada drew a lemon on the back of the old badge. Nina inspected it and added three dots for seeds. She then asked whether Lucia could see the garden. Ada explained gently that Lucia had died, and that people remembered her through the things she had loved and made.

Nina thought about this. “Then we can water her flowers.”

“Yes,” Ada said. “We can do that.”