The Kicking Tree

by Trevor Stubbs

  *

  Jalli’s hot soak did wonders for the hip and she felt really relaxed and fresh despite the excitement of the last forty-eight hours. Sat beside Momori with a hot mug, she began at the beginning – the white gate, the cottage, and Jack. But long before she had finished, Jalli had gone to sleep, trailing off in mid sentence about Kakko, Tod, Rosie and the others.

  It took two whole days to tell the whole story as she kept remembering bits that she hadn’t told. Momori had known something was afoot, but all of this was far more complicated and phenomenal than she had ever imagined – or, she told herself afterwards, she ever could imagine. In fact that applied to many things in life, she reflected. She had always been astonished at what life brought – both for the bad things, and also for the blessings.

  Creation, she decided, was all about healing and all about putting right that which had fallen apart as well as destruction and disorder. She had experienced a cataclysmic event, but nature had immediately began to heal. If you go to the site of her old village now, you come to some of the most beautiful and productive countryside in the district.

  And out of the same sadness had grown this lovely girl with a capacity for enjoying herself and in doing so, bringing good things to other people. She had been part of the process of restoring Mr. Pero’s belief in young people and Momori was proud of her. She was also grateful for the way she could trust her granddaughter absolutely. More than once she had been on the point of demanding what was going on, but she had been patient enough to wait and was now rewarded with an openness that made her feel really good. Her trust had been vindicated.

  Momori found it hard to believe in the story of the different planets. This was too far fetched to swallow, but she knew Jalli believed it and was not making anything up. And now, quite rightly, she wanted to bring this young man, Jack, home. She hoped that Jalli wasn’t deceived by this boy. She was usually a pretty good judge of character, but Momori knew how teenage hearts could be taken in by charm and appearances.

  *

  Matilda thought Jack had “lost his marbles” as she put it when he first began to talk about the garden behind the white gate. The other white gates that led to a planet with three suns and a beach resort were very difficult to come to terms with. But Jack had definitely been somewhere hot because he had a real tan, and the beach shorts were proof of something. He couldn’t have taken a plane to the Mediterranean because he had no passport – nor any money as far as Matilda knew, and he didn’t appear to be making any of this up. What delighted her was that Jack seemed really keen on bringing his Jalli to see her, and you can’t actually make up a real girl. Once he had started he couldn’t stop talking about her. She seemed to be bright and good at sports, great looking, kind and sensitive and not stuck up – everything you could wish for in a Jane Austen heroine (the BBC had just scheduled a repeat of Sense and Sensibility – but Jack hadn’t seen it. It was not the sort of thing he would dream of watching).

  “Well then, you’d better bring her,” declared Matilda. As soon as she had said it, however, she was conscious of her surroundings. If this girl was all that Jack had said she was, she would no doubt be coming from a well-appointed house – definitely middle class! Whatever would she think of 68 Renson Park Road? “What kind of a house does she live in?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, I haven’t been. It won’t be too grand though,” assured Jack who guessed what his mum was thinking, “because her grandma isn’t well off at all. I believe she’s had to work hard since all the family died in the flood. Jalli has no-one but her grandma.” Jack explained about the earthquake and the dam.

  “How will she take to this house, do you think?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve not thought about that. She’s the sort that takes people as she finds them. I’ll tidy my room though.”

  “Goodness, we are talking miracles here! She must be something! Then you and I must have a go at the front garden.” Jack promised he would help. Then he wished he could undo the damage to the kicking tree as easy as he could clear the front garden and tidy his room. He hoped Jalli wouldn’t notice it and ask questions about it.

  *

  On Tuesday morning Jalli was walking much better and she hurried off to the Municipal Park to find Jack. She was so excited about introducing him to Grandma. It never crossed her mind that they wouldn’t take to each other. It seemed entirely natural that each would find equal pleasure in the other. They were wholly compatible, assumed Jalli, just as they were both compatible with her.

  The bus journey to the town centre seemed to take even longer than usual but Jalli knew it was because she couldn’t wait to meet up with Jack again. As soon as she descended from the bus she hurried the one hundred metres to the white gate and simply walked straight in – just as she would the front gate of her own house. She had given up thinking about people seeing her “disappear” unless they were right in front of her or behind her. Most people seemed to walk down the street without taking much notice of other people. It would have amazed Jack to think that the most fantastic girl he had ever met, after a survey that had involved more than one planet, should not be noticed by so many other people!

  Jalli was early, but so was Jack. As soon as she came through her gate he was there on the other side. The air in the garden was just as sweet as always, but Jalli had no time to think about it before Jack’s arm was around her.

  “Hi!” squeezed Jack. Still breathing hard from her walk, Jalli stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Their eyes met and, moving Jalli’s hair from her face, Jack bent down and he kissed her lips. They remained in their embrace several minutes.

  “Come!” urged Jalli, “come and meet my grandma. She’s dying to see you.”

  I bet she is, thought Jack. Then out loud, “I hope she likes me.”

  “Of course she will!”

  “You sound so sure. Loving adults are very protective. She’s going to be quite critical. I’m not exactly the boy with the most to commend him compared with you, am I? But you’re clever, good at sports and the best looking girl I have ever met. I know my mum would be absolutely delighted in you. But your grandma will see the deficiencies in me you don’t seem to notice.”

  “Now, Jack Smitt. I tell you, you will be just the sort of person Grandma would approve of. I have told her what a gentleman you are! All you have to do is be polite and… and not be scared! You weren’t nervous at the beach resort were you?”

  “That was different. If people didn’t like me, it didn’t matter. But I don’t want your grandmother disapproving of me, do I?”

  “And she won’t. Come on.” She took him by the hand and led him for the second time into Wanulka. This time they both got on the bus, Jalli paying his fare along with her own. Jack absorbed the atmosphere of the bustling city and felt the heat of the dry season about to give way to the rains. In fact over the sea he could see great black clouds with the occasional flash of lightning illuminating them. However up ahead, as the bus proceeded west to Jalli’s house, were three suns almost in line but not quite, the largest being the highest in the sky.

  “Jallaxa?” he pointed.

  “Right. And the others are… ?”

  “Sklier and… I’ve forgotten the other one.”

  “Not bad, Skhlaia is the smallest. The middle one is Suuf.”

  “They’re beautiful! They make this place quite hot.”

  “Yes. It gets much cooler when the rains come though. That will be any time now.”

  “I like the buildings. And the people look much like they do in England – only brighter!”

  “The young people have started to dress differently from the older generations. Women in trousers is fairly new for example.”

  “Same as in Britain. Funny that.”

  “I think our two planets are at the same stage of development. If we weren’t about the same we would find it much more difficult to interact. The Owner of the garden knows what he is doing.”

  “You really
believe it is all meant to be don’t you?” Jack was not as certain as Jalli. She was more confident about most things. It hadn’t been long before this that Jack thought life sucked – for the most part anyway.

  “Certain of it. We were meant to meet.”

  “Then, does this mean we only think we have freedom to decide what we do?”

  “Oh, no. We are perfectly free to do what we want to do. We don’t have to go through our white gates. But we want to.”

  “Yeah. I was just curious at first.”

  “Exactly, God invites you – but you can kick your white gate just as much as go through it if you chose.”

  “But I didn’t! I do… but… I suppose I have kicked things that annoy me.”

  “Like gates and walls… but not people?”

  “No. Not people, let’s not talk about it.” He grew alarmed that Jalli would extend her inquiries and be shocked that he had attacked a living thing. How could he have done that all those years? “I feel bad about the things I did in the past. I was angry most of the time.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, life didn’t give me things like other people. My dad disappeared when I was two, my mum was bossy and school was boring most of the time. I only stayed on there for something to do… Jalli, until I met you I really couldn’t see the point of life most of the time… Look let’s not talk about this. I’m here in your wonderful planet on a bus with people all different, the suns – all three – are shining and I’m with the most fantastic girl in the universe!”

  “Are you certain of that? You haven’t seen them all!”

  “Absolutely certain. You can’t beat perfection!”

  “You just keep thinking like that, Mr. Smitt!”

  “I will. At least as long as you want me to… and as long as your grandma approves of me. If she does, you must come and visit Persham and my mum.”

  “Of course I will! And don’t be worried, Grandma will like you.”

  Jalli and Momori’s house was just as Jack had expected. It was smaller than his own, being all on the same level. It was furnished with cushions and throws all embroidered by Momori, Jalli or one of their friends. The walls were festooned with pictures and hangings and the low tables had crocheted doilies and little ornaments on them They clearly relied on candlelight more often than in Britain because there were several candlesticks with half-consumed candles scattered about.

  Momori was wonderful. Jack was very polite, and his initial diffidence only helped to recommend him as someone who cared much for her approval. Jack was really impressed with her. He was expecting to be questioned about his past and his prospects and so on, but it wasn’t like that. Momori simply wanted to be friendly. Of course, as Jack and Momori shared, so they talked about themselves and Jack was soon saying all sorts of things about himself. The day came to a climax when Momori brought out the food. The Wanulka cuisine – well at least as cooked by Momori – was superb, and Jack could not do anything but praise every mouthful! “Wow, Mrs. Rarga. This is really good!” he kept saying.

  The meeting was a great success. Jalli was just the same in front of her grandma as she was anywhere else. Jack felt at home in a way he could not believe but which, nevertheless, he found amazing. “Can I call you Grandma, too?” he asked.

  “Why of course, so long as my Jalli is not jealous!”

  “I like it,” proclaimed Jalli. “But if he does he will have to behave, and be good all the time, like I am!”

  “Of course,” joked Jack, “that won’t be difficult. I am naturally perfect.”

  “You two are as bad as each other! So that’s alright… ‘Perfect!’ That’ll be the day! But you’re good enough. And I dare say you’re perfect for one another – at least for the moment. Now, why don’t you show Jack around the garden, and then he may look into your room and see just what a perfectly tidy girl you are, Jallaxanya Rarga!” But of course Jalli had tidied it up – a bit.

  “It’s lovely. Just full of you,” smiled Jack. “I wish I had known you when you were little.”

  He patted one of her dolls sitting on the side of her bookshelves.

  “But I didn’t like little boys, then.”

  “You certainly wouldn’t have liked me. I was horrible. But, then I thought all little girls were a pain. Come to think of it I still do. You’re the huge exception.”

  “I’m glad. You’re only supposed to like one.” Jalli took his hand and turned him away from looking at the room to her and kissed him. There was something special about kissing Jack, here, in her house, in her room. Jack felt that that embrace was not only Jalli’s but that of her whole surroundings too. He had never felt as privileged as he felt at that moment.

  *

  The following day it was Jalli’s turn to visit Persham. To Jack’s great relief it had stopped raining. He hadn’t had much time to tidy his room but he had collected the soiled clothes and put out about eight dirty tea mugs – some of them dating back three weeks.

  Matilda had wondered why they had been so short of mugs. Perhaps the most disturbing find was the remains of his sandwiches from the last time he had been to the school. The banana skin had virtually melted into a brown mass and the bread was so thick in blue mould it was hardly recognisable.

  “Jack Smith!” exclaimed his mother. “Put that straight into the bin! I think I will have to offer this girl an anti-germ mask – especially if she’s coming from a different universe!”

  Jack was not proud of his town. He had never thought of Persham as anything special. No-one, except perhaps the mayor and corporation, seemed to think of the place as anything special. The general view was that there were worse places, and here at least you knew people and you belonged. Many young people left though, especially those that stayed on to do A-levels. They were excited by the idea of the city and its special culture, and for the most part, they never came back. They didn’t even have a decent football club to follow – unless you counted lowly Persham Wanderers. But, as he prepared to usher Jalli through into his world, he felt special.

  As soon as Jalli looked across Persham from the hill on which St Paul’s school stood, she exclaimed, “Can’t you see a long way from here!”

  “I suppose you can,” he hadn’t thought about it before but Jalli lived on the flat, near the sea and the hills were behind the city. Here, the town was built up the hillside, away from the river. He stopped and explained. “The town centre lies that way and the river comes through that gap, see.”

  “Where do you live, Jack?”

  “Down there.” He pointed to his right. “You can’t see it from here… It’s beside Renson Park – part of an old estate. Some of the park is still there. I learned to ride a bike in the park – although there are big notices saying ‘No cycling!’” he laughed.

  “Bike? What is a bike?”

  “You ride it. It has two wheels.” Now he thought about it, he hadn’t seen bicycles as such in Wanulka. “Look, I’ll point one out when we see one. Come on, we go this way.”

  They descended the street of terraced houses with small front gardens. The greenhouse was still there, and tomatoes were to be seen growing in it. Jack marvelled every time he saw it. Soon the park came into sight and they crossed it avoiding the muddiest bits. The park was covered in cycle tracks. Then they saw one, zooming across the football pitches. Jalli thought the contraption looked funny – especially as the rider had a muddy streak up his back.

  “It is the rainy season,” observed Jalli.

  “Every season is the rainy season in England,” grumbled Jack, “especially in the school holidays! You’re lucky it’s not raining now!”

  They entered Renson Park Road and Jack indicated the doors as they numbered up.

  “Sixty-eight,” he explained. He was consciously trying to get Jalli to look at the houses rather than the street and the trees. If only she could avoid noticing the kicking tree. He was so conscious of it now, every time he went out and came home! But the plan almost backfired. Jall
i was counting off the houses and looking at their numbers and actually stumbled into the edge of the kicking tree. “Sorry bush!” she exclaimed. Jalli had just touched the tree with the outside of her foot, accidentally, and had apologised to it! Jack turned red. Thinking that Jack was embarrassed at introducing her to his mother, Jalli assured him, “Don’t be worried, Jack, I will be good. I promise!”

  “Of course, you will. You couldn’t be otherwise. Mum will think you’re fantastic.”

  Then the door opened. “You coming in?” asked Matilda.

  “Hi, Mum, this is Jalli.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” said Jalli, giving her a little Wanulkan curtsy. Matilda was taken aback. This girl was indeed straight out of Pride and Prejudice!

  “Enchanted,” said Matilda – for indeed she was. “Come in, come in!” And she took Jalli’s hand and drew her into the hallway and into the living room. “Will you take a cup of tea?”

  “Yes, please,” responded Jalli.

  “Jalli won’t have tasted our type of tea, Mum,” advised Jack, “better not make it too strong!”

  “Do sit down,” beckoned Matilda and bustled out into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

  “Mum’s a bit scared of you, I think,” whispered Jack.

  “Why? Am I frightening?”

  “No. It’s just that she doesn’t get many visitors. I don’t bring friends round. I have not brought friends in – not for years! You’re the first.”

  “I see,” smiled Jalli. She stood up and looked around her. “You have a big house!” exclaimed Jalli as Jack’s mum returned with the tea. “I like it. Your world is very different.”