Under The Pear Tree

The days flew by as Caroline watched Jeremy weaken from cancer that ravaged his body. Their time together was limited now. It tore at her heart like no other loss ever had or would. She spent the morning sitting on the front porch, drinking coffee and staring at the pear tree in the middle of the front yard. Remembering their past; how that tree had barely been producing fruit when they met under it all those years ago.

On her way to her first day of senior year, 18-year-old Caroline had decided to snag a pear off old Mrs. Rancroft's pear tree. They had been neighbors Caroline's whole life. She had helped plant the pear tree four years earlier when Mrs. Rancroft's husband had passed away. This was the first year there were actual pears on the tree. Caroline was excited to taste one. Mrs. Rancroft's sons had placed a memorial plaque at the tree base for their father last summer. Caroline ran her fingers over his name.

Caroline left a week after the plaque was placed for a year in Italy as part of the foreign exchange program thru her school. It had been an incredible program. She had learned so much but was grateful to be back home again. The hardest part was adjusting back to her regular school routine only 24 hours after returning home. She still hadn't even had a chance to see her neighborhood, let alone visit Mrs. Rancroft.

"Hey!" a male voice yelled from the front door, "Don't touch that!"

Caroline jumped and looked towards him. It was Jeremy Rancroft, looking furious. His father was the youngest son of the Rancrofts' and Jeremy was the "surprise" son, who was 12 years younger than his siblings, after an affair. He had been 2 years ahead of Caroline in school and lived across the state with his mother, who didn't allow him to have much to do with his father's family. Caroline really only knew him from the pictures that Mr. and Mrs. Rancroft had around their house.

Jeremy came over glaring and grabbed the pear from her hand.

"What do you think you are doing? This is private property! How dare you steal from my tree!" His anger was a bit excessive to Caroline.

"Umm...uh...I live next door. I have permission from Mrs. Rancroft to eat them whenever I want." She backed up, sputtering.

"Well, my grandmother no longer lives here. I bought the house after my father and uncles got her into the Shady Pines Community Homes. I have lived here since May and haven't seen you around once before today.!" Jeremy had calmed some but still seemed angry.

Caroline looked at him in surprise, "Oh! I didn't know. I just got back to town from Italy yesterday morning. I have been gone for just over a year."

"Now you know, so stay off my lawn!" Jeremy turned around and stormed back to his front door, slamming it hard behind him. Caroline headed off to school and tried to forget the nasty encounter.

That turned out to be the best encounter of her life. She and Jeremy had become friends not long after when she went over to his house and apologized for stealing the pear. They talked about and visited his grandmother frequently at Shady Pines Community Homes. Jeremy finally explained why his grandmother decided to move there after a rough, almost fatal illness while Caroline was in Italy.

His grandmother had sold him the house not long after because he was the only grandchild who didn't own his own home already. He told Caroline that Mrs. Rancroft had wanted to give him the house but he refused and would not pay less than fair market value for the house. Jeremy had little to no contact with his father's family, and his mother had refused child support his entire life. However, his father had put away money every month in a trust account. At 19, Jeremy had enough to buy the house outright.

3 years after that initial meeting, Jeremy and Caroline were married and his grandmother had been her maid of honor. A year later, Mrs. Rancroft passed away at almost 95 years old. Jeremy had his grandfather's plaque replaced with one honoring both of his grandparents. Jeremy and Caroline had 5 children, all of whom grew up in the house Jeremy's grandfather had built for his family and played under the big pear tree.

With the birth of each child, they had planted a new pear tree along the sidewalk. Starting when their first grandchild was born, they planted a pear tree along the back fence line. There were 7 trees in various stages of growth back there, all bearing fruit now. Every fall, the grandchildren would come to eat and pick the pears for their grandparents, giving out bagsful to all the neighbors. Jeremy and Caroline had also added memorial plaques by his grandparent's plaques for their own parents when they passed away.

The original pear tree had stopped bearing fruit half a decade ago. Angelica, their oldest, had told them that she believed it had died. It was 57 years old at that point. She had been bugging Jeremy for two years to have it removed from the front yard, but then he started getting sick.

Six months ago, after a year of testing for every other possible disease under the sun, the doctors had finally figured out what was wrong. Jeremy had terminal blood cancer. They told Caroline that they didn't expect him to make it to his 74th birthday that fall, but he was still going. He had recently decided against further treatment, however, so he was growing weaker every day. Their youngest child, Maxwell, lived in the house next door where Caroline grew up and was there constantly helping his parents.

Jeremy and Caroline had already made decisions on their end-of-life arrangements years ago. They had placed the house and most of their money into a trust that Maxwell would run. It would be a home for all the grandchildren to live as they started out in life so they would have a better shot at success. It would also give shelter to youth who did not have anywhere else to turn.

Since it looked like Caroline would outlive Jeremy, she had already made arrangements to move into a small home at the Shady Pines Community Homes. She had already ordered a memorial stone to be added to the others to honor him. She had found a company that could transplant two full-grown pear trees to replace the dead one planted to memorialize her husband and honor those who came before.

Caroline rose from the porch swing and went inside to see if Jeremy had awoken from his nap. She knew that their love was leaving the world a better place in the form of their children and grandchildren, but she was heartsick at the idea of losing the man she had loved for so long. They had recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. She knew there would not be as fifty-first together.

She heard Jeremy cry out and ran as fast as her tired legs could move. Jeremy looked at her with tear-filled eyes as she came through the door. Caroline knew that the pain medications had worn off again, so she pressed the button to give him more morphine. She knew Jeremy hated how the medication messed with his head.

He hadn't been able to even lift his head in days, and she knew she was holding on for a miracle that wouldn't come. Caroline held Jeremy's hand as the medication started to relieve the pain. He attempted to smile at her, but it looked more like a grimace. His voice was barely above a whisper as he started to speak.

"Carolove," he started using his pet name for her, "I need you to call the ambulance. It's time, my love."

"Oh Jer, I'm not ready. But if you think it is time, I will." Caroline tried hard to hold back the tears as she picked up the phone by her bed. "I'll have Maxwell come too. He can call everyone while I go with you."

"No, Caroline," His voice weaker this time, "You will stay here and be with the children and grandchildren. By the time I leave our home, it will just be a shell. My heart and soul will still be here with you."

Caroline cried as she called the hospice nurse and Maxwell. She held Jeremy's hand and watching his breathing get slower and slower. The children came one by one, but Jeremy never opened his eyes again. When the ambulance arrived, Caroline's tears freely fell as she held his hand and put a kiss on his lips. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart beating for a minute while she composed herself. Jeremy's voice was barely above a whisper but she heard him just the same.

"I love you, Caroline. We will always have the pear trees."

"Yes, my love, we will always have the pear trees. I will hold your love tight until we meet again." Caroline kissed him again as he was wheeled away, knowing that this was their last goodbye.

A week later, Caroline stood with her family under the new pair of pear trees in the front lawn while Jeremy's memorial plaque was placed where his ashes would remain until the end of time. She cried and laughed as they told many stories of her love over the years. Then she told the story of the first time she met Jeremy and made the grandchildren laugh when she tried to imitate his angry voice that day.

Caroline knew her life was forever changed. She would grieve his loss for the rest of her life. She also felt his love still radiating through her and knew that one day they would say hello again and never say another goodbye.