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"Are you sure?"

"Charlie!"

The young woman laughed, and then tried to compose herself. "This way, Mr. Clark." She opened the bedroom door, and led Adam inside. Even though he hadn't been the one to bring any of the furniture into this room, he could tell Charlie hadn't moved it from where Hiram and Mike had stacked it. Except for some new white drapes against one side of the wall, everything looked disorganized and messy.

"Okay," hesitated Adam. "What's the surprise?" Just then, a small gust of wind unexpectedly made the drapes move. "Wait a minute," he breathed, "I don't recall there ever being a window over there." Adam stepped closer to examine the wall. With a cry of surprise, he thrust aside the curtain and gazed in dumbfounded wonderment at the sight before him!

A matching sandstone wall as thick and as tall as the rest of the house, had been constructed around an area bigger than the backyard Adam had in town. Stunned, he stepped through the open sliding glass door and onto the flagstone that paved off a small patio with a wrought iron bistro set. Beyond the flagstone, spread a carpet of luxurious green grass. Except for a space on his right that had been cleared away for someone to start a vegetable garden, the grass covered the entire yard.

As much as all this amazed Adam, the thing that held his attention the most, was the large shade tree that had been planted against the far wall of the enclosed garden. Its branches were perfectly situated to be a prime spot to sit beneath during the heat of the day.

"When did all this happen?" Adam finally found his voice.

"We did it while you were working on your music!" Charlie laughed. "Grandma helped make sure you didn't look out the window at the wrong time and spoil the surprise!"

"It's definitely a surprise," he acknowledged.

"Over there," Charlie pointed out, "is a solid wooden entry gate, so you can get in without having to go through the bedroom." The entry gate was as tall as the rest of the wall, and so sturdily built, that it was impossible to see through. By the size of the lock, Adam realized it had been put there to ensure privacy.

"Come, I want to show you the tool shed," she excitedly pulled him forward by the hand. The shed was near the area designated for the vegetable garden, and had enough space to house all of Adam's tools.

From his new vantage, Adam noticed large plants against the pink hued walls, and smiled when he realized they were rose bushes. White fragrant blooms greeted his nostrils, and combined with the sweet smell of grass, tree leaves, and fresh air. Just outside these thick walls, lay the barren expanse of the Mojave Desert. But within this garden sanctuary, all Adam could see was green. It was such an unexpected contrast, that he was having a hard time getting over it.

"Did you put in irrigation?" his plumber's mind finally thought to ask. "I sure know, I didn't do it!"

"Hiram and Mike took care of it," answered Charlie. "They installed some fancy irrigation, so when you don't want to set out the sprinkler, you can water everything automatically."

"Where's the fun in that?" smiled Adam. "Charlie, I don't know what to say. This is so unexpected!"

The couple took off their shoes and enjoyed the lush feel of the natural green carpet as they walked to the large shade tree and sat down to enjoy the view.

"I can't believe you did this. The garden is breathtaking, Charlie!"

"I was hoping you'd like it."

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