Under the Ash Tree Read online

  * * * * *

  “Lila, I grew up with many privileges,” said Grant as they ate at a sushi restaurant. “I was just wondering what you think about life, about your situation and what you believe about the human spirit.”

  “What happened to you?” she asked, looking serious.

  “I had cancer and am in remission, and I am not the man I was a year ago.”

  “I am sorry to hear that you had cancer. It is good that you have recovered. I give to cancer research at Christmas.” She said. “I had an uncle who died very young of cancer.”

  “How old are you?

  “Twenty-five.”

  “Well, young lady, I am too old for you to get any romantic ideas about courting you. I am a bachelor at present, but you are really much too young for me. However, I salute you for stopping to help a stranger, and I do feel attracted to you—you are kind.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I am tired, and want to return home. Where do you work?”

  She gave him the name of the company.

  “Thank you, Lila. You make me feel good, and that’s something quite delightful.” He didn’t say anything else, but paid the bill and insisted on it. “I need to hear more of your opinions sometime on life and the human spirit—call this number if you would like.” And he wrote a telephone number on the back of a napkin, and gave it to her.

  “Good-bye for now. I’ll hail you a cab for wherever you want to go.”

  Outside, he stopped a cab.

  “East 79th Street, Apt 3C,” she said, and slapped her head, realizing he had heard her address.

  “Here’s 50 dollars,” he said, giving it to the taxi driver. “Good-night, Lila.”

  * * * * *

 

  Grant called around and made sure that Lila was taken care of for the rest of her life, and she never even knew it.

  Five years later, Lila got a phone call on her cell phone, and was surprised to hear someone asking for her whose voice she only just vaguely recognized.

  “It’s Grant from the park,” said the voice. “Are you busy?”

  “No,” said Lila. “Not right now.” It was Saturday late afternoon, mid-May.

  “I wanted to see you again.”

  “Me?”

  “I thought about you for years, do you know that?”

  “Me—why?”

  “You gave me hope in the human race, Lila. I think I loved you the moment you stopped me in the park.”

  She gasped in shock.

  “Are you still there?” he asked.

  “Still here,” she said.

  “Meet me at the sushi restaurant we went to that day. In an hour, that sound ok?”

  “Dinner at 6—all right.”

  She looked down at her clothes. Not enough time to change into anything special—and she had been jogging, so of course, she was a trifle sweaty.

  * * * *

  When she walked into the restaurant, a gentleman handed her a bouquet of gorgeous flowers and pointed to the corner where Grant was waiting. He looked no older, really, but was likely to be in his mid-fifties now.

  “You are lovelier than I remembered,” he said, smiling. “I took the liberty of ordering for us both already—”

  “All right,” she said. A waiter came with a drink—the same one she had gotten 5 years before.

  “You see, I don’t know what my future will bring,” said Grant. “But I want you to be in my life. Even if we are just friends. You never called. I got busy. I never forgot you, and thought you didn’t call because you weren’t interested. But suddenly it became necessary for me to find you—and see you again.”

  “Oh, my,” she managed.

  “Have a seat, and I’ll put the flowers over by me until we leave.”

  “All right,” she said, and passed the flowers over.

  “I brought you a book, too,” he said, passing over a wrapped package. “You can open it whenever you like.”

  “Ok,” she said, and took it, and opened it. “A philosophy compendium.”

  “I treasured it, years ago, when I went to university. Do you like it?”

  “I will, I’m sure. I read Nicomachean Ethics and couldn’t put it down, but that was years ago. I haven’t read the way I used to in years—I guess I got busy, but I will make time for this.”

  “I am glad you like it. I was afraid you wouldn’t. It’s what I cherish, the classics and literature, when I have time to read. I spend a lot of time on the phone, and in my office, and once, I used to have parties and attend functions regularly. But in the last five years, people say I have become rather a recluse. I just withdrew from the world.”

  “What about your job?” she asked. “Oh, I’m sorry to ask.”

  “I worked hard for many years,” he answered. “But I never really had to.”

  “Oh,” she said, exhaling. “I understand.”

  “Well, the food has arrived,” he said. “Now I want to know more about who you are.”

  * * * * *

  When he drove home alone that night, Grant was sad. Lila had gotten married two years ago, and was happy with her husband Jeremy. He had had his chance five years ago to court her, and time had passed them by, though at least she was now happy. But Grant never forgot Lila, and in the future made sure that her family was comfortable in ways that they didn’t even know were possible. Yes, Grant never forgot Lila, even though he hadn’t spent much time with her, and he knew that love at first sight could occur, after all.

  He cried.