19. The Plant

Bootstrapping with hydroponics lately, I was fascinated with this miniature money tree growing on pumice with no direct need for sunlight and surviving on as little as a tablespoon of water a week. It's a low maintenance indoor plant. I decided to take on another plant, the name of which escapes me now, and asked my wife if I could put in the toilet. The plant has elongated leaves that sprout from stems making each branch look like a crown. Everyday, when visiting the toilet, I look at it to make sure it doesn't get too dry. It seemed fine for many weeks. But one day, I noticed the leaves were starting to rot. I kept on observing, sometimes putting the  plant near direct sunlight, or putting more water, to no avail. The thing with plants is they never talk back. I always have to guess if what I'm doing is right. Finally, I decided the plant should be taken away from the restroom. Maybe all that methane was bad for the thing. I put it beside the money tree, yet soon all the leaves were shed. The rescue operation was lost. Perhaps, I should have taken it out of the toilet when it showed signs of rotting? Perhaps, someone else was watering it not knowing it could drown?So much for this adventure with little indoor plants. I think it died. But last week,  a new crown sprouted. It's alive! It's probably the closest feeling I had gotten to be being a doctor -- when a thing dies, or looks like it died, and it is suddenly back to life. My plant and I fought and won over entropy. Well, it looks like it. So far. But, no, It's not going back to the toilet. I guess no plant could survive the conditions there. It must have been hell for the poor thing.