The plant arrived as a gift in a cheap plastic pot. I almost returned it. Instead I set it on the windowsill that gets the afternoon light and decided to treat it like a temporary experiment.
The first week I overwatered it. The second week I forgot it entirely. By the third week the leaves had begun to lean toward the glass as if they were trying to leave.
I started checking it the same way I check the weather: without expectation. A quick look while the kettle boiled. A slight turn of the pot so the other side could face the light. Once a month I wiped the dust from the leaves with a damp cloth. The plant did not thank me. It simply stopped dying.
Section 3
Six months later it has outgrown its original pot. I moved it into a ceramic one I found at a second-hand shop. The new soil is darker. The leaves are thicker. Sometimes, when I come home late, I notice that the apartment smells faintly of green things. That is enough.