by Breezycycle

Created on: June 11, 2009   Last Updated: December 28, 2011

"Grapes don't grow in gardens!" Shelly said to her dad.

Kevin Roberts and his daughter Shelly didn't grow enough grapes to really call it a vineyard, so they  stumbled around with what to call the backyard area where they worked together doing what they called  their "Labor of Love."

They loved working the soil for their Concord grapes. Their grapes grew in a perfect location with the plants getting just the right amount of sun and the soil drained well there. Working in their grape garden seemed to be good for both of  them. Kevin's wife, Shelly's mom, had passed away two years before and working together in their garden was what helped them deal with their loss.

" Mom used to say that 'being productive is the best way to get over a broken heart."  Shelly sighed. "We're very productive, Dad, but I have never gotten over losing Mom ."

Kevin put his arm around Shelly and smiled his special smile that told Shelly that he understood.

"Your  Mom loved our garden. Keeping it going is the way we can feel connected, the way we did when she was with us."

Shelly kept working, silently with her thoughts and memories.

Early in the planting season, Keven and Shelly went to Maury's Garden Emporium to carefully look over each Concord grape plant to select what they thought would be the best  for their grape garden.

"Let's be sure to peek at its root system," Kevin suggested, so "we get the healthiest  Concord plants." .

"Michael, is that you?" a soft voice asked from behind them.

A look of recognition passed over Dad's face at the sound of the woman's voice. Shelly thought she saw a smile sweep over her father's face before Kevin even turned around.

"Susan," was his only response at first. Shelly thought she  heard him sigh.

"Susan," he repeated. "Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in twenty......"

"Thirty...," Susan corrected him.

"Years," Dad finished for her. "Thirty Years ! How is that possible?"

Then they just stood there smiling at each other, not saying anything.

Shelly had already started to back up a bit, as if she sensed that this was  something very personal happening between her dad and this woman.

Kevin shifted his stance, looked at Shelly and then back to Susan and said, "Susan, I would like you to meet my daughter Shelly."

"Shelly, I am happy to meet you, " Susan said, moving a couple of steps closer to Shelly.

Kevin and Susan talked for

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