Let's Meet on the Wood Deck

The early summer breeze blew through, and the sprinklers made the water dance with a sparkle. It was a pleasant holiday afternoon, filled with the scent of grass and wood. I was checking the lumber piled up in a corner of the garden. I was about to DIY a wood deck.

Recently, my wife has been busy with lessons with her friends. My high school daughter has also started going out more often. But I think to myself, we should have more time for family bonding. If we had a wood deck, we could spend our holiday afternoons together, perhaps while having a barbecue.

However, there is one thing that bothers me. My neighbor has also started building a wood deck. Could such a coincidence really happen? Perhaps they are competing with us... No, that's probably overthinking it. But I have no intention of losing.

Since then, I have used my holidays to keep building the deck. My collection of tools grew almost every week. Every time she saw them, the wrinkles between my wife's eyebrows deepened. Working alone was tough, but when I thought of the happy faces of my wife and daughter once it was finished, it was nothing.

The neighbor's deck is also progressing steadily. Perhaps our holidays are different, as we never crossed paths. As my work progressed, they seemed to be rushing to finish theirs as if to overtake me. The early summer breeze seemed to stroke my pleasantly flushed body.

A month later, the wood deck was finished. The wood grain was beautifully aligned, and the assembly was precise down to the millimeter. The neighbor seems to have finished theirs too, but of course, ours is better.

I immediately proposed a holiday barbecue to my wife and daughter to celebrate the completion.

“I have Pilates today, so I'll be home late. I'll just buy some beef bowls.”
“I can't. I want to get my blonde hair touched up at the salon. Maybe next time.”
“I see. You two take care... and for the beef bowl, please ask for extra green onions.”

Without a hint of hesitation, the two of them left. Left behind, I sat on the wood deck and sighed. The sunset eventually dyed the quiet garden red. The barbecue grill and camping chairs cast long shadows.

Suddenly, I felt a gaze. Beyond the fence, my neighbor was standing alone. He was staring intently at our wood deck. I wondered if the beer in his hand was well-chilled, as water droplets were running down it.

“This person too...”

I looked at the neighbor's wood deck again. It was quite well-made. The tools left on the deck seemed to smile proudly. The image of him sweating over his work came vividly to mind.

As if drawn to him, I walked toward him.

◆

“I'm home. Oh, Dad, who are you talking to?”
“The neighbor. It looks like you've made a friend.”

That day, the two wood decks listened to the men's DIY discussion until late into the night.


(End)

There is a kind of nourishment that can only be obtained from a cliché title, isn't there?

This Meteorite Uncle also has a similar theme.

I participated in this project.

■ Lines
“Extra green onions”
■ Three Topics
・Beef bowl
・Blonde hair
・Deck

▼Submission Rules

• Submission Deadline (Optional): Thursday, May 14, 2026, 23:59

• Post with the hashtags "#ThreeLineDialogue" and "#BeefBowlBlondeDeck"

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