Treehugger

"I'm afraid it's mostly bad news. There wasn't enough on the agenda so the other councillors decided to postpone the meeting for two weeks. I wasn't able to raise the issue of your oak tree."

"Well, two weeks will give us time to get those tree surgeons to examine it and then provide us some sort of paperwork stating how healthy the tree is. That's not so bad," said Veronica, leaning across the seat to speak through the open driver side window.

"I'm afraid that's not going to help you. They plan to cut down the tree first thing next week. They were going to do it either tomorrow or the next day, but I managed to talk their supervisor into a delay. They're taking that tree down unless you have any other ideas."

Paul and Veronica shared looks of hopelessness.

"I didn't think so," responded the councilman. "Well, maybe you two will come up with something at the last minute. You never know."

Paul reached out and the two men shook hands. "Thank you for all of your help. You've certainly got my vote come the next election."

"Yes, thank you," added Veronica, although both men could see her heart was broken.

"I'd better take her home," suggested Paul.

The politician waved at them and shook his head sadly as they left the parking lot.

Paul drove on in silence. Veronica stared out the window, sullen. He peered over at her a few times, but couldn't think of what to say to her. She perked up as they drove past his place.

"You're forgetting something, Paul."

He pulled over onto the dirt shoulder. "What is it?"

"I should let the tree spirit go back into her tree, for as long as they have left. Veronica deserves to have her own body back as well, now that we can't save the oak."

Paul thought about arguing with her. But how could he defend the permanent takeover of Veronica Price's body? This woman was innocent and had volunteered to let the tree spirit posses her out of the goodness of her heart. He nodded in agreement.

He pulled back up onto the road and performed a u-turn, almost flipping his truck into the ditch as he did so. They drove the short distance back to his house slowly, staring at the tree as he drove past it on the driveway. Then, he turned off the truck and they walked back to the oak.

Veronica stared up at the tree, it's branches spread out above them. "So, this is the end of me. I was glad to be here for what little time I had, Paul. Don't be angry at Veronica or the tree spirit; without them I never would have existed."

"I understand." He stared at her. He didn't feel the urge to cry. In fact, the emotions he felt were very complex. After a few seconds thought he realized that he was simply happy to have known her for as long as he had.

She glanced at him and bit her lip. "I'll need some privacy for this. I'm saying goodbye to two people I've shared a lot with, and hoping they understood the things I did and why I did them." She turned back to the tree. "I hope they don't think badly of me," she said in a whisper.

"They won't, Ronny. We'll all think of you fondly."

That brought a smile to her face. "Please move away, though."

Paul backed away. It was unfair that she had to end, but it was part of the deal that brought her into being. His mind raced with last minute thoughts of how he might save her. Could she inhabit the body of a woman in a coma? That wouldn't be fair to the tree spirit to be trapped in someone else's body, and it wouldn't be Ronny. Ronny was a combination of Veronica Price, a tree spirit, and something else.

Veronica took a step toward the tree, and then another. Her shoulders rose and fell. She shivered. She raised her hands to place them flat against the bark of the tree.

"Ronny! Wait!"

She turned to him in surprise, tears forming in her eyes. "I have to do this, Paul. You know that."

"There's something else!" He ran toward her. She backed away from him.

"There's something else! There's something we've missed!" He thought. Again, there was something that someone had said. At last it came to him.

"Ronny!" He grabbed her arms and pulled her from the tree. "Go home and I'll pick you up tomorrow. I'm not sure when. I have some phone calls to make. It may not work but it might, so I have to try!"

"Why not tell me?"

"Because I have a lot of calling to do and it may not work. It may be impossible. though, if it does work I can save the tree."

"Okay, Paul. One more day."

Veronica turned and walked out to the road. Paul turned and ran to the house. At the road she turned just in time to see him dash into his home. He didn't even close the door.

Veronica opened the door of her house. She was wearing a pink t-shirt, white shorts, and a forced smile.

"Hello, Paul..."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to his truck. "Get in. We don't have much time."

She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but Paul had already climbed into the driver's seat and was inching the truck toward the road. She leapt in, closed the door and buckled up.

Paul kept tight-lipped on the drive back to his house, but as they approached Veronica spied all sorts of heavy machinery and workmen. They were all smiling as if they were humouring a madman, but they all looked bored. Much of Paul's fence at the end of his driveway had been taken down.

She stared at Paul in wonder. "Will you tell me now?"

He stopped the truck suddenly. "Come on! You have to meet Rogers!"

He climbed out of the truck and was by her side before she even had the door open. He half-dragged her to a slim, older man standing immediately in front of Paul's front door.

"Ah, Mister Cheevers. So this is your tree expert?"

"That's right! This is Veronica Price. She'll guide your men to ensure the tree isn't damaged as we move it."

"Well, I still think you're crazy. You should plant a new tree over there."

Veronica followed the hooked thumb to see a gaping pit well away from the road. "You're moving it away from the road. You're moving it away from the road? You're moving it away from the road! Is that even possible?"

"We're going to find out. I'm paying Rogers and his men triple their usual rate to do this, and to follow your instructions exactly. You know that tree better than anyone else."

"And now that you're here, Miss Price, why don't we get started? We have warned Mister Cheevers that the tree may not survive the transfer because of its age. After all, who could know where it's weakest and ready to fall apart under its own weight?"

As Paul watched, Rogers and Veronica walked to the equipment. He watched as she directed them to dig and where best to put the cables and chains. There was a brief delay as they had to widen and deepen the hole that was the tree's destination, but after a couple of hours work the tree was moved to a safe distance from the roadway.

Paul wrote out a cheque. Rogers and his men packed up and eventually left. Paul watched them go, preferring to allow Veronica whatever private time she needed with the oak tree to ensure it was safe.

"Mister Cheevers?" came Veronica's cautious query.

He turned and gave her a big smile. "So it worked, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did. At least, I think it did." She pushed her hair back behind her ears. "I wish I had my glasses on me."

Paul gave her a curious look. He cleared his throat and then, "Ah. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Price." He fought down the tears that threatened to shatter his composure. There would be time for that later, once he was alone.

"Uhm, yes. Nice to meet you, too. Although..." her cheeks went a bright pink. She dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex.

"You remember everything?"

She nodded. "And I don't want you to think that just because you and I - I mean, you and she - had relations..."

"Would you like something to drink? Or eat?" Paul tried to look as innocent as he could.

"Uhm, maybe that's not such a good idea. The two of you were together, and now she's gone and I'm here..."

"I'm simply asking if you're hungry or thirsty. We could go into town if you like. Just sit, have something to eat, and chat."

"I'm not her, you know. I mean - I'm not the same as she was. I'm a different person."

"You're a person who took a huge risk doing something she'd never done before to help save someone else. And that person you saved was someone you had just met, and didn't even really qualify as a human person. You're very brave, probably braver than I would have been."

Paul could see that Veronica Price was very undecided about exactly what she wanted to do at that moment. He looked her up and down, but quickly so she wouldn't notice.

"Look, I'm just asking a very nice person if she'd like to go talk and have something to eat. The fact that you're an attractive woman will not come into it unless you want it to. I'm sure you remember enough about me to know that I won't force myself on you."

She seemed to regain her composure and confidence, somewhat. "I guess we can talk over dinner. In town. For a short while. With no strings. We go Dutch." She gave him a brief, nervous smile.

"Does it bother you that she's gone?" she asked as she climbed into the cab of his truck.

"Yes. Does it bother you?"

"Yeah. It was a little like having a sister." As he turned the truck around she struggled to gather the courage to ask another question. "You do know she's never coming back, don't you?"

"I know. But we were able to spend some good quality time together, and I think we both gained a lot from our relationship."

"I think she'd be happy with that."

The end.

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