Johnny and His Tree

"Johnny!"

"Almost finished mom!" The young boy called down from the hill.

"Supper is ready!" Johnny's mother announced in a tone that begged haste.

He finished planting the pear tree he had worked on all day digging the plot, filling the hole with new fertilized soil, trimming the trees roots, unbinding the branches and trimming them, weeding the area, and finally carrying the sapling up the hill and planting it firmly in the ground where he would be able to see it from anywhere on the farm. He gathered his tools and the ladder, and came racing down the hill famished and ready for food.

Johnny was a precocious youth nine years of age and had wanted a pear tree ever since tasting the fruit for the first time years ago. Rarely did his parents venture into town and when they finally did he would always join them in their adventure. The supply store had gotten a new shipment of saplings in, mostly maple and oak, but there was a mix-up with the order and they received one pear tree in their shipment, much to Johnny's excitement. He spent his whole savings on the little sapling and instantly fell in love. As soon as they arrived back on the farm he put himself to work making sure the tree would have the perfect home.

After supper he spent the rest of the evening building a small fence around the little pear sapling to protect it and mark it's importance.

The next day he went straight to the barn after breakfast and found a smaller plank of wood to use for a sign. He used all the hours leading up until lunch to perfect it. He rounded the corners and sanded it down to a satisfying smoothness. The wood burning tool was then used to add simple yet effective embellishments in the corners and finally burned into the center the true contents of the sign, which read: " Johnny Durden's Pear Tree. Planted June 19th, 1969."

He then added the finishing touch by using a lighter wood stain and set it to dry while he went in to eat lunch and do his daily chores.

After a couple hours Johnny returned to the barn and making sure the stain was dried, he screwed two eyelets in the top of it and strung a piece of leather thong through the holes by which to hang it. Finally, he sprayed on some wood sealant and marched up the hill, excitedly, and with pride hung the beautifully handcrafted sign right on the front of the fence. Beaming with joy he rushed to tell his parents of his exceptional work and continued speaking of it all day to all of the farm animals as he continued his rounds of daily chores and maintenance.

3 years went by and little Johnny Durden continued to nurture his tree and it showed in it's beauty and overall health. It was growing big and hardy with a thick trunk and sprawling branches. It had not bloomed or produced fruit yet, which at first concerned the boy after the first year, but after doing some research at the local library found out it can take up to three years for a pear tree to flower and produce the delicious fruit of which he loved. On this third year his not so little sapling, which was becoming a nearly matured and adult tree, blossomed and shown the thickest and most beautiful bouquets of white flowers he had ever seen. The stark white petals, nearly looked like snow as it blanketed the ground around the tree as if consecrating the land beneath it.

The image of the white-flowered tree and snow like ground beneath it was stunning in the morning light as Johnny rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he looked out the kitchen window. At first he was frozen, awestruck by the surreal image before him and as realization dawned on him his feet ran like the wind propelled by pure excitement as he flew to the base of the tree dropping to the ground laughing so hard tears flowed down his cheeks. His parents found him laughing and playing in the flower petals like any other boy would on the morning of first snow. They didn't call out or stop him, for he'd been waiting three years accompanied by all the hard work put in to the tree and its plot that they felt he deserved to indulge himself this morning. His mother cooked up a plate of bacon and eggs and brought it to him on the hill where he continued to laugh and play and talk to the tree as if they were old friends reminiscing over the past.

The flower blossoms only lasted a few weeks and brought disappointment to young Johnny when the last of them fell as he felt he had done something wrong. He dared not disturb the white blanket of petals at the tree's base for he had weeded the area well and didn't want that last bit of closure as he was sure his still young tree was dying.

One afternoon, after several months of mourning his dying tree, Johnny saw little growths popping up all over the branches. Upon further inspection he was sure that these lumps were to be pears! This was confirmed the next time he had a chance to join his parents on a trip into town and get to the local library. The boy was ecstatic and could not wait to taste the literal fruit of his labours.

Several weeks went by quickly as he watched his tree bear the ripest and most beautiful pears he had ever seen, and upon tasting the delicious delicacy he fell in love all over again as the fruit tasted just as good as it looked.

After many more years passed, Johnny had been hard at work, visiting the library often, and was accepted to a university in order to study business and agriculture so he could start his own pear orchard. On a chill summer evening he told the pear tree his plans and it's limbs groaned in the wind as if saying how pleased it was with the young man. Several weeks flew by and before they all knew it, fall had come and Johnny was now moving away to attend college and pursue his dreams.

Several more years skated on by and in that time Johnny had met a beautiful and loving women at college. Her name was Marsha and they fell madly in love. On a sunny afternoon in April the two lovebirds were married beneath the boughs of the beloved pear tree. It's limbs were in full bloom and rained down it's beautiful white petals as the couple read their vows. In the excitement of it all Johnny had never noticed the few broken planks at the back of the fence.

After several more years raced on by, Johnny and Marsha took an apartment close to the city. Johnny, having now completed college, found it hard to get a loan with enough capital to start an orchard and worked at a nursery making decent enough money doing what he loved. But it was not enough to keep Marsha from taking a job as a cashier at the local market in order to make ends meet. Still wildly in love, the couple were happy and were trying to have a family.

Before long Marsha became pregnant and they told both their families and friends of the great news.

"Hello." Mrs. Durden said into the telephone.

"Hi mom." Johnny said in a somber tone.

"Oh honey, I've been meaning to call you. Your pear tree, it bloomed but has not bore any fruit this year and it's nearly fall."

"Oh. Well that.. that isn't right." He said, holding back tears.

"What is it honey?" His mom said, her voice tinged with concern.

"I..we...we lost the baby. Miscarriage. I-" Johnny trailed off as he burst into tears and sobbed as his mother tried to comfort him.

The year crawled by in a gloom and weighed heavy on the young couple. As some more years passed they moved on from their loss and began to try again. Now much more happy, for they were sure Marsha was pregnant again, they met with a doctor to confirm their beliefs. While in the waiting room, Johnny received a call from his mother.

"Hi honey, how are you and Marsha doing?" She asked.

"Oh we're doing just fine mom. We're at the doctor's right now, we think Marsha is pregnant again!" He exclaimed joyously.

"That is wonderful news! Let me know how everything went as soon as you can dear. I was just calling because the pear tree didn't blossom this year and I miss those beautiful flowers so much. And with it not bearing fruit anymore, I'm growing more concerned."

"I'm sure it's just fine mom, that tree has always been so fickle. Besides I'll make my usual trip out there soon enough and I'm sure I can nurse it back to it's original beauty. But I gotta go now mom, I love you." And with that Johnny hung up.

Soon enough they were shown the lab results by the doctor.

The couple returned home, grey hung about them like a cloud of despair. They could not believe the news. Ovarian cancer. Massive tumor. Inoperable. Maybe a year to live. These words repeated over and over in his head, flooding him with confusion.

Eight long, grueling months passed as Marsha became ever more worse and eventually passed in the night with her loving husband by her side.

Johnny grew bitter after his wife's passing. He thought to himself that it was all hopeless. He was nearly thirty eight years old, no kids, no wife, no career, or future. In the throws of his melancholy, the man sold his apartment and nearly everything he owned and moved back home to the farm. He had taken to the bottle and no longer cared for the land or his tree. He nurtured his parents, but their health was rapidly declining in an all too familiar fashion to his late wife. He drank more the closer it came to their end.

One night, two of the biggest branches on the pear tree cracked and splintered, falling to the earth with a loud thud waking Johnny from his sleep. He found his parents had passed in the night. The next day he made arrangements and spent the following weeks mourning his beloved parents by swimming in an ocean of liquor.

Many more years passed in a darkened and drunken haze for the older, graying man. He felt his own health declining now, and one by one branches began to fall from the pear tree up on the hill.

A clear August night shown bright, lighted by the big moon and stars dotting the sky. Johnny, feeling his strength wane, climbed one last time up the hill to his loving friend. The fence now wholly dilapidated, and plot weed infested, brought the old man to tears. He sat beneath his tree, if it could even be called such for not a single branch extended outwards anymore. It was just a barren trunk jutting forth from the ground. As Johnny sat there, his wrinkled and somber face illuminated by the moon, he recounted his whole life journey with his best friend; his pear tree. As the old man Johnny Durden laid down, his voice trailed off never to be heard again, and his beloved pear tree laid down beside him.