Maybe it was the fate. Tom , June’s true love, never had a chance to marry June or realize his dream. He was killed by a bomb on the 6th day he landed his feet on the unfamiliar foreign terrain.
Three years have passed since Tom’s death so much and so many the world had changed. Yet, June’s faithful visits to the woods hs never stopped. She came at dawn or nightfall sitting under the maple tree which had grown much taller since Tom left.
In spring June watched the returned warblers to do their mating ritual on the branches. In the summer she murmured to the twigs for what had just happened the day before. When autumn came she counted the remaining leaves which were dancing feverishly with the chilly northwest wind. During the winter months she listened to the voices of the tree trunk for the movement of flowing maple syrup sap. She was so peaceful when she was there. Except she would cry at the anniversary of the day he left. She once even blamed herself for not giving her virginity to him at that night if she would have known that was her last time to be with him.
A trail was formed after years walking June came dependably as the seasons changes. Children in this little town sometimes shouted to her “Craze Tree Sitting Lady” as they ran by her. She just smiled back to them without being offended.
One winter day, a land developer group proposed to the town council that they would purchase the woodland which the maple tree situated and to build it into a shopping mall. The tantalizing deal was the buzz of the quite town because the goodies were simply irresistible. The land using proposal apparently met no visible resistances but June’s objection.
For the sakes of formality a public hearing was scheduled for the land use. The predictable result was so obvious.
At the public hearing night speakers after speakers gave their glowing praises and lavish comments for the projected benefits of the proposal. They believed a new mall would create needed jobs and bring in tax revenues.
June was the last person to speak before the voting. She told the audiences about her first and only love, Tom, the forgotten falling soldier. She described how they spent the night and mentioned her solemn premise. She added that it was this woods and the maple tree kept her in sanity all of these years. It was there she cherished her dearest moments of her memory day after day.
As she was unwrapping the story of her love and lose with her soft voice women in the room started weeping and men lowered their eyes to hide their emotions.
After her finished her speech the ballets cast under an unusual silence.
The following day the vote count shocked everyone in the town. Voters unanimously cast “NO” on mall developing proposal.
June stood beneath the maple tree wearing contented smile on her face as if she knew her promise to Tom has been delivered.
