The ponds looked unfamiliar.
The father stood beside the bank wearing old rubber boots and a stained canvas jacket.
His face was exhausted.
She approached.
"Dad?"
He turned.
For a moment, he seemed relieved to see her.
Then he looked toward the pond.
"It's bad."
She nodded.
"I can see."
He rubbed his hands together.
"We're trying to find out why."
The daughter looked toward the damaged aeration system.
Then the dead fish.
Her heart sank.
She knew how much the business meant to him.
But she also knew the farm had little money available for another expensive recovery.
She took a breath.
"Maybe this is the time to stop."
Her father looked toward her.
"What?"
She swallowed.
"I mean... maybe you shouldn't put more money into the ponds."
His expression hardened.
"They can be fixed."
"Dad."
He shook his head.
"The water's coming from somewhere. Something changed."
She looked toward the ponds.
"Maybe. But you've lost almost everything in them."
He turned away.
She stepped closer.
"I'm worried about you."
His voice became sharp.
"Then don't tell me to quit."
The daughter froze.
She had come because she loved him.
He heard only that she didn't believe in him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then she whispered, "I'm not asking you to quit living, Dad."
He looked toward the water.
She continued.
"I'm asking you to stop losing yourself trying to save something that might be gone."
Her father closed his eyes.
For a moment, he seemed ready to speak.
Then he said quietly, "Your mother and I built this place together."
The daughter swallowed.
"I know."
He looked toward the blue bench.
"She planted those trees."
"I remember."
His voice trembled.
"She said the ponds made this place feel alive."
The young woman began crying.
Her father looked away.
Neither knew what to do with the grief standing between them.
The following morning, she returned to Des Moines.
They didn't speak for nearly three weeks.
And that silence became one of the regrets she carried after his death.
The official investigation into the fish losses never produced a simple answer.
Several water-quality problems had occurred close together.
The testing documented oxygen stress and changing water chemistry.
Other results raised concerns about runoff entering the pond system after heavy rain.
The fisheries specialist recommended additional monitoring before any attempt to restock.
The father agreed.
But people in the county wanted a simpler explanation.
Some said he'd overstocked the ponds.
Others blamed poor maintenance.
A few suggested the business had been failing long before the fish died.
Rumors spread quickly.
The local feed store stopped extending credit.
One buyer canceled an order.
Another refused to purchase anything associated with the farm until the water-quality questions were resolved.