The Moreno family moved in next to Mr. Haddad. He was old and stern, and he never said good morning. Behind a tall fence he had a perfect garden.
One Saturday the children's red ball flew over the fence. Lila, who was nine, rang the bell. Mr. Haddad opened the gate with folded arms. "The ball is in the tomatoes," he said. "Walk on the stones."
The next day the ball flew over again, by "accident". Mr. Haddad said nothing. But the day after, the small gate in the fence was open, and a bucket of water stood beside it. A note said: "For the tomatoes. Six o'clock."
In July the children watered the garden every evening. At the end of the summer the small gate was a small blue door, and Mr. Haddad said "Good morning!" first.
