Their Tree

She was flying. Higher and higher if only she could fly to another place. Get away from this stupid town. When she came here for a weekend two months ago she never expected to actually have to stay. She wanted to go back to mom, wherever she was. If only she could live in the tree, that was her safe place away from the constant yelling. The anger that had eaten her mom alive and why she’d left her only daughter here, Millie would never understand. Higher and higher towards the bright blue sky and then she heard a slight cough and tumbled to the ground. She slammed into the ground with the force of gravity. Millie looked up and saw a boy, looking down at her with an amused expression covering his face. "Are you alright?" He drawled at her, she stood up quickly, "yes I'm fine... why are you in my yard?" She asked. “Well it’s not actually your yard”. The mysterious boy said, “this is technically public property, it just so happens to be very close to your yard.” He went on “Also why are you swinging on a swing set made for children, you have to be at least fifteen.” She gave him an expression of disgust. “I am in fact sixteen, and swinging has no age limit.” He chuckled, “well if you don’t mind I’m gonna read my book by my tree.” She took a step toward him with such intensity he took a step back. “This isn’t your tree actually it’s mine.” She looked at the tree, the most beautiful Oak tree, the tree that her mom would chase her around as a child. Her safe place, that's what her mom told her it was for her growing up and now it was Millie’s too. The boy looked at her with an expression of surprise. “I’m sorry I didn’t know it meant so much to you...but it also means a lot to me.” She looked at him quizzically. “How so?” She asked. “Well it’s where my mom and dad met and it’s also where they got married a few years later.” The girl's hard demeanor changed, and she felt her heart soften slightly. “It used to be where my mom played as a child, and where she’d play with me anytime we’d have to stay at my Grandma’s when I was a kid… I guess it’s both of our tree then.” She sat back down on the swing set and the boy sat away from her and read. They didn’t speak to each other again but an agreement had been made. The tree could mean something to more than just Millie she thought, but she knew in her heart it was always gonna be hers. 

As the dark of evening came, the boy left with a slight nod towards Millie and turned to walk away. She called out “what is your name?” The boy turned back “Wilson” he said and turned back to keep walking, never even asking hers. She thought to herself how strange that was as she began the walk back to the house. As she entered the small, cramped, dingy house she turned her focus on making it inside without making any noise. Hopeful she could avoid her Grandmother tonight, but as she stepped down a loud creak came from the old rotting floors. Her Grandmother yelled out “Millie where have you been? I have been waiting all day for you to come make me some food!” Millie stalked into the living room trying to smile and apologize quickly lest to avoid her Grandmother’s yelling fits. “I’m sorry Grandma, I was doing some homework outside and lost track of time,” she fibbed. She wasn’t her maid but her Grandma treated her like she paid her to do the things she asked. “Oh really?” Her Grandma said, and Millie knew she had messed up. “Well we both know that no matter how hard you try you’ll never be smart enough to do anything with yourself, you’re just as stupid and worthless as your good for nothing mother.” Millie didn’t say anything, just went to the kitchen and started to heat up some leftovers for herself and her Grandmother. Her Grandmother didn’t stop there though, her voice began to rise “that was your mother’s problem to, she thought she could actually do something with her life and look at her now… abandoned her daughter, doing who knows what in some dingy hotel with whatever man she meets next, and you’ll be just like her.” Millie felt her pulse quicken, and her hands begin to shake, she knew better than to try and defend her mom and even more so to try and defend herself. She finished heating up the leftover lasagna she’d made last night and made her way back to her Grandmother who was posted in her rocking chair, which she sat in all day. Ordering and berating Millie all day long, sitting stewing in her hatred. Her hatred of Millie, her mom, and really life itself. Millie had lost her appetite and as she excused herself to go to bed, her Grandmother commented “good good, you could benefit from skipping a meal or two.” Millie grimaced and made her way to her bedroom, which was really  her mother’s bedroom. Millie hadn’t changed a thing, she’d never call this place home, she was just waiting for her mom to finally come back and get her out of here, or graduate and move whichever came first at this point. Millie laid in bed that night thinking of her tree and that boy...Wilson, he was handsome she supposed, he had dark hair and green eyes, not that she looked too hard at him. Millie herself was blonde and blue eyed, just like her mom, maybe that's why her Grandma always was so hard on Millie. She reminded her of the person she hated most in the world. Her own daughter. Millie fell asleep that night hoping that tomorrow would come and just maybe she’d find an escape from this place. 

In the morning Millie woke to the sound of her Grandmother pounding on her door yelling how lazy she was. It was six in the morning. It was Sunday so Millie was expected to cook her breakfast, do the laundry, and clean the house. Millie got started as soon as she could, the faster she finished the faster she could get out to the tree and waste the day away reading, swinging, or even napping. She went about her work ignoring her Grandmother’s constant insults and ramblings and by noon she was finished for the day. Millie made up her backpack and sat outside and felt like she could breathe again. As she made her way over to the tree she saw yet another person seated under it. She felt a sense of shock as she saw a little girl playing under the tree all by herself, the little girl had to be about ten years old. Millie approached and the girl looked up and smiled at her, “Hi I’m Allison and up there is my brother Max, who are you?” Millie looked up to see a boy up in the tree as far as you could climb, Millie looked back at the girl and said “I’m Millie, do you mind if I sit up with her for a while?” “Sure,'' said Allison, her brother didn’t say anything at all, just staring out across the town in his perch. Millie sat on the swing and began to read her book, Allison asked “what are you reading?” Millie said “The Giving Tree” and felt slightly embarrassed because it was her favorite story and it was meant for children. Allison though perked up “I love that story, the tree in the book is like our tree!” Millie glanced up at the boy as he began to nod. Allison said “Max doesn’t talk much, but he and I come here a lot.” Millie looked down and said “ya, it’s the best tree around isn’t it, when I was your age my mom and I used to play under this tree all day long, and when my mom was my age she used to sit out here all day and read.” Allison said “ya we come out here when mom and dad are fighting.” Allison and Max looked at each other with a mutual sadness in their eyes. She continued “sometimes we talk about moving here to live in the tree.” Millie understood completely as she herself had considered it over a thousand times. They continued like that in comfortable silence, Allison playing, Millie reading, and Max staring out over the tree. 

Some time later, Wilson walked up and saw all of us in our spots and asked “is there room for one more?” Allison responded “yes, who are you?” Wilson said “I’m Wilson” and took a seat. Allison then said “I’m Allison, up there is my brother Max and this is our friend Millie.” Wilson waved to Max and then looked at Millie, “Millie and I have met.” He smiled at her wryly, almost to challenge her. Millie met his gaze and asked “so, Wilson, your parents met  under this tree right? Why don’t they come here?” Wilson's smile dropped and he said “my dad passed away a few years ago, my mom finds it too hard to come see it anymore. When I was a kid we used to have picnics under the tree every weekend, so sometimes I come here by myself and just read.” Millie felt her heart hurt for him, she hadn’t meant to bring up something so painful. “I’m sorry” is all she could say, and Wilson looked at her and smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Millie stood suddenly and turned to them all and said with intensity “So this is our tree, let’s make it official we are going to each carve our initials into it.” Allison smiled and looked at Max who was already climbing down to participate. Wilson laughed and said “then I say we play a game of tag” and at that Allison was practically jumping up and down. Millie looked at all of them and realized that they all had found their safe place here at this tree. A place to escape, a place to remember, a place to laugh and cry and feel protected from whatever was going on in their life. Millie thought that even if her mom had just left her here, she had given her a safe place, the tree. She knew her mom may not come back, but Millie knew she’d be ok. She wasn’t alone anymore, and that made today a lot better than yesterday. As they each took a turn carving their names into the tree she felt as though each of them felt similar to her as well like a connection between them had been created that was something they all needed. Millie smiled a real smile, and Wilson smiled back, Allison and Max laughed and then Wilson pushed Millie on the arm and said “tag you’re it and ran.” Millie laughed and chased him around the tree and the day went on under the tree and Millie felt as though for the first time since being at her Grandma’s house she was truly happy.