Last Leaf on the Oak Tree

by Cohen, Adrianna

  At first glance, the riverbank looked empty for miles in each direction. When her parents drove by to search for Paulie, they didn't see her wet body lying in front of the fire pit next to the teaming water. They continued to cruise up and down the bank, slowing at the appearance of a fire pit or other campers, inquiring about Paulie to each person they met. Then they started searching the small town, looking behind the school, over by the water tower, and stopping several times by the gas station and general store to ask about Paulie. Finally, they saw Mackenzie. They pulled the car over to talk.

  "Mack, have you seen Paulie?" her Mom asked. Her face reflected the worrisome look of a Mother, who KNOWS her child is in trouble.

  "She was down by the river last night," Mack answered, carefully avoiding any more conversation. She hoped they wouldn't ask the obvious question.

  "Was she drinking?" asked her Dad. They asked the question.

  Mackenzie let out a long sigh and admitted, "Not much." Mack asked Paulie's parents, "Did she not come home?"

  "No," answered Paulie's Mom. "We can't find her anywhere."

  "Take me back to the river," said Mack. "I know where we were cooking hotdogs and stuff. You might have overlooked her because there is a dip there in the bank of the river."

  They drove up to the river again, this time with Mack showing them where to park. Mack rushed out of the car and ran to the riverbank. There was Paulie, wet and shivering, but still asleep. Her skin and lips were blue, and she was covered in insect bites.

  "Good grief, how could you leave her like this?" cried Paulie's Mom to Mackenzie. Mackenzie looked shaken as Paulie's Mom and Dad went to retrieve Paulie.

  Paulie's Mom and Dad loaded her into the car and drove straight to Little Rock, about three hours, to check her into the hospital and the treatment program for thirty days. They hoped that Paulie was just sleeping and not ill. They prayed she would make it through this relapse as they drove as fast as they could. They left her at the treatment center with their hearts heavy. They prayed, this time, Paulie would realize her addiction.

  PJ grew frantic from hearing no communication from Paulie. Finally, he took a chance and called the Rogers' residence, instead of Paulie's cell phone. There was no answer, so he decided to wait again after school started Monday.

  When the week had ended, and he had returned to campus, there was no trace of Paulie to be found. Her dorm room had been rented to another student, and she was withdrawn from all of her classes. No one had any ideas what had happened or where she had gone.

  When PJ and Paulette had parted in October for Fall Break, they agreed to meet their first day back on campus at noon under the old oak tree. Every day at noon PJ would go to the tree hoping to find her waiting. When she continued to be absent, he still went to the tree, not expecting to find her but instead to earnestly pray for Paulette and her unknown needs. One day when he called the Rogers' home phone, her Dad answered. He explained that Paulette was in a treatment program and would not be returning the Fall Semester at all. PJ explained that he was in the AA program, and just celebrated his seventh year of sobriety. He told Paulie's Dad that he would meet her at their special place when she was ready to return to school.

  Paulie woke up in the hospital with double pneumonia. Her drunken sleeping party on the riverbank had resulted in hypothermia and overexposure. Both wreaked havoc on her run-down body and pneumonia had developed. There were several weeks of hospitalization before Paulette was admitted to rehab. By the time she was dismissed from the program to outpatient therapy, it was December and the Fall Semester was over.

  Christmas was a homecoming day for Paulie. She had been discharged the previous week but had asked her parents not to invite her cousins or friends until she was ready to face them. Her parents waited patiently for Paulie and then invited everyone to a Christmas Open House on Christmas afternoon.

  Paulie was dressed beautifully in turquoise velvet, long formal gown with a white lace collar and turquoise high-heeled shoes. The dress gave her eyes a sparkle and luster, but her face was still pale from her bout with pneumonia. Even though it was against her best judgment, Paulie's mom invited her drinking buddies from the riverbank, mainly because Paulette begged her.

  After all the guests had arrived, the gifts were exchanged, and the feasting begun, Paulie moved to the center of the group and asked for everyone's attention.

  "Attention," she said, as she struck a water goblet with her spoon. "I'd like everyone's attention."

  As if one, the whole room centered their attention on the wan face of Paulette.

  "I made a mistake this semester. I stopped going to meetings and started looking to my dorm mates to help me in my struggles. This was wrong. I should have been looking to God and my AA sponsor and friends. The result was that I relapsed, flunked the semester, and almost died from pneumonia. I know that God was watching over me when I was sick, as well as when I was struggling. I know that God gave me parents like these that never give up on me. I thank God that I am here today, sober, and fairly healthy. I do not plan on drinking again. I am empowering that plan by attending an AA meeting every day for the next year so that I have my priorities straight. I hope to return to U of M next semester, and I hope PJ will have me back. In any event, I have my head on straight and my feet planted in AA. Do any of my friends want to come with me to learn a better way of coping and living?"

  To Paulette's utter surprise, Mackenzie raised her hand.

  "I do," she said. "I need a way to deal with life besides getting drunk. I want what you have. You look peaceful."

  Paulette drew in a short breath and exhaled slowly. "I do have peace and serenity. I also have a meeting I'm attending tonight. Wanna go with?" she asked.

  Mackenzie stepped forward and took Paulie's hand. "Yes, I do." Then Mackenzie looked at the crowded room and offered, "We have room for more. Any other takers?"

  Dwayne stepped up but Wayne stayed behind on the edges of the crowd. "I'm ready to change, too. I'll go with you tonight." He looked back at Wayne, his twin who had accompanied him all of his life at his side. Dwayne cocked his head and asked softly, "Wayne?"

  Wayne shook his head no and slipped out the back door. Dwayne watched him ruefully but then turned back to Mackenzie and Paulette. "I'm ready when you are, what time is the meeting?"

  "Eight o'clock," answered Paulie.

  Dwayne smiled. "That is fitting. I partied at eight before; now I can fix what I should have stopped long ago at 8."

  Paulie's Dad spoke up, "I'll be glad to drive all of you. Be here at 7:30."

  "Thanks, Dad," replied Paulie. "This will give us a chance to visit, not to mention I don't own a car."

  Her Dad grinned. "I know."

  In January, Paulette and her parents made the return trip to U of M. Paulie's bags were packed, and she asked for a different room assignment, in a smaller dorm that also housed families and graduate students. She believed if she shared her space with families and those earnest about their academics, she would be less tempted to party with the crowd that went on all night benders.

  Her new housing was next door to the old Richardson Towers, but the difference in the accommodations was like night and day. Each floor had two student lounges, but they were for families instead of just single young adults. They only had one television per room but had several areas with cubbies for studying and areas for conversation. There was even a quiet night scheduled, Tuesday for this semester, where the residents were asked not to have guests and children be removed from the common area by 8 pm. This was to give extra study time for the aspiring scholars.

  There was a shared kitchen, and the students took turns preparing family style meals. Every student had a responsibility to care for the common areas each night, from vacuuming and dusting to cooking and setting the table, to washing the tables and loading the dishwasher. It all had a cozy family atmosphere.

  The bathrooms were built for six instead of sixty. Her room had a desk, wifi, and moveable furnitur
e. She didn't have to share a closet or even cupboard space in her interior room. Any special groceries that she didn't want to share stayed in her dorm closet. She was allowed to eat anywhere on campus but was asked to tell the cook if she would not be in for the shared mealtimes. She really liked the arrangement and looked forward to meeting the other members of her "pod".

  She unloaded her things, made her bed, and then pulled her shoulders back in preparation for meeting PJ at their old oak tree. She had Skyped him to say she would be returning today, unaware that he went to the tree everyday at noon in hopes of seeing her.

  Paulie held her breath as she slowly walked across the campus. She wondered if PJ would be at the tree. She wondered if he would accept her apology. She wondered if he would break up with her for her relapse. She wondered if he would break up because she had called only a few times. She wondered if he really cared for her or if she was just his semester snag.

  The tree was now up ahead and around the bend a little. She couldn't see it yet, but knew the bare branches would be there. Maybe there would still be one clinging leaf. She remembered her professor saying, "When the last leaf on the oak tree falls, our time together will be over." She hoped that her time with PJ wasn't over because she thought he might be the real thing.

  Paulette turned the corner. The big old oak tree was up ahead, but she didn't see any leaves on the tree. What she did see was thousands of little yellow ribbons tied onto the lower branches, and PJ standing underneath holding yellow roses tied with yellow ribbons with his arms open wide. Paulette skidded into his arms right at the stroke of noon as the large campus clock rang its chimes.

  "Right as the bell rings," said PJ, as he enveloped her in a long hug. He handed her the yellow roses. "Welcome back," he said. "I have missed you."

  "I was so afraid you wouldn't be here," said Paulie.

  "I am here, Baby Girl. I will always be here for you," replied PJ.

  "Remember what the teacher said about the last leaf on the oak tree?" asked Paulie.

  "She said it was the end of our time together. Dr. Johnson was wrong. This is just the beginning of our time together."

  PJ stuck his hand into Paulette's and walked her over to the moped. She climbed on to the seat and PJ asked, "Where to?"

  Paulie answered, "Let's go to a meeting. I think the Tower has one starting at the top of the hour."

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