The Pear and The Pine

The Summer of 1941 was perhaps the last true period of happiness I had in my life. Gosh. When I see those words put down it doesn't feel like it was that long ago. It was a beautiful, magical time. It was before the war came home and before we lost what innocence we had left to lose.

That was the summer that we planted our first and only tree together. The pear still stands out there beside the pine, but the hedgerow has begun to take over. The old pear tree now, golly. It is taller now in some spots than in others. I guess trees don't age much better than people do. Maybe it's not the tree that's lopsided. Maybe it's me.

The pine long ago eclipsed the pear. I suppose that's ironic. Perhaps it's just nature being nature. The pear has always seemed happy and vibrant to me, but the pine has felt the opposite. It feels overbearing and dark. One tree bears fruit and the other only shards of itself. I think sometimes maybe I spend too much time staring out and thinking about these things.

Neither of us had met before that summer. One was a born and bred city boy. He didn't have a country bone in his body. The other was the daughter of debutante and longed to be herself and free of her mothers pompousness and her embarrassing way of manipulating everyone in her wake to become an insufferable narcissist.

Much to her father's chagrin, she took a job at the only diner in town. He didn't really like it, but she really didn't care. The diner was much like the town. It was usually quiet and boring, but not always. It was the only place for miles to get breakfast, lunch, or dinner any day of the year, any time of the day. Harry, the owner, wouldn't have closed up for the birth of Christ himself. Observed or otherwise.

Harry didn't close the night the boys, including Tommy, made port either. Each sailor had been given two week's leave before their next training exercises to use however they pleased. Their next assignment was to be conducted at a place called Pearl Harbor. Like flies to honey they hit the bars and then the diners and finally the dives.

It was a long drive from San Diego where they had made port. They were hungry, thirsty, and tired. It was also to be her first night off in over a week. One of the other girls had decided to up and quit. It was about midnight and she was long into the latter half of the second shift she had picked up. The place was mostly just regulars by that time. There were a few truck drivers drinking coffee at the counter. A couple in a booth was sharing a malt and necking. The door opened and a few sharply dressed midshipmen strode in.

She thought She recognized their uniforms as being Army, but when she made a poor attempt at humor the joke ended up being on her. They laughed it off and gave her guff for it. They riffed on the Army and stated proudly, as only the uninitiated in age could, that they were Navy boys.

The shy one of the bunch caught her eye. He smiled when she spoke, but he remained silent. She caught him stealing glances at her as the rest carried on and got carried out. He picked up the check and made his way to the counter. Most didn't do that. They'd just leave their money on the table and we'd gather it up with everything else left behind.

He had the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. His little chin was just to die for. She was trying hard not to swoon, but she was close. It was love from above. It had to be.