Underneath the Cherry Blossom Tree

I was 5 when I first met her. Flowers slowly spiraled around us, carrying with it a subtle, calming fragrance. She was sitting on a bench underneath a big cherry blossom tree, crying. For what reason, I didn't know. Well, that was before I asked her. But when I did, she looked at me with the deepest blue eyes my 5-year-old self had ever seen, and promptly threw her arms around me as she cried into my shoulder. I was taken aback, of course, who wouldn't when a strange little girl throws herself at you seeking condolence.

Startled and bewildered, I frantically tried to think of a solution to this, somewhat awkward, circumstance. But alas, being unfamiliar with the situation, I couldn't think of a single thing I could do to stop the girls' cries of despair. So, I gently led her to the bench to sit down, wrapped my arms more securely around her, and hummed a tune that my mom would always sing when I cried. And slowly but surely, the girl's cries of anguish turned into little whimpers, until they finally subsided.

That was our very first encounter. Destiny works in strange ways, I believe. And the more I think about it, the more I owe to that fated day.

If I had never wanted to go to the park that day,

If my sister had never agreed to play hide and seek with me,

If I had never thought that the big cherry blossom tree on the hill would be a good place to hide,

And if she had never gotten lost (the reason for her tears),

I would have never met her.

And I would have never fallen in love.

Yes, I know what you're thinking. How could a 5-year-old kid fall in love at such a young age? Well, believe you me; I thought it was absurd too. But as I kept recalling the memory, and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

It wasn't 'love at first sight,' I didn't immediately know I loved her. But instead, it was more of a gradual thing.

When I first saw her, a seed was planted.

When she looked at me with her tearful, blue eyes, well, that was all the water the tiny seed needed to sprout a small blossom of love.

It wasn't big enough to be noticeable, but still, it was there. And the more time I spent with her, the more the tiny blossom changed.

It grew from that small flower, to a full-grown plant, to a lush bush, to a small garden, and so forth and so on, until my heart was entirely consumed with a colossal meadow.

With a cherry blossom tree in the middle.

"Sakura. My name is Sakura."

And thus started the endless conversations we would have on that bench in the park from that day forward. When she asked me for my name that day, I remember the way her eyes twinkled with mischief as she said, "Lawrence? What a funny name." I pouted at her and told her that Sakura was a funny name too, but she just brushed it off with a laugh. And I recall how her laugh sounded like the twinkling of bells and it was so contagious; I couldn't help but laugh with her.

And laugh we did, as we talked some more, until her frantic mother finally found her on the bench beneath the tree, laughing and smiling with a strange little boy. Sakura introduced me to her mom, who swept me into a hug and profusely thanked me for taking care of her daughter.

And as a result, our friendship commenced. We started hanging out at that park everyday (she had convinced her mom and my sister that it was a good idea.), and, when we realized we were going to the same elementary school, we would always walk to the park after school and hang out under our tree.

We learned everything about each other.

The good.

The bad.

The silly.

The mischievous.

We learned it all.

And as I spent more time with Sakura, I knew there was something more than just the feelings of friendship I sensed. To me, it seemed as if she was always glowing with the dust of the stars. She sparkled every time she smiled, and when she laughed-oh god, when she laughed–the sound of twinkling bells resonated in the air and made me feel warm inside.

And honestly, these feelings scared me.

I had never felt this intensely for someone in my entire 8 years of being alive. And yet, my feelings made me feel more alive then ever before.

I knew that Sakura and I were soul mates. Destined to be together. Connected by the red string of fate. And every time I saw her, my belief grew stronger, as did my feelings.

Yes.

Destiny works in strange ways.

Opening my eyes, I smiled as I stared through the branches of our tree. Although I've only been alive for 25 years, I can still, with upmost certainty, say that those were the happiest years of my life.

Meeting Sakura. Talking with Sakura. Laughing with Sakura. Falling in love with Sakura. Yes. My brain couldn't even fabricate a memory in which I was more filled with euphoria.

The sound of bells softly twinkling in my ears roused me from my state of nostalgia. Tiny arms wrapped themselves around my forearm as a girl, to whom the limbs belonged, smiled brightly at me. And when she opened her eyes, they sparkled a deep blue.

I smiled softly at her. "Hi."

"Hi." The little girl said, her voice as soft as the wind. "How was your day?"

I shrugged at her. "Just the usual. Nothing particularly inter-"

"Lawrence!"

I looked up and saw my wife of 2 years making her way up the hill to the tree. I set my gaze back onto the little girl and told her to wait right there as I got up and made my way towards my wife.

As I walked closer to her she grinned at me. "So this is were you've been hiding. What were you doing?"

"Just talking to an old friend."

She looked behind me, her gaze landing on the bench, and frowned. "Who? There's no one else there."

I turned around and, sure enough, the little girl was gone.

My wife laughed, "Are you feeling okay? Maybe we should head back home. The heat must be getting to you."

I just stood there, staring at the bench, unblinking.

My wife gently grasped my hand and tenderly led me down the hill, starting our walk back home.

"You know," she said, as we were halfway down the hill, a strange mischievous gleam in her eyes. "It could've been the Ghost of the Cherry Blossom Tree that you saw."

"Ghost?" I sputtered at her bewildered.

She nodded and turned around to gaze back at the big tree. "One day two kids, a boy and a girl both around the age of 9, were playing around the tree as they usually did. It was the little girl's birthday, so the boy had bought her a pink bandanna. But as they were playing the bandanna came lose and a gust of wind carried it up to the high branches of the tree. The devastated girl frantically started climbing the tree, desperate to retrieve the bandanna. But when she finally reached it, she slipped and fell. She died that day, and some say she still lingers around the tree, waiting for the little boy to come back so they can play again."

The last words of the story lingered in the air as a heavy silence blanketed the two of us. After a few moments, I grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, smiling. "Come on. Let's go home."

As we turned around I heard a soft voice. I'm glad you were able to find happiness again, Lawrence.

I quickly whipped my head back to the tree, and saw the little girl I was talking to on the bench sitting within its higher branches. In her hand, she was gripping a pink bandanna. She smiled brilliantly at me, and right before my eyes, the little girl transformed herself into a woman in her mid twenties. Mystical blue eyes stared back at me and the sound of bells resonated all around.

You don't have to continue visiting me anymore Lawrence. The wind whispered in my ear. I'm fine now that I know you're happy again. Start fresh and live anew. We'll meet again someday. And in a whirl of cherry blossom petals, she was gone, leaving behind the faint ringing of bells.

My eyes prickled with tears as I continued to gaze at the cherry blossom tree – OUR cherry blossom tree.

I promise, we'll meet again. We were meant to be I know it. If not in this life, then the next. I'll see you again, Sakura. Because after all, destiny works in strange ways.