The Tree

I was drawn to it like a little kid is drawn to the ice cream truck driving up the street ringing it’s little bell. It was in the newspaper. The Wonderful Life Tree was now open for business at the mall. 

Sure, it was not a real tree. It wasn’t even a Christmas tree although it was already late in the shopping season. It stood about 8 feet tall. The plastic limbs had a few fake leaves and plenty of room to hang ornaments. About 50 people were gathered for the ribbon cutting. Mike, the Mall manager was neatly dressed in his navy blue suit with his usual red striped tie. He handed the big scissors to a little girl who used both hands to cut the ribbon which fluttered gently to the floor. 

Mike reached into the hanger box and everyone attending proceeded to hang their special ornament representing  a happy or momentous moment in their life. The hangers were dated. Mike reminded all about the tree rules- “It will stay on the tree for a week. Anyone can take it, borrow it, return it or keep it. If they take it they must replace it with their own ornament”. After a week ornaments are moved to a box to be donated- or discarded. He added, “This tree will be up year round. It will grow and change like any real tree”. 

I put my little blue plastic car in a small clear sandwich bag. This was my police car. It came in a big bag with 100 tiny one inch cars- each painted in a different color and none with working wheels. I could get 100 cars for the price of a single hot wheel. I love bargains, even in my youth. This blue car has seen many robberies, car chases, and auto accidents as it patrolled the highways of my living room villages and the forests of grass in the backyard. 

A week later I returned to The Tree. The crowds were quite big and there was a ten minute wait for each of the four trees near the four entrances to the Mall. The Channel 10 news crew was interviewing a child of 10. She was going to hang a picture of her pet rabbit. Behind the little girl was a grey haired priest and a young man in his Army uniform. A couple laughed as they debated on where they might hang a picture of their honeymoon suite in Hawaii. Another young man of about 30 was reaching up to hang a key. I was going to ask him what it unlocked but I didn’t want to cut ahead in the line. 

When my turn came I brought my small red airplane, another plastic bargain, over to the tree. I noticed my blue police car was there, but my heart skipped a beat- it had been moved. Someone had picked it up and looked it over. Or maybe they took it home and returned it for another ornament. Maybe it was a child. Maybe it was an old guy like me. It had a new date on it so it had been borrowed. I wonder if it will be there next week. 

As I reached up to hang my tiny one inch airplane I noticed an old woman leaning with one hand on her walker and reaching up with the other hand. In her hand she held airline wings- the real ones that I remember the stewardesses wore years ago before they became flight attendants.  Our eyes met. Her 25 year old eyes sparkled with memories in spite of her wrinkled and worn face. She glanced at me over her small eye glasses as she thanked me after I offered to help her hang the wings on The Tree. 

I asked the Little Old Lady what her favorite flight was. Without hesitation she said “Burma”. Noting my little plastic plane ornament she politely asked me what my favorite flight was. I replied, “I made many dangerous flights from the jungle runways of my backyard to the city airport in our dining room to the exotic tiny airstrip in the Andes on my window sill”. After a huge smile and a few laughs, we decided to chat for a bit over coffee.

As we walked along Mike, the Mall manager, passed and nodded with a smile. Of course he was happy since mall business doubled. But he may have smiled for another reason. He was heading to The Wonderful Life Tree. In his right hand he held a small box of Good and Plenty. I wonder what movie memories that little box will call forth? I’ll ask him the next time I see him. But I’m busy now. I’m off to Burma.