Ada Soriano

   no where else. As the pair walked to the tree as they always do they gaze at its magnificent view. Thinking of the dreams they could or could have had. Mom laid the red checkered blanket while her daughter held the basket and wondered. “Why is the weeping willow sad mother?” asked the curious girl. Now dear child, just because the willow is weeping doesn’t mean it’s sad. For the weeping willow cries not sad tears but tears of joy.” While the little girl thought about her mom’s words, her mother set up lunch. Small sandwiches cut with precision, different kinds of juicy berries, and tiny cakes with cream cheese frosting. A  breeze passed between them and the branches swayed ever so peacefully. The park was beautiful this time of year, everything was in bloom. Birds were singing their most beautiful songs. In the beginning of Autumn the girl spent most of her time caring for her mother. Not knowing why she was sick the girl could only do so much. By now her mother was too sick to go out for their daily picnic. The mother insisted her daughter to go. “No mother, if I go I will think of you alone in our poor house. I simply cannot go.” But still the mother told her to go. With a guilty heart the girl went alone to same tree they always walked to. The flowers by the tree wilting, almost knowing that the mother was not in their presence. While the young adult had her lunch she noticed the tree’s leaves falling. Everything was dying and as she finished eating she felt a strong cold breeze coming by. Like a sign engulfing her she knew something was wrong. Quickly she cleaned up and hurried back to the little house. As she walked inside it was ever so quiet. By then she saw her mother had passed. “Why didn’t you tell me mother! Why didn’t you tell me something was wrong? And all because you wanted me to go back to that old tree!” She fell almost instantly to the floor. Her tears came showering down like the rain in April. She stayed there weeping, thinking that now after so many years the weeping willow finally had a reason for such a name. Years passed and now the girl was not so little anymore. Everyday like she had for the past 8 years she sat down at the precious tree and had her lunch. One day while she admired the birds she noticed a man gazing at the flowers sitting on the bench. He looked in his late thirties with chestnut brown hair and a toned frame. He went into deep thought staring at the field. The girl had never seen that man in the park before. With such small space it could have been possible that he was from out of town. All of a sudden tears came from his eyes. Her mind didn’t know what to do but something inside her told her to comfort him. As she walked down to the bench he bent down his head with gloom and sorrow. When she sat down next to him she said “Is there anything I can do to help you? ” The man still with his head down started to calm down “ I had lost someone here so many years ago and I’m afraid they have gone away in dejection while I was away.” It looked like as he was going to cry again so the girl quickly blurted “ I’m sorry, I too lost someone. I lost my mother when I was young.”  He said “ I used to live here with my wife before I went to war. I took her sometimes to the tree over there just to be with nature. She always admired the field of flowers.” He looked up only to see the girl he never got to see grow up. He saw his wife's features in her. Then in a gentle voice he said “ Do you live here? Where are your parents? ” “ My mother died of an unknown sickness. I don't know who is my father.” She took a sigh and said " Mother always used to take me here to lunch everyday. My mother always looked at the field of flowers as if in search of something. Just like you did right now." By then the man knew who she was. He took a long sad deep breath at last knowing he will never see his wife.  “ Don’t worry. I will care for you. ” As he spoke he gave her a hug telling her that he would never let her be alone again. That she would have someone to hold on to and never let go. She learned two things that day. That her mother took her to the tree to look for the husband she knew and the loving father her daughter needed. The other was that the weeping willow was never sad. For the weeping willow always cried tears of joy, especially on the day when one heavy-hearted girl met the father she never had as a child.