Harvesting Acorns

by Deirdré Amy Gower

  She got into her nightclothes and gown, put on her slippers, made herself a mug of hot chocolate and got comfortable. This was one of her rare indulgences of time. Before, she had barely had time for anything, but she always made time for a good book.

  She was about twenty pages into her reading when her phone rang.

  “Hello Chloe, I hope I am not disturbing you. It is Grace,” said the soft, soothing voice on the other end of the line.

  “Grace! What a surprise. No, you are not disturbing me,” Chloe was delighted by the unexpected call.

  “James told us that he explained what he is doing and that it was OK with him for us to tell you about the tree. Please join us for tea tomorrow afternoon, you would be most welcome.”

  Chloe felt a rush of excitement at the invitation.

  “I would love to join you,” she replied enthusiastically as she scribbled down the directions as Grace explained to her how to find their home. Now she was too excited to get back into her book, her mind was racing at all the possibilities of stories there could be about the oak tree’s history. She decided to watch some TV instead, it was not something she often did, but switching through the channels she came across some comedies and thought a good laugh was never a bad idea. She spent the rest of that afternoon and evening on her couch, cuddled up watching one sitcom after the other, enjoying not having to think, or plan or concentrate too much. She found that there was absolute bliss in not doing anything.

  Chapter Five

  In the morning, as usual, she met with James and they went through their daily ritual of harvesting acorns. Today in silence, as was not uncommon. James had told her all he needed to for now, and would let her hear the rest from his grandparents later that afternoon. She noticed that James was putting acorns into all the bags except the little pink one. Curiosity reared its head but Chloe did not ask.

  “I need to leave a little early today, James. I want to have a quick cup of tea with Phoebe to discuss a few things and then run some errands before our tea date with your grandparents. I will see you later.” The thought made her happy. James seemed pleased at the idea too. He really had started to mean a lot to her, this time with him was becoming precious to her.

  She arrived at Joel and Grace’s home right on time. Both Joel and Grace greeted her at the door and welcomed her into their home. Joel stepped aside to allow Grace to lead the way to the lounge and for Chloe to follow and then they all took seats. James was already sitting on the couch and got up for Joel and Grace to sit beside each other. He took a seat to Joel’s right which left a seat to Grace’s left open for Chloe. They seemed to form a semi-circle around the coffee table, on which there was a beautifully potted oak bonsai. She guessed it was one of their handy works as well.

  They made small talk for a while, mostly with Chloe answering their questions about where she was from, what had brought her here and about her meetings with James. She spoke about Phoebe and Jean Pierre’s kindness and hospitality and how fortitude had worked in her favour with her new home and job. Grace got up to make some tea and James went through to help her. Chloe continued to speak with Joel about her career history and how she was now both excited and nervous about her new job. Grace returned with the tea and some homemade biscuits and the conversation turned towards them.

  “I don’t want to pry or push you for information, but I am really intrigued by James’ project and eager to hear your story,” Chloe spoke gently, prompting Joel and Grace to begin sharing their story.

  Joel began.

  “I was playing around on the beach one Saturday, during the long school holidays, looking in rock pools, trying to catch fish. I was nine years old. Something made me look up from what I was doing, and I saw her for the first time – this beautiful angel that seemed to float across the beach. At nine years old we were still supposed to think that girls were the enemy, but I fell in love.” He looked over at Grace and put his hand on hers. “And I have fallen in love every time I have looked at her since.”

  Grace smiled softly at him.

  “I saw him looking at me and I thought he was the handsomest boy I had ever seen. My little heart started beating so fast. But I knew the handsome boys were trouble, so I looked away and kept walking.”

  Joel chuckled.

  “My tiny ego was crushed! But I hoped I would see her again. A few days later on the first day of a new school year, I saw her again. We were in the same class. I went over to introduce myself and knew in a heartbeat that I had found my new best friend. Of course, I had to be all macho in front of the other boys, but Grace would have none of that. She was different to all the other girls. Being in her company demanded that I either be real with her, at all times, or not bother wasting her time. She was so gentle, so lovely, and so authentic. She would not tolerate any pretense. She still will not.”

  Grace giggled, “And he learned quickly. We started out sitting next to each other in class, helping each other with our homework. He was brilliant with maths, and biology. I helped him with creative writing, grammar and spelling – it is well known that boys can’t spell.” She winked at Chloe as she nudged Joel teasingly.

  Chloe listened as they recounted their meeting and the start and blossoming of their friendship...

  They had met every afternoon after school, either on the beach or in the park – the same park where the oak now stood tall and proud. They had a special friendship, they did not always need to be engaging when in each other’s company, it was enough just to be in the same space. Grace would sit under an umbrella on the beach reading a book or drawing while Joel would be exploring the rock pools or trying to float paper boats. Every now and then he would sneak up on her with a crab or periwinkle trying to surprise her. Grace would just give him a look, or take it from him and return it to its rock pool. Rarely did he get a girlish squeal out of her unless he had really done something, like pour cold water over her. That, he learned, got a reaction every time. Not a very pleasant reaction for him, he also learned, but a reaction none-the-less. It usually ended with him apologising profusely and agreeing to tutor her with maths every day for a week. But it was worth the extra time he got to spend with her, so it really was not punishment at all – he just did not let on to her about that!

  Their parents got to know each other and so they were allowed to start visiting each other at home and each had become like part of the other’s family. Within a few months they were inseparable. They had other friends and groups, both mutual and separate, but when it came to all the important childhood events, they rarely were not shared with each other. James went to all of Grace’s violin recitals, and sat through every minute, even in the beginning when it was torturous to have to listen to. Grace was always on the grand stand when Joel was swimming in the school galas. Joel loved the water; he was in his element when he was swimming, or body boarding at the beach. When Grace’s kitten was sick at the vet, Joel would go with her every afternoon to sit with her while she visited it. When Joel was sick in bed with bad flu, Grace would arrive with hot chocolate and sit in a chair next to his bed and read stories to him. They had developed such a unique bond. They complimented each other well – Joel’s adventurous, athletic and wild spirit and Grace’s serene, artistic and free spirit. They brought perfect balance. Grace found herself being a bit more daring and pushing her physical limits a bit more when she was with Joel, and he found himself calming and quietening his over-active and energetic self when around Grace.

  On Grace’s birthday, Joel gave her the first model sailing boat he had ever built from scratch. It was a little roughly put together but Grace treasured it with all her heart. In return, on his birthday, she painted a huge canvas with a scene she had witnessed while sitting on the beach. It was sunset and a sailing boat graced the horizon with a backdrop of pinks and purples and a huge golden ball of fire. She also played a perfected rendition of Happy Birthday on her violin as everyone else sang to him.

  It was late that autumn, when Joel met her on
the beach one morning. He approached her, cupping something in his hands. He teased her, refusing to let her see what he had. Eventually, his expression became serious and he told her that he had found something tremendously special and wanted to share it with her. He slowly opened his cupped hands and revealed to her a perfect acorn. He explained that he believed that it was a magic acorn, that it held their dreams inside it and that if they planted it with their dream in mind, it would grow huge and strong, and mighty up to the sky. And as it grew, it would take their dream with it, up to the heavens and branch out in endless possibilities, providing the shelter of hope for all who passed under and when it had grown to all its glory, it would produce new dreams, waiting to be gathered by those needing them. Grace absolutely loved his description of his vision, and the picture of hope he painted. Joel told her that he wanted them to plant the acorn together and to declare their dreams in a sacred acorn planting ceremony. He had asked his mother to buy him a book about growing oaks and had read all he needed to know to do this properly, so he explained that he would keep the acorn cold until spring, and they would plan their dream planting ceremony for the first full moon evening of spring.

  During the next few winter months, when they couldn’t spend so much time playing on the beach they would have mini campouts at each other’s homes, toasting marshmallows in the fireplace and drinking hot cocoa. If it were Joel’s turn to have it at his house, Grace would sit quietly and read while Joel would build his model sailboats. When it was Grace’s turn to host, Joel would start out watching her paint, or listen to her practice her violin, and then, when he got bored, as boys do, he would go outside and scratch around for bugs or bits of debris from the trees to use to customise his boats. Rarely a day went by when they were not in each other’s company. The only time was Sundays. Both sets of parents had got together and had been firm about this. They needed to honour their family time and go to church with their own families. However, come Monday morning, they couldn’t wait to get to school to catch up on the previous day’s events.

  They did not speak much about their planned ceremony for the acorn, now and then Joel would remind Grace to give her dreams some thought. They needed to be definite about what they wanted when it came time to plant the acorn. They would realise much later that they had not spoken much about their dreams, because each was facing their own inner dilemma over their own.

  The first signs of spring began to appear. While walking on the beach together one Saturday morning, slightly warmer than previous days, they saw the first whale breaching the surface. Joel grabbed Grace’s hand and dragged her into a run with him up to a rocky cliff that jutted out into the bay so they could get a better view. As they reached the top, Grace pointed up to the sky as a huge flock of pelicans glided slowly over the bay, returning from their winter travels, following warmer weather. All around them they noticed how things had begun to come alive, how they all seemed brighter. They sat silently together just admiring nature and how she, seemingly overnight, had swept her magic paintbrush across the earth, streaking it with colour, and painting the dull, barren landscape with life.

  Grace pulled out her sketchpad and pencil from her backpack and began drawing the image of the whale. This was her form of diarising special moments. She was extremely talented with her drawing and painting. Joel reminded her that they now had to wait for the full moon, which would happen in about a week, and then they would plant their acorn. They walked home together, stopping to admire fields of daisies that had sprung up suddenly. Bright yellow against a lush green canvas stretched as far as they could see. They really appreciated that they could share these moments together. Not many of the other children at school shared their appreciation for nature and the simple things. For the other children it was all about popularity contests and being invited into the right groups, who had the best clothes and whose parents were the wealthiest. Grace and Joel came from middle class families, not struggling, but definitely not wealthy.

  For the next week, they started gathering the things they would need: a large pot and compost soil. They needed something to stand the pot on so that the water could drain properly; Joel constructed a stand from bits of wood he had gathered. They decided that while it was still potted, waiting to sprout, Joel would keep it with him seeing as though it was his idea. They planned the ceremony together. As they were only ten years old now, there was no way their parents would let them go down to the beach at night alone, so they decided because Joel was going to keep the potted acorn, they would have the ceremony at Grace’s house, to be fair. She had a lovely big garden and so they could create a special setting.

  The day of the full moon arrived. Grace had her father help her safely set candles around the garden so that they would have enough light. Joel arrived just before sunset, they knew the moon would be at its largest and most awesome as it was on the rise and so they started laying out all their items in preparation. Grace’s mom had prepared a picnic dinner for them and spread a huge blanket out on the grass for them so that they could work comfortably. She asked them to try and not get too much dirt on it. They were all ready and decided to enjoy their picnic while they waited for the moon to rise. Joel had brought along a set of drums, and beat them softly with his hands, creating an almost primal atmosphere with the candles flickering all around them and gentle breeze caressing their skin as they waited for the moon’s appearance.

  They did not have to wait long. A giant pale yellow ball began to rise way out beyond the garden border. It was magnificent to watch, Joel and Grace both catching their breath and watching in silence. When it was high in the sky, they began with the planting. Joel put the compost in the pot, leaving enough space between the soil and the rim of the pot. He said they would now share their dreams and then Grace would have the honour of placing the acorn in the centre of the pot and, once they had finished declaring their dreams, Joel would cover the acorn with more soil. He prompted Grace to go first. She hesitated and then told him that she had battled with her decision. Before meeting him, she had held onto a dream for so long, it was something she wanted very much for herself. However, she also had a dream for both of them and it was hard for her to choose which one to make. Joel said that he had been having the same dilemma and so they came to a mutual agreement. Each of them would make their own affirmation of their individual dreams, and then, together, they would declare the dreams they had for the both of them. Grace was happy with this. She held the acorn in her cupped hands and looked up at the full moon. She spoke her dream softly. It was that one day she would travel to New York and perform with her violin in Carnegie Hall. She had heard all about famous concert musicians performing there and knew that if she ever has to live that dream, then she would know that all her endless practising would have been towards her dream. She would know that she had made it as a musician.

  She passed the acorn to Joel. He cupped it in his hands as she had done, and also looked up at the moon. His dream was to sail around the world in a sailboat that he had made. Grace smiled; she could not have imagined his dream being anything other than that. Joel reached out for her hands and together they held the acorn. This time they looked deeply at each other. Joel said that his dream for them was that they would always be friends, and Grace completed his sentence with ‘no matter what’. In their naivety, neither of them realised the commitment it would take to keep that dream alive. How life would test them and stretch their friendship to its limits. How their personal dreams would be their biggest challenges in realising their mutual dream.

  Grace placed the acorn in the centre of the pot and Joel covered it gently with soil. He would take it home with him when his parents came to fetch him and then would put it in his garden where it would be exposed to rain and the natural elements until it sprouted. This would happen mid to late spring so they had some time to decide where they would plant it permanently. Grace’s mom brought some hot cocoa out to them and sat with them looking up at the stars, trying to point out the c
onstellations and engaging in conversation about all sorts of things. Joel’s parents arrived and joined them for about half an hour, and then told Joel it was time to go home and they helped him carry the now heavy pot to the car. He gave Grace a big hug and said that he would always do everything in his power to keep their dream alive. She promised the same thing and they waved to each other as the car drove away.

  It had been a special evening that would be with them both throughout their lives. They now had dreams to hold onto and to pursue with everything they had. They also had the benefit of knowing that wherever they went in the world, there was an oak tree sending down roots into the soil, anchoring them to their homes, their origins, their true selves and sending up shoots, carrying their dreams on their behalf up to the heavens. It was comforting to have this representation, a physical totem of their goals, something to revisit and remind them when they lost sight of everything real and dear and of substance. They would strive to build their characters as solid as the oak would become.

  At school the next day, it was all they could talk about. They recounted over and over what a perfect evening it had been. How the moon, the stars, and the weather, even their parents, had aligned with their planned ceremony. They felt that their dreams had been blessed by all the elements and the universe and by God himself. For the next few weeks, they kept rushing to Joel’s garden first thing after school to check for sprouting. The anticipation was almost too much, even though they knew it would still be several weeks before the shoots should appear. When they arrived and did not see shoots, they would rush off to the beach to carry on with their usual activities. They would sit discussing where the best place would be to plant the tree. They knew oak trees grew very large, so it would need a lot of space. Neither of their gardens was big enough for a full-grown oak. Joel had also read that oak trees soak up a lot of water from their environments, so it would need to be somewhere close to natural water, or it would either not get enough water to survive, or would rob the surrounding plants of the water they needed to survive. It was proving quite a challenge, and they would spend hours walking around the village looking for suitable places, enquiring with local authorities when they came across possible places that were public venues.