From
that first day, Julie and the kids quickly settled into the cottage on Gray
Road. Mama Ray and her granddaughters, Danielle and Tanya, became regulars in
the home and Mama would spend hours baking home-made bread or making “suppa.” The
girls would spend time with the kids, taking them for walks or playing games of
tag or hide-and-go-seek. For the first couple of days after “the incident”,
Julie would take Jeremy out to the tree. But, there was no recognition; no
complete sentences; no stillness. Jeremy would only look directly through the
tree, just like he had looked through so many other things, leaving Julie ever
confused, curious, and amazed by the boy.
Since
Jeremy could walk, Julie needed to implement safety guards throughout the house
so that he couldn’t wander outside and into unforeseen trouble. Unfortunately,
there were times when the boy would be found in a neighbor’s yard or plotting
to climb a tree in the park down the road. For this reason, there were alarms
and locks on the doors, and gates guarded each stairway at home and now in the
rental. So, it was a surprise to Julie when she got up in the middle of the
night for a glass of water and didn’t find Jeremy asleep in his bed. Panicked,
she immediately threw on all of the lights. She looked under all the beds, and
in all the closets. Suddenly, as if being slapped in the face, she knew exactly
where she would find him.
Jeremy
was talking, Julie couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying, but he was using
words that she knew. He seemed to be carrying on a conversation with the tree,
a real give and take discussion. From the fluctuation and intonation of his
voice, it was obvious that he was asking questions and acknowledging the tree’s
response. Julie moved closer as to not cause notice and quietly listened.
“How
old are you?” pause. “Wow” pause. “I do like it here.” Julie couldn’t stop
herself, she moved to Jeremy’s side and hugged him, she was so full of emotion
that the tears began to fall down her face. “Mama, the tree is lonely.” How
could the tree be lonely, she thought as she looked around at the yard full of
trees, bushes and weeds - lots and lots of weeds. Even though Maurice had mowed
the lawn, there was still so much overgrowth. “Is that so, why is that,
Jeremy?” she asked.
“Well,
Mama because she is alone, silly.”
Over
the next few weeks, while Mama and the girls watched the kids, Julie decided to
free the tree of its “loneliness.” She and Maurice, pulled, cut and trimmed. And,
as the yard took shape, it quickly became a retreat for the family. Julie found
a small table with two chairs in the basement, and after a much needed
cleaning, positioned it on the small brick patio that was recently discovered. Her
mornings were spent drinking coffee at this table; her afternoons were spent
watching the kids play; and her evenings were spent relaxing and taking in the
fresh air. Jeremy’s conversations with the tree continued, sporadically, and
usually when Julie wasn’t looking. She often asked him if the tree still felt
lonely, but his gaze remained blank and Julie knew her question didn’t register
to the boy.
As
the summer marched on, so did Julie’s relationship with Mama and Mama’s family.
Most days and nights were filled with at least one, but usually more, of Mama’s
family members coming in and out of the cottage, cooking, cleaning, painting or
doing whatever Mama had instructed them to do.
Julie learned more about the
family over this time. Mama had six kids and nineteen grandchildren. Her brother,
Aaron, the author of the advertisement for the rental, lived in the house at
the end of the road. She lived in the house across the street with her two
granddaughters and the other three homes were occupied by three of her kids. Julie
learned that the father of Danielle and Tanya, her son Terrence, was in the
army and she was appointed guardianship of the girls. There was no mention of
their mother. Julie also opened up to Mama during their nightly talks.
“He
says he needs a break,” admitted Julie.
“Oh,
honey that boy is a father and a husband, he don’t get no break,” replied Mama.
“Is he steppin’ out on you?”
“No”
said Julie, although that was her first assumption, but he firmly denied that
there was anyone else. And she believed him.
Since
the day her husband, David, came home and said he needed “some time”, Julie had
not heard a word from him. He had not even contacted the kids. Julie knew that
Jeremy’s behaviors affected David in a way she couldn’t understand. His
coldness towards their son had turned frigid and so did his feelings towards
her. He blamed her and she knew it. He said that Julie and the kids could stay
in their house, but she decided some time away would benefit them all. She
asked for a leave of absence from her company, packed up the kids into her new
SUV and drove. It wasn’t until she reached Virginia, when she read the
advertisement for the “Short-Term or Long-Term rental.” North Carolina seemed
like a better place than any other to spend some time.
“It’s
an Apple tree” said Mama. “It used to bear all sorts of fruit, but it ain’t
given up nothin’ since my Daddy passed.” Julie guessed that the tree hadn’t
been pruned since his death, over twenty years ago.
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