Meet me at the tree

She sat under her favorite pear tree watching the sunset. The world looked so peaceful that she never thought that the world could be anything but. But as she watched the sun go down, she wondered what she was going to do. She never thought she would be in this situation. She had always told what she was told, followed her families rules. The thought of breaking it never came into her mind. But here she was, in a situation that left her unsure and confused. There he was, coming up over the hill, the sun setting behind him. Him looking like a dream.

"My love," he said as he sat next to her.

"I didn't know if you would come."

"Of course I came, I will always come," he answered her and kissed her hand gently.

She looked at him, and couldn't help but to feel only love for him, "What are we going to do? My family will never accept this, neither will yours. I'm not sure how much longer that we can do this."

"We will always have our pear tree," he said with a smile.

She tried not to laugh, but couldn't help to. Then she just said, "I'm serious."

"I know you are, my love. I know that they won't, but we have to at least try. I can not live without you, I will not live without you. We can leave."

She looked at him surprised. And looked at his face, seeing how serious he was. "Are you really serious?"

"Yes, of course I am. If my choices are stay here without you, or leave to be with you. Then I will leave. Nothing else in my life is more important to me than you are."

"But we can't just leave. Leave and go where?"

"Anywhere, everywhere. We will see the world together."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"I know that it's scary, but promise me that you will think about it."

She looked at him and saw the pleading in his face. She put her hand on his cheek. And agreed, "I'll think about it."

He kissed her before he left into the night, just as quickly as he had arrived. She went back home, sneaking in to make sure that no one saw her. Just like that, she was back to the life that she was told to live. She couldn't stop thinking about his offer that night. Could she really leave everyone behind, everyone she loved? Had it really come to that?

The next morning, she went to have breakfast. Her parents seemed so happy.

"We have good news for you, my love," her father said.

"What is it, Daddy?"

"We have found a man for you to marry," he said it and she just looked at him so shocked, "He is a good man. He is rich, and can provide a good life for you."

"I don't even know him. I'm not going to marry him. He's a stranger. I want to marry for love," she tried to explain.

He looked suddenly angry. She looked at her mother, who was looking at the floor in silence. He yelled at her, "What does love have to do with it? You will marry who I tell you to. Love has nothing to do with it. I do not care if you even like him. You will do it, you will do what I say. You will marry him and that is final. You will meet him tomorrow."

She was too scared to say anything. She ate breakfast in silence. Then she went to her room and stayed there. Finally, her mother came to her room. At first, she just sat next to her.

Finally, she said, "I don't want to marry him. I don't even know him. Please don't make me do this."

"I know that you are scared. But your father has found a good match for you. He can provide you a good life."

"But I don't love him," she said and started to cry.

"I know, but sometimes love has nothing to do with it. When I married your father, I did not know him. I did not love him. But he has provided me with a good life. We are just doing what is right for you. Trust us, everything will be okay."

She looked at her mother, searching her face for some sort of understanding. But it wasn't there, nothing was there. She knew in that moment what she had to do. So she waited for the sun to start setting before she ran off to their spot, to their tree, to meet him.

He was waiting for her. So she ran into his arms, and tried not to cry.

"What is wrong, my love?" he asked her.

She looked at him, and knew that she couldn't lie to him, "I have been told today that I am to marry."

"Marry? Who?"

"I don't know. I'm to meet him tomorrow. Someone with a lot of money. According to them, that is all that matters."

He looked gutted, destroyed, "What are you going to do? Are you going to do it?"

She looked in his eyes and saw how much pain that he was in. She took a deep breath and took a leap, "Let's do it."

"Do what?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"I'll leave with you. If you'll have me," she joked and smiled at him.

He lifted her up in the air, so happy.

"Okay, we will do it tomorrow night. Come with a bag, don't bring a lot. I'll take care of everything."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow. If we wait any longer than they might try to force you to marry. I'll make sure that we have enough money, and everything that we need. Trust me."

He kissed her and she knew that she could trust him. Somehow, she knew that everything was going to be okay.

As he started to leave, he yelled, "Meet me at the tree."

She went to bed that night feeling like she could take a deep breath, that everything was going to be okay.

The next day, her 'soon-to-be' husband came for lunch. She went down, and there he was. This stranger, that she was told to love. Poor guy, she thought to him. She said very little, and just kept looking down at the ground. Her parents and the man were getting along, making pleasant conversation. Her father kept trying to get her into the conversation. But she just kept nodding without any words. Honestly, she didn't know what they were saying, as she wasn't paying attention. When he left, she stood up like she was supposed to, and he kissed her hand. All she could bring herself to do was to smile at him in response.

As soon as he left, her father yelled, "What is wrong with you?"

"What are you talking about?" she tried to act innocent.

"You didn't even talk to him. You could have said something!"

"Well, what did you expect? I told you that I don't want to do this, I don't love him. I don't want to marry him. I can't act like I do."

"You will marry him! And that is final!" he yelled, looking so angry she was afraid that he was going to hit her.

He stormed off, and her mother followed him. She ran to her room, and cried. She didn't want to do this, she didn't want to leave her entire life, but she now knew that she had no choice. So she got herself up, and packed a bag.

But right before she was going to sneak out, her mother came to her room.

"Are you okay?" her mother asked her.

"Does it really matter?" she answered angry.

"Please, don't be like that. Your father didn't mean to lose his temper, but he is just doing what is best for you. Why can't you see that? Please just try to see things from his view, just try to understand him."

"Why do I have to understand him? Why can't he understand me?" she pleaded, as they stood across the room from each other. She kept hoping her mother won't come close as her bag was hiding on the side of the bed.

"Because he is your father, and you have to listen to him. He means well, really he does. He just wants you to be provided for, so he doesn't have to worry about you. What if something happens to him? He needs to make sure that someone will take care of you," she said and started to move towards her, "You know your father has a good heart, good intentions."

"Please stop," she said suddenly, "Just leave me alone to think. I know you all mean well, it'll just take me some time to get use to it."

"Okay, I love you," she said as her mother left the room.

She waited quietly until she knew her mother was far enough away. She put a note on her pillow for her parents. And then she slipped away into the night. She looked back at her house, and knew that she wasn't going to come back.

He was waiting for her with his bag when she got to the tree.

"There you are," he said, "Worried you had changed your mind."

"Never," she said and hugged him. As long as they were together, as long as she was in his arms, she knew that everything was going to be okay.

"Are you sure you are ready for this? Once we leave, we aren't coming back."

She looked at her house in the distance, and said, "I'm sure. As long as I have you, I know that everything will be okay."

"I will always take care of you," he said and kissed her. And she knew that he meant it, she knew that they would be okay together.

- T