Tree

Tree's story

 

**Disclaimer** This story is based off of a story I read. Although the writing are mine, most of the storyline does not belong to me.

 

For a long time, my nickname had always been Tree. Why? Ever since I was little, I loved painting them. Maple, cherry blossom, pine…I’ve done them all. My notebooks were decorated by leaves and my pencils had vines drawn on with permanent marker. Even my signature had a tree beside it in the corner of all my watercolor pictures. I never kept any pictures because I grew tired of them after a while so I sold them. But there is one picture I could never let go. It was an oak tree, my favorite.

She was the reason why my favorite tree was oak. I met her the spring before high school. She had been collecting leaves of an ancient oak. I stopped dead in my tracks. I was immediately captivated at the view before me and couldn’t do anything except gaze in wonder at her. Her long hair fell in soft waves past her shoulders. A rapidly-filling basket lay at her side. The sunlight danced on her smooth skin. It seemed the sun cast his favors upon her gentle smiling face. She seemed so at ease with herself and the very air seemed to grin with her.

A warm feeling engulfed me as I watched her. What is this feeling? I had asked myself, unable to tear my eyes away from her radiant smile. Could it be love? And my heart beat the sure answer. When the new school year started, she was in my class and, as I spent more time with her, the more I came to love her warm presence that had entranced me in the first place. I loved her a lot, but I never dared to chase after her. From an outsider’s point of view, she wasn’t anything special. Her face wasn’t really pretty, her body wasn’t great, and had virtually no charm to speak of. She was just a girl, and terribly plain.

I loved her. I really did. When my friends laughed at her apparent plainness, I noticed her. I loved her innocence and frankness. To me, she was incredibly cute, especially when she laughed or blushed. She was clever and smart. Most of all, she was so delicate. Her presence always cast negative feelings away and, when she smiled, it made everything in the world right.

            I couldn’t say the reason why I didn’t chase her was because I was inexperienced. In fact, it was the opposite. I was no stranger to dating. I had seriously dated two girls before high school and both ended fairly well. In high school, I dated five more. No, the reasons were that I, being as arrogant as I was, felt that someone like her that was so painstakingly ordinary would not be a good match for me. Also, I was afraid that, after we are together, all the good feelings will eventually vanish and be replaced by pain. I hated to admit it, but I was afraid of one other thing. I was fearful that she would get hurt by gossip. It never occurred to me that she was strong enough to handle it. She was just a fragile china doll and should just look pretty, protected by her owner.

           No, I had said to myself. If she becomes my girl, there will be no turning back. I have too much to lose by being with her. How stupid, naïve, arrogant I was.

            She stayed with me for three years, always within reaching distance. She watched me chase after other girls, with a soft smile upon her face. What did she get in return? A heart that would cry for three years for one reason. I didn’t think how many times had that gentle heart shattered only to be broken again. I took her love for granted…and paid the price.

When I kissed my second girlfriend, she accidentally walked in on us. She was greatly embarrassed but still managed a smile. She said a small, "Don’t mind me!" before running off. When I saw her the next day, her eyes was swollen and, when she caught sight of me, averted her dark eyes. I joined my friends and laughed at her the whole day. I forced myself to not think about what caused her to cry though my heart resonated the reason with every painful beat. When everyone went home and all was quiet, I found her crying in the classroom, completely and totally alone. She didn't know that I returned from soccer training to get something. I quickly forgot what I was going to get as I watched her cry for an hour, each heartbeat a painful reminder.

My fourth girlfriend didn't like her. Once they got in a big fight that almost resulted in expulsion. I knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t the type that will pick a fight. And yet, understanding that, I still sided with my girlfriend. I shouted cruel words at her and her dark eyes were pools of shock and pain. At the time, I really didn't care about her feelings and left with my girlfriend. The next morning, she still laughed and joked with our friends, as if the whole thing never happened. Again, I knew that she was terribly hurt. And, again, I did nothing to comfort her.

When I broke up with my fifth girlfriend two weeks before the end of the year, I finally asked her out for lunch. Happily, she agreed. After lunch and touring the city, as I walked her home, we passed the oak tree where I first met her that spring day. I turned to her and stated that I had something important to tell her. Surprised, she said she had something to tell me as well. I told her about my break up and she told me about her new relationship.

I knew who it was. Apparently, he had chased after her for a long time. He was charming, funny, lively, and caring. His pursuit for her had been the talk of the school. And I knew she continued to stay by me and paid no attention to him. Or so I had thought.

I was shocked and thoroughly shaken. I came to rely on the fact that she would always love me and be there for whenever I needed her. I realized how much I had used her. Somehow, I was able to smile and congratulate her. My heart twisted and writhed in pain. I forced a smile until the moment she turned away from me. When I got home, the heartache is so strong that I couldn't stand it. Tears that I couldn’t hold slipped down my face, each a reminder of my stupidity. It was like my heart had given up and transformed into stone in my chest.

I couldn't breathe. I wanted to shout but I couldn’t. Even my ability to speak was taken from me. Tears continued to roll down and I finally broke down. I silently suffered the torture that my heart had placed upon me. It was then I finally realized what I had put her through. Was it this painful for her? How many times I had I made her suffer like this? In what world was it alright to make someone endure such a dark and consuming weight not once, but at least five times? How many times have I seen her cry? All those tears, sorrows, pains, all for the man that wouldn't even acknowledge her presence…

The day I finally graduated, I was going through unread emails that had piled up. My computer had broken down two days before she rejected me. As I was scanning through the twenty-some emails, one caught my eye. The date beside it told me it was sent two and a half weeks ago. After reading it, I broke down and cried again. I understood what it meant and it brought back the waves of pain. I hadn't read it since then. It said, "Leaf’s departure is because of Wind’s pursuit. Or maybe it is because Tree didn't ask her to stay."

Author's Note

Any suggestions?

Reviews

[Lucia]

This is brilliant! So descriptive...I was practically hanging off my seat. My heart really feels tired from reading about such heartache. It was very dramatic and sad, but the similes you used were perfect, and your metaphors...even greater! I wish I could stay and read the rest, but I must go and finish my homework. But I can't wait to come back on my computer to read this~

[musical-waltz]

Oh my Gosh! OH MY GOSH! I read this before!
叶子的离开是因为风的追求，还是树的不挽留？

Great writing anyway! GOOD JOB!