Tree: A Young Adult Fringe Reality Romance

by T. Nixon

  Finally he spoke. He wanted to know if I was ok after yesterday. Dramas had a way of popping up so often that a new one would arrive before the dust settled on the previous one. I had to tell him. I didn’t want to.

  “Simon,” I started. In his usual way he sensed a change in my tone.

  “What is it?” he asked right away.

  “Well, my aunt knows I’ve been coming here to see you,” I cleared my throat, “and she wants you to come to the farm and meet her,” I paused, “if we’re going to keep seeing each other.”

  There. I had said it. I had given him his out.

  He was quiet for a moment. He nodded and looked off as though he was carefully weighing heavy options. He looked back at me and let out a big smile. “Of course,” he said gently. He moved a section of hair away from my eyes. “I would love to meet your aunt.”

  “So… so when would you…?” I was a bit surprised he was on board.

  “Now is as good a time as any, don’t you think?” he gave the head tilt, sideways smile that worked every time.

  “I guess,” I said and shrugged my shoulders. I wasn’t happy about this whole mess. “In a bit,” I said and closed me eyes. I wasn’t ready to get back to the real world and another new reality.

  When I could put it off no more we got up and headed towards the trail. As we walked, I discovered I was relieved that he did not ask for details about how my aunt found out about us. He must have assumed I said something. He certainly didn’t seem nervous- or perhaps I was anxious enough for both of us that no nervousness registered in him. For a lot of the way we didn’t speak. I was lost in thought and he seemed like a nice fellow out enjoying a walk in the woods. How he managed to stay so calm all the time was beyond me.

  I didn’t pause as we neared the farm, afraid that if I did I would lose my nerve and go running back up the trail. I opened the gate and then closed it behind Simon. He walked over to where the horses were grazing nearby and gave them each a pat.

  “Have you ever ridden?” I asked as I came up behind him.

  “Yes actually,” he responded. He gave Cary a hearty pat on the flank and smiled at me. “My, uh, uncles taught me,” he said as he tore some grass to hand feed. “I wouldn’t say I’m great, but I know how to stay on. There you go chap,” he gave Cary another pat as the horse lipped the grass out of his hand.

  As we rounded the corner of the Barrel Barn the sweet smoky smell of a distant wood burning fire filled the air. Like a snake outgrowing its skin, we shed our secrecy the moment we stepped out into the open of the gravel yard. I hesitated.

  “C’mon then,” Simon gently urged, “we’ve already come this far. It’s about time I meet that aunt of yours.” He grabbed my hand, smiled reassuringly, and together we walked towards the house. Only a few steps across the yard, a familiar old truck grumbled up the drive and pulled up in front of the house. As soon as I recognized AJ’s truck I dropped Simon’s hand. He threw me a glance so I immediately started reorganizing my hair, as though that were the reason I let him go and not because it was an automatic reaction to AJ’s presence.

  We watched as AJ got out of his truck, glared at us as he walked up the porch steps and disappeared inside. “He looks like a pleasant fellow,” Simon muttered. I gave a weak laugh in response.

  I took a deep breath, smiled at him and said, “should we get this over with?”

  He reached up to brush the hair off my forehead. As he did it his fingers barely grazed my skin. His confident, caring gaze gave me strength. I wished I could face the world like Simon. He had a confidence that radiated from him. He possessed no arrogance but seemed to have an innate ability to connect with people to make them at ease. He had done it with me, surely he would win over Cherry.

  We approached the house and I did not hesitate as I opened the door. I was prepared for a greeting committee but there was only AJ at the table with a bowl of cereal. He glanced up, set his spoon down but kept chewing.

  “Hello mate, I’m Simon,” he reached out a hand towards AJ as he stepped across the kitchen. AJ gave his hand a look, gave me a look, met Simon’s eyes and then finally extended his hand.

  “AJ,” he responded with a tight voice.

  Their handshake lingered a little too long and their hands seemed a little to tense. Were they having some kind of a dominance standoff via handshake? Just as I was considering breaking them apart the kitchen door opened, and they released each other as we all turned to see who came in.

  It was Cherry who stopped in the doorway with surprise on her face when she saw Simon. We all stood in awkward silence for the few seconds it took her to collect herself. She blinked several times, shook her head a bit and then smiled at Simon.

  “I- I’m so sorry,” she said as she approached him and took his hands in hers. “You look so much like someone I, well, someone I used to know. It caught me off guard.” Her eyes searched his face, absorbing his features. Of course, I knew who she was referring to.

  I startled at the sound of the door closing hard- just barely less than a slam. We were all so caught up in Cherry’s reaction to Simon that none of us noticed Brad come in behind her. He had a tight, tense smile on his face.

  “Bradley,” Cherry called to him, “come and meet Victoria’s friend, Simon.”

  Simon extended his hand to Brad which he took with tense hesitation. It was so unusual to see Brad act in any way other than totally polite, but then again, lately he had been acting like a very different person.

  With uncomfortable introductions over Cherry offered Simon something to drink, which he accepted, and her moving about the kitchen gave all of us a chance to rearrange. I moved closer to Simon as I felt the need to protect him from the hostility emanating off AJ and Brad. Brad took his hat off and sat at the table across from AJ who had abandoned his cereal bowl.

  As Cherry handed Simon a glass she invited him to sit and get comfortable. She was the picture of grace after recovering from her initial shock at seeing him. During the course of polite conversation she would occasionally call out Brad or AJ for scowling, frowning or being less than hospitable.

  It seemed like hours but shadows in the room suggested it had only been a short time. Cherry had an amazing ability to carry on conversation with anyone. She told stories about the farm and asked gentle, non-prying questions about Simon. It was how she endeared herself to everyone she met. She had an uncanny ability to put people at ease, to know where the boundaries were and not cross them.

  “Simon, please say you’ll join us for dinner,” Cherry implored. She seemed sincere, as though he had worked a magic on her like he had on me.

  “I’d love to but I should start heading back before dark.” He smiled which caused her to smile.

  “Of course,” she said with a tone of disappointment. With subconscious agreement we all stood at once. “I do expect you to take us up on a meal very soon though,” she said as she reached out for his hand.

  “No question,” he agreed. She took his hand in both of hers and searched his face again, no doubt reminiscing on the resemblance. “It’s lovely to meet you ma’am,” he said.

  “It’s lovely to meet you too Simon,” she said quietly. I saw Brad look at her with hard eyes, his nostrils flaring. She released his hands and I quickly headed to the kitchen door. I had had enough even though I had said very little for the duration of the visit. I wanted out of the room, out of the house, out of the situation. I needed air, I needed freedom, and mostly, I needed to be away from the scrutiny of Brad and AJ and the sadness in Cherry.

  ◆◆◆

  FIVE DAYS had gone by. Five very interesting and often tense days with Simon around the farm. We kept to ourselves as it didn’t feel right to bring him around AJ. He met me in the afternoon and together we brushed and rode the horses. He surprised me with his talent for riding, though almost everything about him surprised me. I met him at our tree but he insisted I not walk him back in the evenings.

  “I can’t bear the thought of you w
alking down these wild trails alone,” he said.

  I wasn’t happy with the thought of him walking as far as he had to to get to his uncle’s house but his twinkling eyes could shut down an argument faster than wildfire spread in a drought. On the fifth night I watched him walk up the trail. He turned and walked backwards a ways, smiling a sideways smile, blew me a kiss and waved. I smiled back and kept watching as he took a few more steps facing me, turned around and disappeared into the woods. A breeze blew by masking his footfalls and lifting my hair. I realized I was still smiling.

  I walked back to the house and thought about what an enigma Simon was. How he could draw me away from the pain, give me hope that maybe, just maybe, things would not turn out for the worst. It was too easy to get lost in his green eyes, his natural optimism, his mystery. As I came close to the kitchen door I heard yelling inside. I stopped suddenly, shocked. It sounded like Brad, but could it be? I had never heard him yell. I ran up the steps and threw the door open.

  Any arguing stopped as suddenly as I entered. I stood there with door wide open, breathing hard, looking from Cherry to Brad to AJ trying to discern what was going on. “Everything ok?” Cherry asked quickly coming towards me.

  “Ye, yeah,” I stammered and reached to close the door. AJ had avoided my gaze and Brad’s face was red. “What’s going on?” I demanded. It seemed a lot of things happened behind my back and I wasn’t in the mood for it. Especially if it meant someone was yelling at my aunt.

  “Oh nothing to be concerned about,” Cherry said putting an arm around me while throwing an unhappy glance at Brad. “We were just having a disagreement.”

  I pulled away from her and crossed my arms. “Was it about me?” I asked defiantly. AJ looked down at the plate in front of him and that gave me an answer. “Well?” I pushed when a few seconds went by with no answer.

  “Not exactly,” Cherry said. Normally I appreciated her diplomacy but in this moment it was annoying me.

  “Just tell me,” I tried not to sound disrespectful, but my frustration was growing by the millisecond.

  “Brad is concerned that we don’t know anything about Simon and you’re spending so much time with him,” she said carefully. I must have made a face because then she added “he’s just looking out for you.”

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” I responded.

  “You don’t know that Victoria,” Brad threw in before Cherry could say anything. “You don’t know anything about this kid, he’s a foreigner-“

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” I interrupted.

  “Hell, do you even know his full name?” Brad argued?

  “Yes!” I almost yelled.

  “Ok then, what is it?” he demanded.

  I felt all their eyes on me. I knew if I told them it would bring on more drama, but if I didn’t it might mean I couldn’t see him anymore. And one thing I knew is that I did not want to stop seeing him..

  “Harper,” I said lied..

  Brads mouth hardened and eyes narrowed while Cherry’s eyes s. AJ just looked down at his plate again.

  “I should have known,” Cherry said under her breath as she sat at the table. She had a hand over her heart. Brad looked at her, shook his head, looked around the room like he was scanning for something to throw then abruptly got up, stomped across the old wood floor of the kitchen, pulled the door open and slammed it shut behind him.

  Cherry sighed and motioned for me to come towards her. I took a few steps close to her. When I was within reach she took both my hands in her. “Who is he, honey?” she asked, though it was clear she already knew. I supposed to needed to hear me say it.

  “He’s the nephew of Chester Harris,” I said quietly. She shut her eyes.

  “What!?” AJ asked loudly.

  “It’s ok AJ,” Cherry said reassuringly.

  “How is it ok?” he asked. “That man…” his voice trailed off. Cherry was giving him an unusual look.

  “We don’t punish everyone for the sins of others. Chester has his own pain. Granted, he directs it in the wrong way, but none the less, it is not Simon’s fault his, uncle did you say?” she turned to me for confirmation, I nodded, “We can’t blame Simon for his relation to his uncle. Besides, he is also related to a wonderful man. James.” Her voice was quiet at the mention of his name, her eyes far away as they often were when she thought of him. I wondered where she went, where in her mind the memories of James were stored, where they took her.

  “I get what you’re saying Cherry, but still, he’s a hateful man. How do you think he would react knowing his nephew was hanging around here? And how can you be sure Simon isn’t snooping around for this Chester guy?”

  “I can’t,” she replied with a tone that rode the border of firm and patient. “But he certainly didn’t have to tell Victoria who he is and that leads me to believe he can’t be here for nefarious reasons.” She gazed off again and furrowed her brow. “I wonder why he is here,” she added under her breath. She stood up, gave my hands a squeeze before she released them and said “you two are on your own for dinner.”

  As she left the kitchen I looked at AJ. He met my eyes but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I almost felt like he was wishing I never showed up. “Welp,” he said as he stood up, “I’m movin’ out to my cabin tonight so…” he put his plate in the sink, threw me a glance, opened the kitchen door and hesitated. I waited for him to say something but after a few seconds he just kept going, pulling the door closed behind him.

  TWELVE

  It was quiet when I got up in the morning. No sign of Cherry or anyone when I went downstairs. I used the alone time as an opportunity to get online and check up on my friends. Within a few minutes I regretted it. It was hard to see the pictures of their normal lives- pics of them on the rides at the state fair, posts about movie dates and swimming at the clubhouse. It was weird to think of myself doing those things with them- as I would have been had things gone a different way. It was weird to think of myself living a normal, teenage life. And yet, I had been.

  I did anything I could think of to keep myself busy until it was time to meet with Simon. I cleaned the saddles, scrubbed the water buckets, and organized the feed room. When 3 finally rolled around I was thrilled to head across the pasture and through the back gate. I started sprinting up the trail to get to the tree faster. I was so focused on seeing him that I didn’t notice almost running into him!

  “Whoa there!” he said as he grabbed me, stopping me from crashing headlong.

  “Oh crap Simon! What are you doing down here?”

  “It’s lovely to see you as well,” he said with his usual grin and sparkle. He released me and then scooped me into an embrace.

  “I just meant, you scared me, and I thought we were going to meet at the tree,” I choked out like an idiot.

  We parted. “I was running early,” he replied. He grabbed my hand and together we began walking down the trail towards the farm. Within seconds I was feeling more at ease. “How’s things today,” he inquired.

  “Not too much to tell,” I said, thinking it was partly true. “AJ moved into his cabin finally and Cherry did her own thing so…”

  “Hmm.”

  I didn’t look at him but I rested my head on his arm as we walked side by side. The Santa Cruz Mountains were a beautiful place for a stroll under any circumstances. “And for you?” I asked before he felt the need to explore the topic farther. One thing I knew about Simon was that he often kept his hours away from me a mystery.

  “Mostly a lot of drawing. Leaf cataloging and the like,” he said. “Journaling,” he added.

  “Do you write about me?” I asked in a moment of girlie foolishness. Almost instantly I regretted asking but it was too late, the words were out.

  “I do,” he replied and smiled at me. “Quite a lot actually,” he added and my stomach flipped a little. “I also journal about flora as I am expected.”

  “Right,” I replied, “those leafy responsibilities.”


  We both grew silent. Neither of us knew how long we were going to be in this area. For me it could be permanent but for him it was unlikely. It wasn’t a subject I never wanted to discuss as I preferred to think about the here and now- otherwise I would fall apart.

  When we arrived at the pasture gate the horses were waiting for us. Simon arrived with treats in pocket and the horses had gotten used to it. They followed us across the pasture and up to the barn. Simon made a joke about being a master horse trainer, “I only need my mind,” he said.

  “Oh yes, you’re a regular Mensa,” I joked back while pulling open the sliding barn door. I stopped short when I saw Brad leaning against a stall door. He had a weird look on his face.

  “Vic,” he said in greeting, his voice so hard I didn’t recognize it.

  “Hey, Brad,” I replied carefully. Immediately the hair on the back of my neck stood up; I knew there was something wrong.

  “Hey there… Simon, right?” he asked feigning ignorance and taking a step towards us. Before Simon could answer he continued, “I’m glad we ran into each other. You see, I’ve been wanting to have a little chat with you.”

  “Well then, how’s that for luck?” Simon asked. He had his head slightly cocked to one side. To a casual observer he still seemed polite, to me he seemed calculating, as though he was trying to gauge what Brad was up to.

  “See, I’m wondering why you’re hanging around here?”

  “Brad!” I said in a stern voice.

  “Victoria, you might wanna stay outta this,” he replied. He walked closer to Simon who didn’t flinch or cower. He had a small smile though his eyes were a little harder. Clearly wasn’t afraid of Brad, but he was on guard, trying to figure out Brad’s angle.

  “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you not to speak to her like that,” Simon said to him. His tone was even but firm.

  “Huh,” Brad replied, his face reddening, his eyes sizing Simon up. “You didn’t answer my question,” he stepped closer to Simon until he was almost in his face, “why are you hanging around here?”