The Tree Goddess

by Tom Raimbault

  Although Wayne possessed a mind that had yet to grow up, he was adult enough to understand what Jerry was implying. “I'll pay for it, Jerry. I'm sorry; I had no idea the messages cost money.”

  Jerry was relieved, “Good man! And get your own phone if you want to text all day. They're pretty cheap, and a lot of packages include unlimited texting. I just can't justify to my boss that our franchise managers are running up hundreds of dollars in text messages.”

  Although Wayne was a franchise manager, don't think for one second that his offer to pay for the text messages was a drop in the bucket. Franchise managers at Big Boy's Beef and Ribs earn a modest salary in exchange for the fancy title and responsibility of running the operation. For sure, August would require some borrowing from the credit cards. In addition, Wayne visited Mapleview Wireless Solutions for an inexpensive cell along with unlimited texting and data.

  For Wayne, financial strain was small in comparison to the new stress experienced in his relationship with the young Eileen. Knowledgeable that the young girl roamed the streets freely with her friends, Wayne often drove the neighborhood to check on his young Eileen's activities. And it wasn't uncommon to leave Big Boy's Beef and Ribs while claiming to staff that a quick errand needed to be run. These micro-errands lasted no more than 5 to 7 minutes as he drove to the wooded section of Mapleview and entered the old and new subdivisions near Vine Road.

  One hot August afternoon, the young Eileen was walking with a group of kids her age that recognized the sound of Wayne's Mustang driving from behind.

  “Uh oh; Alexi's boyfriend is checking up on her!” The kids enjoyed teasing Alexi. But Alexi ignored her boyfriend's car and was growing annoyed with his constant, surprise visits.

  While passing, Wayne observed something that he didn't like. A boy was walking a little too close to his young Eileen. Although furious, he waited until exiting the subdivision and sent an inquiring text, “Who's da guy walking w/ u?”

  Wayne drove back to Big Boy's Beef and Ribs, all the while waiting for the young Eileen's reply.

  Again, he asked, “Who's da guy u were w/?”

  Still, no reply.

  10 minutes passed, “Hello? R u out there? I know u can get my msgs. Who's the guy?”

  Alexi did, in fact, receive all the messages. And friends continued to tease that the boyfriend was angry. But Alexi announced in not so nice words, “Forget about him! I'm sick of him!”

  In a 12-year-old girl's world, harassment is easy to handle. She simply selected the option to block Wayne's number. Imagine the shock that Wayne experienced when receiving the text, “Message undeliverable: user has opted to ignore all texts from this number.”

  Oh how Wayne's hands trembled! How his breathing became erratic as the tips of his fingers tingled from an abrupt change in circulation. What was his young Eileen doing and why?

  * * *

  Desperate situations call for desperate attempts. The midnight-blue Mustang became an alarming sight for the young girl which made it necessary to cut across people's yards onto other blocks, just to avoid Wayne's attempt of intercepting her at the end of streets.

  But the cat and mouse game was getting out of hand. One evening, Alexi fought desperately on her way home while Wayne nearly cornered her in a confusing maze of dead-end streets. Almost trapped, she climbed over someone's backyard fence, only to be chased by a Doberman while jumping over to the other. Four yards of crossing brought her to the park. And as she ran across to the patch of forest that separated the old subdivision from the new, Alexi could hear the frantic Mustang roaring down Vine Road to meet her at the other side. The child merely hopped over several backyards until reaching her own. She was safe from his capture, at least for that night.

  There was only way that Wayne could finally make contact with his young Eileen. He called off work on a Wednesday morning and headed over to the park near her neighborhood. Then he ventured into the patch of forest and hid near some trees off the small trail. Within a couple hours, Wayne could hear rustling and footsteps that approached. Sure enough, they belonged to his young Eileen who traveled alone. He jumped out as she passed and seized the young girl with his hand across her mouth, “I got you!”

  The terrified child squirmed and squealed with all her might. But Wayne wouldn't let go until she calmed down, “Take it easy; sweetie, take it easy. I'll let go if you calm down.”

  The squirming ceased and Wayne's grip lessened. “Now, I'm going to let go; but if you scream or try to run, I won't trust you and will continuing holding, okay?”

  The young girl nodded her understanding. Wayne carefully released his grip. She was a split second from running off, but remained in place by some sort of adult-to-child overpowering. Beside that, Alexi knew why Wayne was there.

  He finally asked, “Why do you keep running from me? And why did you block my number?”

  The young girl shrugged her shoulders.

  Wayne continued, “Here I'm thinking that everything is going good between you and me, and then one day I get a message that you blocked me. Why?”

  She was in near tears while confessing, “It's too much for me! Sometimes I feel like you want me to be all grown up. But I'm just a kid. I feel guilty hanging out with my friends, like you don't want me to be around them.”

  Wayne only returned a stare with a look of confusion. “Where did you ever get that idea?”

  “'Cause you keep following me. You keep checking up on me throughout the day and it's embarrassing. I'm walking down the street with friends and we hear your car driving up. Don't you think I hate it when people tease me and make fun of me?”

  Obviously, the poor girl was confused. She misinterpreted her boyfriend's actions and made a few wrong decisions. At least that's how Wayne perceived it! And since he was the bigger person, it was up to Wayne to take control of the relationship and correct the child's erroneous beliefs. “Eileen, you are sadly mistaken! I am not driving around to check up on you. Don't you think I have more important things to do with my time? And to be fair, yes I do like to occasionally drive by and see you. I miss you throughout the day and want to be with you. But I had no idea that other kids noticed this and made fun of you. I'll make you a deal. If I promise to no longer drive by, will you promise to unblock me so we can continue our relationship?”

  Alexi nodded in agreement while wondering why Wayne insisted on calling her by Mother's name.

  Wayne was relieved with her agreement. “Good! Go ahead and unblock me so I can send you a text.”

  About a minute passed as his young Eileen tapped away at the keypad, accessing her profile and settings page. “Okay, I have to reboot the phone for the changes to take effect.”

  “That's fine; I'll send you a text while it's rebooting.” While messages and settings were being transferred through the air, Wayne made an offer for another late night rendezvous. “Tell you what; you want to go out this Friday night? I'll wait by the park and pick you up for another dinner at Taco Mile?”

  “Sure…”

  A message alert sounded on the young girl's phone. When checked, it was a message from Wayne, “I luv u!”

  * * *

  It just so happened that the upcoming Friday night was Alexi's last Friday before school resumed—the end of summer break. And on Thursday night her best friend, Angela, announced that there would an end-of-summer-vacation pajama party in which everyone would be sleeping in the backyard in tents. The party was planned for Friday night. Needless to say, Alexi was excited. All the girls in the neighborhood would be attending and Mom and Dad agreed to allow their 12-year-old daughter to join in the fun.

  Of course this would mean her date with Wayne would have to be cancelled. No problem, she simply texted her boyfriend on Friday morning with the news, and promised another date the following Friday night.

  His reply was short, “But we're going out 2nite.”

  Obviously, Wayne was disappointed. She responded, “Sorry pleze try 2 undrstnd. Its the last fri nite
b4 skool.”

  Apparently, Wayne's young Eileen didn't understand the gravity of the situation. It's highly rude to cancel an evening with him, not to mention socially unacceptable. Although she was young, it was time to educate the girl of her priorities. He texted back, “U can't just cancel a date w/ me. That's not rite. I'll b @ the park waiting @ 10.”

  You remember sleepovers as a child, the excitement and anticipation of fun? As the day progressed and the other girls raved of the wild evening, Alexi leaned more and more towards “blowing off” Wayne for the night. Who was he to dictate her priorities? And she shrugged off any remaining guilt once Angela announced, “My parents are going to have a late night barbeque during the sleepover, and we can roast marshmallows!”

  The girls did their usual, Friday night activities and then reported to Angela's house at 9:00. Angela's mother and father attended a dinner with some of Father's business clients, and were due to be home around 10:00. That's when the late night barbeque would begin.

  Forgotten by his young Eileen, Wayne sat, parked, by the edge of the road in the other subdivision which was the usual pickup spot. Although trying to remain calm, tonight was somewhat nerve racking as Wayne was curious if his girlfriend would make the right choice. 90's grunge rock softly played on CD while the minutes of the clock moved further past 10:00. By 10:37, he nearly shook with adrenaline. Eileen had ditched him for the night!

  Back at Angela's house, Mother and Father returned from dinner. The coals were near perfectly glowed on the barbeque as the silly, playful girls watched Mother go back inside for a tray of meat. That's when they heard the identifiable roar of Wayne's Mustang speeding along Vine Road.

  The giggling and chatter paused for a moment. One of the girls looked up to ask, “Uh-oh! Is that…?”

  Poor Alexi could only sigh with a dreadful look, “Yeah, I think so.” She was a playful child only seconds ago, but had been brought back down to Earth with the frightening monster that roared and screeched closer as the seconds passed. Her stomach knotted and heart pounded faster. Wayne was mad—really mad!

  Unsure of where Angela lived, much less his young Eileen's residence, Wayne slowly drove the streets until noticing what appeared to be a small party in a backyard. He parked his Mustang in front of the house that was next door to Angela's. And ironically, Wayne was now next door to Curt and Eileen's house as Alexi's friend, Angela, lived two doors down. If only Wayne's ex-girlfriend of 15 years ago was aware of his presence! But she was oblivious as the grown man crept up to the house where her 12-year-old Alexi stayed for the night.

  Angela's house was without a backyard fence. Large bushes and trees perimetered the home. They were useful for the jealous and possessive stalker to hide. He watched from the corner of the house as the pimply-faced Angela stood before the barbeque with Mother and asked, “Are those bratwurst sausages? I love bratwurst sausages!”

  Needless to say, entering the backyard was a bad idea at the moment. Someone his own age was supervising the young girls. The only option was to continue watching from behind the bush, using the moment to take note of his girlfriend's behavior.

  10 minutes passed as Wayne observed some of the girls eat their dinner while nosily chatting. His young Eileen had yet to eat. More bratwurst sausages cooked on the grill. Suddenly, she rose from her seat and walked towards the side of the house. Maybe she was on her way to the front where she would check for Wayne's suspected presence. While doing this, Wayne emerged from the bushes and startled the young girl who was now alone.

  “Oh jeez! You scared me!” exclaimed Alexi.

  Wayne had no pity for her. “Come with me! I want to talk to you!”

  “But I'm…”

  Alexi's wrist was tightly grabbed as she was pulled in the direction towards the front yard. The young girl's reaction was similar to a child who is disgusted with the scolding of a nagging parent. While Wayne walked faster and faster towards his car, one of the girls from the party ran around towards the front of the house, curious of where her friend had gone. Alexi's boyfriend had her now, and it appeared as though the two were arguing. She wondered, “Why doesn't Alexi just break up with him?”

  The Mustang peeled off while the curious girl returned to the backyard. Then she announced, “Alexi's fighting with her boyfriend, again.”

  Angela's mother was somewhat concerned, “Was that her boyfriend who pulled off like that?”

  Several of the girls affirmed.

  “He drives? Does Alexi's mother know about this?”

  “I guess…” was an answer that came from the group of girls.

  Mother shook her head in disbelief and then went back into the house where Father sat on the couch, watching the news. She announced to her husband, “You know Curt and Eileen's daughter, Alexi?”

  “Yeah…”

  “She's got a boyfriend who drives! And he just peeled off with her. I guess they're fighting.”

  Father remained slouched on the sofa while shaking his head in disbelief, just like Mother. Then he commented, “I don't get these kids now days. They're way too grown up. I mean, would you have been able to get into some guy's car at… What is she 12 or 13?”

  “She'll be 13 next week.” said Angela's Mother.

  “Still, that's way too young to be getting into cars.”

  In the meantime, furious Wayne tore down the darkened Mapleview Road at open throttle with the very, frightened Alexi in the passenger seat. All she could do was listen to his spew of anger.

  “Who are you to blow me off, tonight? I told you that I would be at the park to pick you up! And then I find out that you go to your friend's sleepover, instead!”

  The young girl had never seen such a display of fearsome rage and could only cry, “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I forgot and really wanted to go to Angela's sleepover.”

  But this would only trigger a convulsion of punches to the dashboard as the midnight-blue Mustang raced the darkened road at over 100MPH. “That's unacceptable! No, no, no, no, no! You don't do that! You don't cancel plans with people and say that you forgot!”

  Poor Alexi was fearful for her life. Although the young girl didn't drive, she realized that the dangerous speed had the power to take life. Sobbing while desperately apologizing was the only means to, hopefully, encourage her boyfriend to slow down. Fortunately for her, Wayne saw the parking lot of Hotlicks Sports Bar and Grill as the ideal place to turn around. Spinning a 180 and nearly colliding with a large, red pickup truck; Wayne now traveled east and hugged the bend that transitioned south.

  Wayne appeared calmer but continued yelling. “So what are you girls doing tonight? Are there any guys?”

  “No.”

  “What about when Angela's mother and father go to bed? Will any guys come over, then?”

  “No.”

  He sighed, “You really got me ticked off right now! How dare you throw me in the corner and blow me off, tonight? You agreed to meet me for a date and then chose to go to your friend's party, instead?”

  There was a long period of silence before Wayne turned left onto the street where Alexi and Angela lived. “So are you all sleeping in tents, tonight?”

  “Yeah…”

  He was facetious in his reply, “Awe, isn't that freaking nice? Sounds like you girls are going to have a good time!”

  The car stopped on a dime in front of Angela's house. “Well, might as well go back to your little party! Thanks for blowing me off!”

  The young girl exited the midnight-blue Mustang which soon tore off, made a 180 and headed back to Mapleview Road.

  Warm tears flooded Alexi's eyes as guilt and sadness overcame her. She entered the backyard with an emotionally distraught face and swollen, red eyes. And the giggly girls cheered her name, “Alexi!”

  Angela noticed her best friend's condition. “Did you and Wayne get into a fight?”

  The curious girl, who looked for Alexi earlier, finally spoke up. “Why don't you just break up with him? He makes you upset all the time
.”

  Another girl announced, “Oh, we saved your brat and potato salad, but the dog came out and ate it.” Poor Alexi hadn't eaten since 2:00 in the afternoon. But that was okay, she was too upset to eat. And what a long, depressing night it was at her best friend's pajama party.

  Chapter 42

  There's a small, common item in this mother and daughter saga which I'm sure the reader is most curious of. At some point I'm sure you've asked, “What about the ring? How does Eileen feel about her daughter, Alexi, wearing the same ring that she wore 15 years ago?”

  Well of course Alexi didn't wear the ring around Mother or Father! She knew that both would disapprove of her relationship with Wayne. If only Mother knew the truth!

  It had yet to be discussed of the appropriate age to get into cars for Friday night dates. And this is why Eileen was much surprised on a midmorning in September when encountering Angela's mother, Janet. Eileen was doing work out in the front yard as her neighbor, Janet, walked by, cooling down after her daily run.

  “Hi Eileen!”

  “Hey Janet!”

  “So this is the other side of summer, after the kids go back to school?”

  Eileen smiled, “Yes, another summer has gone by with the kids. How was the party with the girls last week?”

  “Oh, they had a nice time. They weren't noisy at all, just slept in tents outside. Doug fired up the grill in the evening and made them a late dinner.” Then Angela's mother broke in with her burning question, “So Alexi's got a boyfriend, now?”

  Eileen was surprised but took the news lightly, thinking it to be a puppy love with a boy her own age. “Does she? This is the first I've heard of it.”

  Seeing the unconcerned response, Angela's mother provided more information. “Yeah, he drives.”

  The mention of driving suggested a boy that was older, at least 16 and in high school. No parent would be happy to hear of this. All Eileen could say in the shock was, “Well this is really the first time I've heard of this.”

  Janet laid on more shock. “I guess he came over on the night of the party, and Alexi went up front to meet him. It sounds like he was mad that she went to the sleepover and they were fighting. She got in his car and he sped off, actually tore off like a maniac.”