Forever Together

Forever Together,

The great oak tree

“So, are you going to tell me?” Jason asked curiously. I wondered when he would ask, not much got by him. 

“Tell you what?” I decide to play coy. He gives me a look before taking a sip of the wine I brought; Merlot, to be exact; it had to be. 

“About this tree” he gestures upwards to the giant old oak tree that was providing us shade. I swirled my Merlot around in my plastic wine glass, before taking a small sip, pursing my lips. 

“I just like this tree” I shrug, and he laughs, shaking his head. It’s clear he doesn’t believe me, I can see it on his face, and hear it in his voice. 

“Fine, you don’t have to tell me” he decides, putting away his empty wine glass into the backpack he had brought for our picnic. “It’s a nice spot, though” he comments, and of course I can’t help but agree. 

The tree was located in the park at the centre of town, across the street from our town hall. It sat here, for over one hundred years, and I always seemed to find my way back here. My parents brought me here as a kid. I brought my friends here. I made memories here. It was just special. 

“There’s a lot of history with this tree” I speak after a brief moment of comfortable silence. That’s one of the things I liked about Jason; we could sit in a comfortable silence. This was our first date, though we had known each other for quite some time. 

“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to” Jason assures me, like the gentleman he is. Perhaps because I have known him awhile, I don’t mind divulging to him the history of this tree. 

“My parents had their first date under this tree” I tell him, smiling. “They got married here actually, too” I add, making myself more comfortable on the grass. I hope I don’t scare him off with that comment, but he doesn’t seem bothered when I try and read his reaction. 

“Oh, wow! That’s pretty cool” he simply states, beginning to see why I insisted on having our date under this tree. “So that must mean I’m somebody pretty special, yeah?” He asks with a smirk, and I blush; I can feel the heat creep up my cheeks. 

“Yeah, I guess it does make you pretty special” I speak softly, but the smile doesn’t leave my face. This is the spot I always come to whenever I need to think, or be alone... I wanted to share that” I tell him, deciding to stop being coy and be honest. My answer surprises him, though he does seem excited by my answer. 

“I think you’re pretty special too” he admits, leaning over and kissing me softly

*** 

“Why are we here?” Jessica whined, feeling tired. She folded her arms across her chest, annoyed that she had been brought out here when she could be doing something else. 

“Because, honey” Jason leans down to her level, adjusting her bright yellow rain coat. “I wanted to show you something” he smiles though he admits this was harder than he had anticipated. He turns and takes a look at the tree, the same one from ten years ago. 

“What is it?” She asks, clearly impatient. Jason chuckles, picking her up and focusing their attention on the tree. 

“This tree, is where your mother and I had our first date” he tells his daughter, who looks confused, before then intrigued. “We also got married in this very spot” he adds, and his daughter remains silent. 

“It is?” She asks, and Jason nods, the feeling in his eyes becoming all too familiar. 

“Yes. It’s where we always came. She came here to be alone, to collect her thoughts, and we also came together... a lot of memories are under this tree” he speaks softer now, and his daughter realizes he is crying. 

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” She asked, so innocently as any five year old would. “Do you miss her?” 

“I do honey, every day” he speaks honestly, trying to even out his tone. It didn’t matter how long it had been, he missed her like the accident was yesterday. If there was one thing that got him through the day however, it was their daughter, Jessica. He had vowed on the day she passed to show Jessica this very tree. He wanted it to become somewhere she would come to think, or to be alone. Somewhere she could come to be closer to her mother, who was taken from her far too soon. He wanted her to have a piece of her mother, who he knew she would have no memory of the older she grew. 

“Can I visit her here?” Jessica asks, and of course Jason nods, setting her back down on the ground. The young girl runs in her little rubber boots, approaching the tree with caution. It only takes her a moment before she wraps her arms as far around the tree as she can. 

“What are you doing, sweetie?” Jason asks, chuckling. 

“I’m giving mommy a hug” she replies innocently. “I love you, mommy. Daddy misses you” she says quietly, but loud enough so that her dad heard. “I’m going to visit you here sometimes, and play with my friends. I hope that’s okay” her innocence shows, and it causes Jason to tear up once more.

It had only been a year since the fateful crash, the day his life changed forever. He came to this very spot the night she died, and almost every week since. This was there spot; the place he could come to feel close to her once more.

As much as his wife’s passing hurt, knowing his daughter was going to make this tree a place to come be closer with her, brought him a sort of peace he couldn’t quite explain. He knew she would be happy.