JOE, 30, stands next to a tree in a school yard. He holds a slip of paper. WOMAN Can I help you?<\/p>\n JOE Hmm? No. I\u2019m just waiting.<\/p>\n WOMAN Waiting?<\/p>\n JOE Yes.<\/p>\n WOMAN This is a school yard.<\/p>\n JOE I know.<\/p>\n WOMAN Are you a parent?<\/p>\n JOE No. Well, yes, but my kid is two. She\u2019s not in school yet.<\/p>\n WOMAN So what are you waiting for?<\/p>\n JOE Does it matter?<\/p>\n WOMAN I can\u2019t allow you to just hang out in a school yard.<\/p>\n JOE Can\u2019t allow me? What are you, the principal?<\/p>\n WOMAN Yes.<\/p>\n JOE I\u2019m not hurting anything. I\u2019m here for an appointment.<\/p>\n WOMAN Well, you\u2019ll have to call your appointment and tell them JOE I\u2019m not a child molester or anything.<\/p>\n WOMAN Good day, sir.<\/p>\n JOE No, you see, I\u2019m waiting to see if someone else will show up. WOMAN Excuse me?<\/p>\n JOE The tree. I went here when I was a kid\u2014k through fifth. In third grade, WOMAN Uh-huh.<\/p>\n JOE Yeah\u2014we, uh, got this slip of paper. See? (He hands it to her.<\/em>)<\/p>\n WOMAN (reads<\/em>) We plant this tree with little hands JOE Yeah, so\u2014what time is it, 3:05? I\u2019m a little late. You think everyone WOMAN You\u2019ve kept that paper all these years?<\/p>\n JOE Yeah. (Beat<\/em>) Who\u2019m I kidding? I\u2019m thirty years old. Everyone else WOMAN I knew Ms. Johnson.<\/p>\n JOE Oh, yeah?<\/p>\n WOMAN She became Mrs. Gray. Retired about five years ago.<\/p>\n JOE Really?<\/p>\n WOMAN She did this with her class every year.<\/p>\n JOE What, the tree thing?<\/p>\n WOMAN Yeah. That one there\u2014class of \u201994. That one\u2014class of \u201991. JOE I don\u2019t see one over there.<\/p>\n WOMAN That\u2019s because it\u2019s a Walgreens.<\/p>\n JOE That\u2019s sad. Well, maybe I\u2019ve got the wrong tree.<\/p>\n WOMAN There\u2019s no one else here. In fact, I don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s ever actually JOE Seriously?<\/p>\n WOMAN Most people lose the slip of paper after twenty years. Or forget. Or don\u2019t care. JOE That\u2019s pessimistic.<\/p>\n WOMAN I suppose.<\/p>\n JOE Look how small it is. I mean, it\u2019s not tiny\u2014but I expected it to be a lot WOMAN She put a little plaques next to them. (Kneels down and digs a little with JOE Nineteen eighty-five. This is the tree. There were twenty-four of us in that WOMAN It\u2019s a nice tree, Joe.<\/p>\n JOE I guess. (Beat<\/em>) Did you just call me Joe?<\/p>\n WOMAN No.<\/p>\n JOE How do you know my name? (Beat; he looks closer<\/em>) Amber Sullivan?<\/p>\n WOMAN Yes.<\/p>\n JOE I sat across from you.<\/p>\n AMBER You used to kick my shins under the table.<\/p>\n JOE You came. I can\u2019t believe you came. You\u2019re the principal? Wow.<\/p>\n AMBER I\u2019m not the principal.<\/p>\n JOE You lied?<\/p>\n AMBER I wanted to make sure you weren\u2019t a child molester.<\/p>\n JOE I\u2019m not. (Beat<\/em>) I lied, too. I don\u2019t have a daughter.<\/p>\n AMBER Why would you lie about that?<\/p>\n JOE I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n AMBER So where do you live now?<\/p>\n JOE Chicago.<\/p>\n AMBER Chicago?<\/p>\n JOE Yeah. Where do you live?<\/p>\n AMBER Right across the street. I lived next door to Mrs. Gray. Ms. Johnson.<\/p>\n JOE Lived?<\/p>\n AMBER She passed away last year. (Beat<\/em>) So you came all the way from Chicago JOE No, no. Family reunion\u2014you know.<\/p>\n AMBER Uh-huh.<\/p>\n JOE So are you married?<\/p>\n AMBER Divorced. You?<\/p>\n JOE Bachelor.<\/p>\n AMBER What do you do?<\/p>\n JOE Accounting. I\u2019m an accountant.<\/p>\n AMBER Cool.<\/p>\n JOE No it\u2019s not. What do you do?<\/p>\n AMBER Bank. Customer service rep.<\/p>\n JOE Oh, that\u2019s\u2014<\/p>\n AMBER Terrible.<\/p>\n JOE You look great. I hardly recognized you.<\/p>\n AMBER I was an ugly kid.<\/p>\n JOE No, I didn\u2019t mean\u2014<\/p>\n AMBER It\u2019s okay, I was. You look good, too.<\/p>\n JOE I got fat.<\/p>\n AMBER No, you look nice. (Beat<\/em>) If you didn\u2019t recognize me I wasn\u2019t going to fess up. JOE Why not?<\/p>\n AMBER I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s kind of embarrassing.<\/p>\n JOE You think you\u2019re embarrassed? You crossed the street for this thing. I flew AMBER Well, it\u2019s nice to see you. (She reaches in her pocket and pulls out the paper.<\/em>) JOE I actually wrote it.<\/p>\n AMBER Really?<\/p>\n JOE I thought it was pretty good for a third-grader, but\u2014<\/p>\n AMBER So you were a poet?<\/p>\n JOE Once upon a time.<\/p>\n AMBER Hey\u2014once a poet always a poet, huh?<\/p>\n JOE Yeah.<\/p>\n AMBER I used to write, too. When I was a kid. No idea when I stopped. Or why.<\/p>\n JOE This is depressing. Ms. Johnson had to know what she was doing. AMBER Wow. What do I say to that?<\/p>\n JOE I\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean you\u2014but\u2014<\/p>\n AMBER No\u2014you\u2019re right. I mean, when I was nine years old I stood here digging a little JOE Didn\u2019t you think that thirty would feel a lot older?<\/p>\n AMBER I\u2019m still 29. I may never reach thirty.<\/p>\n JOE Believe me, it\u2019s a relief when you do. Hearing the footsteps behind you can be AMBER I thought by now I\u2019d have all the answers.<\/p>\n JOE I thought by now I\u2019d have a family.<\/p>\n AMBER I thought by now I\u2019d have fallen in love.<\/p>\n JOE I thought by now this damn tree would have been a lot bigger.<\/p>\n AMBER How long are you in town, Joe?<\/p>\n JOE Couple of days, a week\u2014forever.<\/p>\n AMBER You don\u2019t know?<\/p>\n JOE I lost my job last month. Since I lost my job I lost my apartment. My mind AMBER Is that why you came back? To your old home? To this tree?<\/p>\n JOE I don\u2019t know why I came.<\/p>\n AMBER I do.<\/p>\n JOE Oh yeah?<\/p>\n AMBER So you could have coffee with me.<\/p>\n JOE You think so?<\/p>\n AMBER Yeah.<\/p>\n JOE Maybe you\u2019re right. AMBER But you have to promise me you won\u2019t kick my shins under the table.<\/p>\n JOE It\u2019s a deal.<\/p>\n AMBER It\u2019s a nice tree, Joe. It really is.<\/p>\n (They exit.<\/em>)<\/p>\n LIGHTS DOWN<\/p>\n DAVID ERVIN is a playwright from Mansfield, Texas. He has recently received his M.A. in Creative Writing from Boston University. His work has been produced throughout Texas and in the Boston area.<\/p>\n (c) copyright 2006, David Ervin; author retains all rights.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Tree Thing JOE, 30, stands next to a tree in a school yard. He holds a slip of paper. A woman approaches him. WOMAN Can I help you? JOE Hmm? No. I\u2019m just waiting. WOMAN Waiting? JOE Yes. WOMAN This is a school yard. JOE I know. WOMAN Are you a parent? JOE No. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":71,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions\/93"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/71"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/236magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nA woman approaches him.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nyou\u2019ll meet up at some other time.<\/p>\n
\nFor the tree.<\/p>\n
\nMs. Johnson\u2019s class, we planted this tree.<\/p>\n
\nLittle women little men
\nIn twenty years the seeds we\u2019ve sewn
\nWill have blossomed, will have grown
\nWe\u2019ll meet again on this same day,
\nAt this same time in this same way
\nIn twenty years beneath this tree
\nHow much we\u2019ve grown we all shall see.
\n(To<\/em> JOE)That\u2019s sweet.<\/p>\n
\nelse left?<\/p>\n
\nin Ms. Johnson\u2019s class is thirty years old. They\u2019ve got better things
\nto do with their time.<\/p>\n
\nThat one over there\u2014\u201988.<\/p>\n
\ncome back to see their tree.<\/p>\n
\nDon\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n
\nbigger. Maybe this is the wrong tree.<\/p>\n
\nher hands.<\/em>) There.<\/p>\n
\nclass. (Looks around<\/em>) Thought it\u2019d be bigger.<\/p>\n
\njust to see the tree?<\/p>\n
\nTo coming to this.<\/p>\n
\nin from Chicago.<\/p>\n
\nI still have my slip, too. What a terrible poem, huh?<\/p>\n
\nThe only people who show up to stuff like this are the ones who haven\u2019t
\ndone much blossoming. If I\u2019m all grown up and happy and standing big and tall
\nlike a tree then why would I come all the way back to it twenty years later
\nto meet up with some kids I knew way back when? The ones who\u2019ve actually got
\nsomething to show for the last twenty years have better things to do than meet
\nunder a tree.<\/p>\n
\nhole, and twenty years later I\u2019ve moved exactly fifty yards to a little place
\nacross the street. Haven\u2019t stopped digging.<\/p>\n
\nmore terrifying than the actual thing. But I don\u2019t feel grown-up, you know?<\/p>\n
\nis next on the list, right? I just wanna get out of the city. Start over.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0(They share a smile.<\/em>)<\/p>\n