Skip to main content

Palm Trees, a Little Girl, and All Things Memorable

Palm Trees, a Little Girl, and All Things Memorable




“That’s it, Gammy! I’m not walking anymore!” The tiredness and irritation in Amaya’s voice only made this adventure better. Whenever she gets annoyed, her face flushes with child-like innocence, which I love looking at. It reminds me of the days she was a teeny tiny baby, who would fit into my arms. With her, I feel like a child myself, a feeling so imperative for an old lady!

I laughed and continued walking on the graveled path. “Not funny, gammy!”

“Trust me, after all this is done, you will find this hilarious!”

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” The sarcasm in her voice wasn’t lost on me, however, I had better things planned for the day. I had been looking forward to this morning since forever. In fact, the only reason a 30-year old me dug up that spot was to enjoy THIS particular day. As if to reverberate everything I was thinking about, the rain decided to accompany us on our journey.

The thunderous skies opened up a bunch of memories from the first time I was here on this journey, with Amaya’s Gran-pop. And although it may sound cheesy, it only feels like yesterday, that we were on this journey. Nothing about the gravel-laden path had changed. Over the years, though, a few vacation homes emerged among the palm greens, the place where the path ended. This was our favorite place. Along the coast, where the cool water meets the hot sand, stood a bunch of palm trees, each trying to appear taller than the other. We would play a game- me and my late husband- What do the trees talk about? You see, one of the joys of being with someone who loves you immensely is the ability to let go and be as stupid as possible. As the years pass by, all those so-called “stupid” antics become fond memories. I, for one, am so glad that we were able to make a zillion of such memories. When one leaves you behind all alone, you have nothing but the memories to cling to.

It was one such pursuit of making a cherish-able memory when Chris and I came across a little girl sitting by the crossroads, and pouring her heart out. For some reason, her tears bothered me tremendously.

“Looks like the little munchkin is lost!”

“Let’s go and find out.” Saying so, Chris held my hand and we walked towards her with a hope that we might be of some help to the poor creature.

As we approached her, I noticed the teddy bear she was clutching with a life-threatening force. The closer we got, the more I could see the fear mixed with anguish on her face. The endless tears streaming down her face would have been enough to melt the hardest metal on earth. Her wide deer-eyes reminded me of my own when I was an 8-year old myself. Something within me stirred a million emotions.

“Are you okay, sweet pea?” My dear husband was the gentlest with children. This was actually one of the many things that I loved about him. When the entire race was hell-bent on portraying men as rough and tough, my man decided to embrace the “softer” version of himself. Expressing emotions was never a problem for him. His emotions were extremely colorful- from bright, sunny to dark and dull, the whole range. Believe me, it’s hard to find someone like him- even today. Maybe it was the age gap, but his maturity levels never failed to amaze me.

“N-o-o! I-can’t find—"

“You lost, honey? Do you want some water?” I tried to calm the girl. “What’s your name?”

“S-S-S-Sarah.”

“Okay, Sarah, are your parents lost?” Had I been a passer-by, I would have pegged Chris as the little Sarah’s dad. So much compassion!

Sarah looked at her tear-soaked bear with much hope and affection. All she could manage to say in-between her sobs was,

“Mommy said--- she--- will be in--- Brownie--- if she ever--- gets lost. B-b-but she won’t--- talk--- to me.”

It felt as though my heart was snatched from me, broken into infinite pieces, and finally handed back to me on a knife. I knew life was cruel; never thought, it would be THIS brutal. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who was heart-broken. By the time I had registered the information and managed to compose myself, Chris had scooped up Sarah in his arms and was whispering all sorts of affectionate words. But they were just that- words- for nothing would ever be enough to console the little girl. For now, though, that seemed to work.

Once we (Chris) was successful in assuaging Sarah, she led us towards the place where her family was gathered. Her grief-stricken, distraught father spotted her and rushed towards her. Words decided to elude us. After all, what can a person possibly say in such a situation?

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much!”

“It’s no problem. Um, uh, we are really very sorry.”

The father smiled for a bit and looked down, seemingly at a loss for words. Yet, his silence spoke so much- how sad he was, how confused he was, guilty, angry, sorry, and scared. At least he still had his little girl.

As we made our way out, my heart was heavier than ever. For a while, we were unable to say anything. How did something that was supposed to be a fun-filled, romantic day, turn out to be this exceedingly tragic? As twilight neared, the skies were covered with thunderous clouds. The daylight gave way to a rain-filled evening, a scene that mirrored our internal struggles.

Still unsure of what to think, we snuggled closer to each other, grateful for what we had at that moment- someone to love. As we passed a shopping complex, my eyes caught the sight of something that I thought would make our day better.

“Brownie!”

“Huh? What?”

“That’s Brownie! Let’s go buy one!”

Buying Brownie Jr. (that’s what I called it) was the best decision of our lives. The day’s events were pretty arduous for us, so we decided to go to our spot. The palm trees at the end of an uneven roadway were our favorite place on earth. That and the roof of our house. In the heavy downpour, it took us forever to cross the trail. But the thought of Tree no. 8 waiting for us helped us soldier-on. Tree no. 8 was where we had our first kiss. That was the tree, under which Chris proposed marriage. That was the tree where we finally exchanged rings and vows. It was a special tree, a witness to our love story over the years. It was the same tree that eye-witnessed me crying over losing Chris because my parents were against it (he was fifteen years older). It was my tree, and it was his tree. It was our tree. Tree no. 8, or as we liked to call it, Mr. Gawker was waiting for us to have yet another special day under it.

I flopped down under Mr. Gawker as soon as we reached there. Sweat mixed with rain wasn’t a pretty look on me. Not for Chris, apparently. I never saw him look at me the way he looked at me that night. Maybe it was the futileness of life or the realization that no one ever has forever, but, love was evidently really thick in the air that night. It wasn’t the rain. No. The skies had cleared once more, the moon shining brighter than ever, and the stars gazing down at a million love stories being written that night.

“Shall we do what we came here to do?”

“Um, Chris, how weird would you think I was if I said that I wanted to bury Brownie Jr. along with the other thing?”

“I would say you are the cutest person alive on this earth.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

Mr. Gawker was a spectator to yet another Chris-Kara love story moment. The spot under Tree no. 8 now buried within itself Brownie Jr. and the greatest thing to happen to us. Ever.

“Gammy! Are you there? Are you okay? GAMMY!”

My musings were interrupted by Amaya’s concerned screams. “I’m fine!”

“You didn’t look fine!”

“Got lost in time, sweet pea. Happens to old ladies like us.”

“You scared me.”

“Aw, I love you, my baby. Here we are, by the way.”

“Is this the place you and Gran-pop would never stop talking about?”

“This is it. We used to call this tree Mr. Gawker.”

Laughter filled that place once more. The air was still heavy with love. Amaya helped me dig up the spot. After looking for a while, we finally re-discovered Brownie Jr. and a teeny tiny wooden box.

“It’s like a time capsule, Gammy!”

“It is.” Hot tears streamed down my face as I missed the person I buried the time-capsule with. Missed him a lot.

“You guys really loved each other, didn’t you?” said Amaya wiping my tears, but in vain. As I held the tiny box and the teddy bear, I couldn’t stop the grief within me from coming out. I hugged the objects in my hand with a force real tight.

“Did you know that we only intended to bury this box over here that day? We left the house to meet the doctor to confirm what we suspected, and entomb the results along with the rest of the items in the box. On our way, we met this little girl who had just lost her mother. It was heart-wrenching, considering that we were just celebrating a new life that day.”

“Aw, that’s really sad, gammy! How did you get through that? I mean, I know that you two cry over the smallest of things. That must have been really tough.”

“It was. But that was the day we found newer depths of love within each other. Something you won’t understand now. Maybe in the next 20 years or so!”

I unlocked the box and found what we were here for. Memories. Old ones and new ones. I hugged my little Amaya. Within the box, the test results, my first pregnancy test, and a tiny little scarf, Chris bought at the store where we bought Brownie Jr., were smiling back at me. All of them, proof of the day we found out about our greatest gift- our daughter, Sarah.


By Omnipoten
Selesai
  • Setiap Orang Punya Waktunya Masing-Masing

    Jakarta 2 jam lebih awal dari Papua, tetapi tidak berarti Papua lambat, atau Jakarta cepat. Keduanya bekerja sesuai “zona waktu”nya masing-masing. Ada orang yang masih sendiri. Ada orang yang menikah dan harus menunggu 10 tahun untuk memiliki momongan. Ada juga yang memiliki momongan dal... Readmore

  • Bangkit Dari Penderitaan

    Mungkin Anda pernah menonton America's Most Wanted, program televisi yang melakukan reka ulang kisah-kisah kejahatan dan memotivasi para pemirsanya untuk menolong pihak yang berwajib mencari dan menangkap para pelaku kejahatan, yang sering kali merupakan penjahat sadis. Pembawa acara progr... Readmore

  • Duka Dan Suka

    Rick Warren, penulis buku Purpose Driven Life, pernah mengalami dua hal yang bertolak belakang dalam waktu bersamaan. Ia menuai kesuksesan besar karena bukunya tercetak hingga 15 juta eksemplar. Namun bersamaan dengan itu, hatinya merasa berat karena istrinya, Kay, diserang kanker. Menyikapi hal ber... Readmore

  • Rancangan Tuhan Bukan Rancangan Manusia

    Nathaniel Hawthorne sangat kecewa. Ia baru saja menerima kabar pergantian jabatan di kantor bea cukai Boston, Massachusetts, tempatnya bekerja. Ternyata, ia diberhentikan. Berita buruk itu seakan-akan menggelegar di telinganya. Dunia seolah-olah sudah kiamat. Ia berjalan pulangn dengan perasaan bing... Readmore

  • Kisah Pencipta Lagu "Tinggal Sertaku"

    Hanya orang yang bisa menghadapi kematian dengan pikiran yang realistis yang mampu menjalani hidup ini dengan tujuan dan keyakinan. Inilah yang dialami oleh pendeta Inggris, Henry F. Lyte. Ia menulis lirik nyanyian pujian “Abide With Me” atau “Tinggal Serta... Readmore

  • Bayang - Bayang Berbentuk Salib

    Berikut ini adalah kisah hidup seorang atlet Olimpiade yang diselamatkan melalui bayang-bayangnya yang berbentuk salib. Kisah ini diambil dari “Highways of Hope” Pada tahun 1967 ketika mengikuti pelajaran di kelas fotografi Universitas Cincinnati, aku berkenalan dengan seorang pemuda ber... Readmore

  • Jalan Yang Tidak Kutempuh

    Dua jalan bercabang dalam remang hutan kehidupan, Dan sayang aku tidak bisa menempuh keduanya Dan sebagai pengembara, aku berdiri lama Dan memandang ke satu jalan sejauh aku bisa Kemana kelokannya mengarah di balik semak belukar Kemudian aku memandang yang satunya, sama bagusnya, Dan mungkin malah l... Readmore

  • Sehelai Pakaian Bekas

    Seorang anak berkulit hitam, lahir di daerah kumuh Brooklyn, New York. Ia melewati kehidupannya dalam lingkungan miskin dan penuh diskriminasi. Suatu hari ayahnya memberikan sehelai pakaian bekas kepadanya. “Menurutmu, berapa nilai pakaian ini?” tanya ayahnya. Ia menjawab, “Mungkin... Readmore

  • Paman Yang Paling Hebat

    Ada tiga orang anak yang saling membanggakan paman masing-masing.   Anak yang pertama berkata dengan bangga. "Pamanku adalah seorang pastor. Semua orang biasanya memanggil dia Bapak Pastor yang terhormat." Anak yang kedua tak mau kalah. "Pamanku adalah seorang Uskup Agung. Siapapun yang berbica... Readmore

  • Arti Kata Amin

    Di sebuah sekolah minggu, seorang guru sedang memberi pertanyaan kepada anak-anak. Guru : "Siapa yang tahu arti kata amin? Yak Yanto." Yanto : "Amin artinya pasti, benar." Guru : "Ya benar... Kalau kamu Budi, apa artinya amin?" Budi : (Sambil membuka mata lebar-lebar karena ngantuk) "Amin artinya ba... Readmore

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Painting of Destiny

"Are you sure of this, Navan?" The old pirate stared at King Mannas' chief merchant. However, his bright emerald green eyes sparkled with laughter. "The information came from Daoud, one of my former crew members, when I was ravaging the coastal villages of Vyrone." Navan smiled at the expression crossing Gerrod's face, whose family had fled from one of these villages. The Iron Falcon was a legend and parents had always used the threat of its crew and its flaming-haired captain to scare naughty children into sleeping and behaving differently. Gerrod quickly recovered and smiled. "Then he must be a man to be trusted, indeed." "Ah!" cried Navan. "Daoud will take the coin from the mouth of a dead man while it is still warm. I trust him only because he knows the fate of him who lies to me." I may have made him captain when I decided to infiltrate King Mannas' court, but he still knows who is in charge. "We must tell ...

Good Morning America is a popular

Good Morning America is a popular morning news show that airs on ABC. It has been a staple in American households since its debut in 1975. The show covers a wide range of topics including news, entertainment, lifestyle, and pop culture. With its team of talented hosts and reporters, Good Morning America provides its viewers with the latest updates on current events and trending stories. One of the things that sets Good Morning America apart from other morning shows is its lively and energetic atmosphere. The hosts, including Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Michael Strahan, and Lara Spencer, bring a sense of fun and camaraderie to the show. They engage with their audience and each other in a way that feels genuine and relatable. In addition to its engaging hosts, Good Morning America also features a variety of segments that cater to a diverse audience. From cooking demos and fashion tips to celebrity interviews and human interest stories, the show offers something for everyone. Wh...

The liz hatton

The liz hatton is a unique piece of headwear that has been gaining popularity in recent years. This hat is characterized by its wide brim and low crown, which gives it a distinctive and fashionable look. The liz hatton is often made of materials such as wool, felt, or straw, making it a versatile accessory that can be worn in various seasons. One of the key features of the liz hatton is its versatility. This hat can be dressed up or down, making it suitable for a range of occasions. Whether you're going for a casual look or a more formal outfit, the liz hatton can easily complement your ensemble. Additionally, the wide brim of the hat provides excellent sun protection, making it ideal for outdoor activities such as picnics or garden parties. In terms of style, the liz hatton can be compared to other types of hats such as the fedora or the boater. While these hats may have similar silhouettes, the liz hatton stands out for its unique shape and design. The low crown and wide brim of ...
  • Humor Mimpi Mendapat Berlian

    Mimpi Mendapat Berlian     Pada saat bangun pagi seorang wanita berkata pada suaminya, "Tadi malam Aku bermimpi engkau memberi aku sebuah kalung berlian di hari Valentine ini. Bagaimana pendapatmu mengenai mimpiku itu?".    "Engkau akan segera mengetahuinya malam ini juga, Sayang... Readmore

  • Cerpen Bersyukur Dan Bahagia

    Alkisah, ada seorang pedagang kaya yang merasa dirinya tidak bahagia. Dari pagi-pagi buta, dia telah bangun dan mulai bekerja. Siang hari bertemu dengan orang-orang untuk membeli atau menjual barang. Hingga malam hari , dia masih sibuk dengan buku catatan dan mesin hitungnya. Menjelang tidur, dia ma... Readmore

  • Cerpen Bersyukur Dan Bahagia

    Alkisah, ada seorang pedagang kaya yang merasa dirinya tidak bahagia. Dari pagi-pagi buta, dia telah bangun dan mulai bekerja. Siang hari bertemu dengan orang-orang untuk membeli atau menjual barang. Hingga malam hari , dia masih sibuk dengan buku catatan dan mesin hitungnya. Menjelang tidur, dia ma... Readmore

  • Cerpen Kebiasaan

    Disuatu sore Ayah mengajak anak remajanya yang agak nakal dan mempunyai kebiasaan-kebiasaan buruk untuk berjalan-jalan dihutan sekitar perkebunan mereka. ”Engkau melihat pohon itu? Cobalah engkau mencabutnya,” kata sang Ayah sambil menunujuk pada salah satu pohon kecil dipinggir hutan. ... Readmore

  • Cerpen Bekerja Keras Tanpa Hasil

    Ada seorang pemuda. Dia tertarik dengan balap sepeda. Setelah mengumpulkan uang, akhirnya dia mampu membeli sebuah sepeda balap. Dengan senang hati, dia mencoba sepeda balap tersebut. Setelah beberapa hari mencoba, dia kecewa berat. Dia tidak bisa mengendarai sepedanya dengan kecepatan tinggi. Bag... Readmore

  • Cerpen Bersyukur Dan Bahagia

    Alkisah, ada seorang pedagang kaya yang merasa dirinya tidak bahagia. Dari pagi-pagi buta, dia telah bangun dan mulai bekerja. Siang hari bertemu dengan orang-orang untuk membeli atau menjual barang. Hingga malam hari , dia masih sibuk dengan buku catatan dan mesin hitungnya. Menjelang tidur, dia ma... Readmore

  • Orang Kristen Adalah Anak Terang

    Baca: Efesus 5:1-21 "Memang dahulu kamu adalah kegelapan, tetapi sekarang kamu adalah terang di dalam Tuhan." (Efesus 5:8) Alkitab menegaskan: "...siapa yang ada di dalam Kristus, ia adalah ciptaan baru: yang lama sudah berlalu, sesungguhnya yang baru sudah datang." (2 Korintus 5:17). ... Readmore

  • Pelita Yang Bercahaya

    Baca: Lukas 8:16-18 "Sebab tidak ada sesuatu yang tersembunyi yang tidak akan dinyatakan, dan tidak ada sesuatu yang rahasia yang tidak akan diketahui dan diumumkan." (Lukas 8:17) Pelita adalah lampu dengan bahan bakar minyak. Di zaman sekarang ini sudah jarang sekali orang menggunakan pelita u... Readmore

  • Orang Kristen Adalah Anak Terang

    Baca: Efesus 5:1-21 "Memang dahulu kamu adalah kegelapan, tetapi sekarang kamu adalah terang di dalam Tuhan." (Efesus 5:8) Alkitab menegaskan: "...siapa yang ada di dalam Kristus, ia adalah ciptaan baru: yang lama sudah berlalu, sesungguhnya yang baru sudah datang." (2 Korintus 5:17). ... Readmore

  • Panggilan Pertobatan

    Panggilan Pertobatan Markus 1:14-15 Ketika seorang pencuri berpikir untuk tidak lagi mengulangi perbuatannya, seorang pembohong jera dan bertekad untuk berlaku dan berkata jujur, seorang pembunuh berpikir bahwa yang dilakukannya tidak baik, dan seorang yang acuh tak acuh menyadari bahwa apa yang y... Readmore