Children
THE APPLE TREE SWING
Tony is talking to himself again. He either has a make believe friend, or he’s just a five year old who can’t stop talking. Two weeks ago, he and his mother moved in the other side of my duplex. Now, at least once a day, I see Tony in the apple tree swing, talking to himself.
I look in the refrigerator and find nothing good for lunch.
“Dad,” I say, “can I go to the store?”
Dad reaches in his pocket and pulls out a five. He hands it to me without missing a click on the remote. Mom died of cancer five months ago. Now Dad just sits on the couch and stares at the TV. All of the happy inside of him must have dried up when Mom died. Not only that, I have become Gina, the invisible 10 year old. I pull my bike helmet over my curly brown hair. I hop on my bike and head for the Buy It Quick.
I sit on the steps eating my tuna sandwich without tasting it. This is the loneliest summer of my life. I used to have a mother to talk to. I used to have a father who liked me better than Court TV. My friend, Lorna, lived next door for six years. Now she’s gone, and all I have is a five year old boy who talks to himself.
“Hi, Gina.”
“Oh, hi, Tony,” I say.
“You look like you are sad. Are you?” Tony asks.
I don’t know what to say. Leave it to a little kid to ask a question like that.
“Are you sad?” he asks again.
“Everyone is sometimes,” I say. “Want some water?”
He nods. I get us water from the refrigerator and go back. He’s just a little kid, but he cares how I feel. We drink our water.
“Want to see my new room?” he asks.
“Sure,” I say.
Everything is purple. I sit on the bed and wonder if purple will rub off on me. Tony shows me all his favorite things. He hands me a coloring book and some gel pens. He sits on the floor and starts drawing a picture on a big pad of paper.
“Here,” he says.
It is a picture of a tree with a swing. The sun’s rays point down to a little stick figure in a purple shirt swinging. That would be Tony. I’m sure he is talking to himself, and I smile.
“Do you like it?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say.
“That’s me in my new shirt.”
“The sun looks really hot,” I say.
“That’s God shining on me.”
I never thought how that would look. My parents hadn’t gone to church. I went with Lorna once, and it was fun. We color and draw for a while. I like having the company.
“Do you want to go back outside?” he asks.
“O.K.,” I say.
Tony goes to the swing. I sit on the grass to watch him. I loved that swing when I was little. Mom pushed me for hours. I pretended I could fly up into the clouds. I wish I could fly up there right now and find her. Why did she have to die? I realize I am crying, and Tony is holding my hand.
“I’m sorry you are sad,” Tony says.
I nod and cry. I thought I had already used up all the tears my body came with.
“You know what will make you feel better?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“If you talk to God. I talk to Him everyday.”
I wipe the tears off my cheeks with both hands. He talks to God everyday, not himself.
“Does He, well, answer you?” I ask.
“Not in His voice, but I feel Him right here,” he says. He points to his heart and smiles.
He really means it. I smile back at him.
“What does it feel like?” I ask.
“Warm and tickly. Like how a laugh feels on the inside,” he says.
“But, what do you say to Him?”
“Anything I want. Anytime I want,” Tony says.
“Tony,” his mother calls from the window, “time to go to the store. Hi, Gina.”
I smile and wave at her. Tony hugs me and runs to his back door. I sit for a few minutes thinking about God. Will He know who I am? Tony and his mother wave as they head down the street.
I stand up and brush myself off. I sit in the apple tree swing. I swing back and forth and look up at the clear blue sky.
“Hi, God. This is Gina,” I say. A soft breeze rustles through the leaves of the apple tree. “If you have a few minutes, I need to talk to you….”
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I loved it! Very well done, and I loved the ending. Oh, to have the faith of a child! Thanks so much for sharing!
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