The Thinking Tree

Rockport, Texas

April, 2014

I hate love stories. They always end with one of the lovers dying tragically or with one performing a necessary sacrifice to save the other. Usually, the romantically involved couple wind up together but sometimes not. There is either a tear-jerking climatic ending or a sappy outcome that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy. My point is, there are only a few endings possible for a true love story, either a sad ending or a happy one.

I happen to know the greatest love story ever told if you'll take a load off and stay a while. If you have a pressing engagement elsewhere and you're short on time, I suggest you leave now. Just go and take care of your business and come on back. My bar is open seven days a week so take your time. I'll be here if and when you come back.

Why don't I hate this particular love story? Well that's a good question. I'm going to have to say I don't hate it because its a true story. With all the twists and turns in this tale, you won't believe it's true but I swear on a stack of bibles that it is.

You have time then? Great! Let me get you another beer before I begin. There you go.

The story begins right here in this town. If you turn around in your stool and look out the large front window, you'll see Pete's Ice Cream Parlor, which is where you can get the best ice cream in town by the way. If you let your eyes trail to the north of Pete's, you can see a big lone tree just a dozen yards from and about six feet above than the ocean. Can you see it? That's the Thinking Tree.

Now I know what you're thinking. What the hell does a tree have to do with a love story, right? Just bear with me and trust that the tree has a very important role in the story. Am I giving too much of the story away? I hope not.

Anyway, you can see from here that there is a high wrought iron fence all the way around the tree, right? That fence was placed there to stop all the littering but it didn't help. You can see all of the love letters from here. Visitors and locals will just attach the letters to the fence instead of the tree so the fence wasn't a deterrent at all. There is a plaque that was put on that tree that reads: "This tree is dedicated to Alicia Cromwell and Jeb Mason. As children, they enlightened the lives of the town folk and as adults they inspired us. Their story reminds us to love, honor and respect our families, spouses and friends. May this Thinking Tree serve as a symbol of their love for many decades to come."

Pretty fancy, huh? Has your curiosity been perked yet? Good! Don't rush me, now. This story is best when it's told right and if I get ahead of myself, the story won't be nearly as good.

Now where was I? Oh yeah. I believe the story started about forty years ago. There were two children in this town back then named Alicia and Jeb. How old were they? Well I'm not too sure. They met in preschool so maybe around four or five? Anyway, Alicia was born partially deaf so she often slurred her words real bad and sometimes had trouble reading lips. Since she couldn't talk very well, the other kids teased her something fierce. The teachers thought that she was a mentally retarded so they placed her in a special education class.

Now don't go getting all misty-eyed on me already. This story is barely getting started. I know it's a sad thing but bear with me. Little Jeb had a learning disability called dyslexia which made it really hard for him to comprehend the class curriculum. He was also born with an incomplete cleft palate that made his speech articulation very difficult. Jeb underwent surgery when he was just a baby which fixed his face but not his speech. The teachers thought it best to put him in special education as well.

Well, as you might have guessed, Alicia and Jeb first met in the special education class. After they became friends, they were inseparable. Most of the adult folks around town thought they were related since they hung around each other so often. They were always playing together, talking together and walked hand in hand. Everyone nicknamed them "the twins" since they seemed permanently attached to one another.

Yeah I know it's a cute nickname. Truth be told, you'd think those two kids were joined at the hip and that's not an exaggeration. From daybreak to sundown those two were always together playing, drawing and doing their homework. They practically lived at each others homes. Their parents were glad because since the twins joined forces, none of the other kids picked on them anymore.

Anyway, Jeb and Alicia stayed friends all the way through elementary school. They would come to this beach everyday to swim, catch crabs and feed the birds. That's a perfect childhood if you ask me. I grew up around these parts myself. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most beautiful you'll find anywhere in the world.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah. Whenever Jeb and Alicia wanted to seriously talk, they would climb into that tree to plan out their adult lives. They plotted and dreamed about the future there for hours and hours. That lone, wind-shaped giant oak became their base of operations. They called it the Thinking Tree.

Where they in love by then? Just hold your horses, friend. I don't want to get ahead of myself. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate you asking questions. It lets me know that your paying attention but they were just the very best of friends.

The Thinking Tree was their favorite spot to play. Under the roots, they dug out a hollow where they would hide all of their most prized treasures, mostly shells and other small items they found on the beach. That hollow was their Secret Hiding Spot that no one else knew about."

Years flew by. A few days after they got to Middle School, something terrible happened. Jeb's dad was killed in a car accident. Through the funeral preparations and the family mourning their loss, Alicia stayed right at Jeb's side. After a few weeks, Jeb and his mother had to move away because she couldn't afford to live in Rockport anymore.

Terrible isn't it? I mean by middle school they had to be around twelve or thirteen, right? They grew up together and now they were being separated. That must have been a terrible blow to both of them but especially to Jeb since he lost his father and now he was going to lose his best friend.

Jeb and his mother moved to Sinton, which is only about thirty miles from here. They would still be able to see each other on the weekends at least. The day before Jeb moved, the twins held hands and went to the Thinking Tree. There, they promised each other to stay in touch, no matter what. Alicia promised to write him everyday. Jeb promised he would find a way to get back to Rockport every weekend.

Yeah I know. Alicia actually had to sit down and hand write letters to Jeb everyday, isn't that something? Cell phones weren't around back then, so there were no text messages. Phone calls would have been long distance which if you remember back then, cost a fortune. It's so crazy that in the mid 1980's life was so different.

Now where was I? Oh yeah. The night before he moved, Jeb wrote Alicia a letter. In the letter, he promised that he would always be her friend forever, no matter what. He hid that letter in their Secret Hiding Spot so that only she would find it. Alicia did find the letter a few days later. She read it over and over again everyday, putting into her diary so she wouldn't lose it. She wrote him a response letter promising that she would be his friend forever too. She hid it in the Secret Hiding Spot for him to find when he came back to visit.

I heard that Jeb actually framed the first letter Alicia ever wrote him. He looked at it everyday, committing himself to seeing her as often as he could. Strong commitment from such young kids, huh? Yes I think by now, they were falling in love but they probably didn't realize it yet. They were both still just kids after all.

Being away from each other for a whole week at a time was nearly unbearable for both of them. They thought about running away together a few times but never went through with it. If they were going to stay friends forever, they had to grow up right, finish school and get good jobs.

Usually Jeb's mother would drive him to Rockport on the weekends to see Alicia but sometimes she couldn't. Now don't worry. Thirty miles was hardly far enough to keep Jeb and Alicia apart, let me tell you. They would ride their bicycles and meet up in Gregory which is about halfway between. There was nothing really in Gregory except farmland but they didn't care. They would ride their bikes every weekend to see each other, even if it was only for a few minutes.

How long did it take to get to Gregory on a bike? I have no idea. I not crazy enough to jump on a bike and go for a fifteen mile ride. 'Course after they were done spending time together, they'd have a fifteen mile ride back home too. Thirty miles of riding so that they wouldn't miss one weekend together. Isn't that something?

You can't believe they went through all that just to be together? I knew you'd say that. I can personally guarantee that this story is true, every word of it, friend.

Now where was I? Oh yeah. Every single time that Jeb would visit Alicia in Rockport, they would go to the Thinking Tree and exchange letters. Each letter was probably filled with every detail of their lives while they were apart. This went on for several years and both of them eventually entered High School. For the first time, Alicia began to get noticed by other guys.

By the time they got to high school, Alicia had fixed her hearing by way of a hearing aid. She had also fixed her slurred speech although a tiny bit still came out if she talked while she was excited. Her hair was long and shiny. She was very slender and shapely, probably from riding that bike for thirty miles all those times. Ha ha! She had the face of an angel and one of those sweet innocent smiles that warmed your heart to see it.

Now Jeb wasn't a bad looking fellow either. He had conquered his dyslexia and had joined the Sinton High football team. Everyone knew that Alicia was Jeb's girl even if they weren't technically dating so you could imagine Jeb's surprise when he came to see Alicia at the Thinking Tree and found her there with another young man.

When Jeb approached them, he saw that Alicia was trying to rebuke the other fella's advances but he wasn't taking no for an answer. Jeb got really mad and told the guy to back off. They got into a fist fight. People who saw the fight thought Jeb was done for because his opponent was much bigger but apparently Jeb fought with everything he had. After all, it wasn't everyday that he had to defend Alicia's honor. I think that other guy would have had to kill Jeb to win. The other fella finally backed off and Jeb took Alicia into his arms and held her close.

Onlookers expected the two of them to finally seal their relationship with a kiss but there was no such luck. Apparently, Jeb needed Alicia's support just to stay on his feet. The fight had taken everything out of him.

Jeb didn't take the competition very lightly. He let Alicia know that he didn't want her hanging around other guys. Normally, that would insult a girl and make her mad at him but not Alicia. She promised that he would never have to fight over her again. She had never been more impressed by Jeb. Folks around here think that's when she actually fell in love with him. Of course, Jeb was in love with her too, he just didn't know how to tell her yet.

Well sir, they continued seeing each other through high school because Jeb was able to drive by then and he came to see Alicia every chance he got. Folks started calling them 'the twins' again. They graduated in 1989. On graduation night, while everyone else in Rockport High was in Corpus Christi celebrating, Jeb and Alicia watched the stars at the Thinking Tree. They held hands and for the first time in their lives they finally shared their first kiss.

Took them long enough didn't it? I thought the same damn thing. Anyway, a few years went by. Jeb was working as a truck driver, delivering furniture around town. Alicia was working as a substitute teacher and going to community college.

Unfortunately, Jeb's mother got sick. I'm not sure what she suffered from, but it prevented her from working anymore. Faced with a fixed income, they were going to have to move to North Carolina to stay with family. Jeb couldn't afford to stay in Rockport on his income so he was faced with a difficult decision. He made up his mind after we went to war.

That year in 1991, the country of Iraq invaded and annexed the sovereign country of Kuwait. After the UN warned them to pull their troops out of Kuwait, Iraq refused. A coalition of allied forces was formed to invade Kuwait and liberate it from the Iraqi forces. Jeb immediately enlisted in the military.

Did Jeb wind up getting killed in combat before he and Alicia could get married? Bear with me, friend. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Jeb did enlist against his mother's wishes. He came to visit Alicia one last time before shipping off and before his mother moved out of Texas. The twins spend all night at the Thinking Tree, holding hands and talking. Finally, it was time for Jeb to leave. Alicia cried more than she ever had. He couldn't console her. When Jeb gave her the letter this time, he told her not to read it until after he left. Alicia couldn't be more surprised and happy. In that letter, Jeb wrote her that he wanted to marry her and never leave her side.

Good for Jeb? Yeah, I thought so too. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much. Hold on a second, you need another beer. Let me wipe off the bar top for you really quick. There you go. All set? Good.

Now where was I? Oh yeah. Jeb had joined the United States Army. Alicia wrote her response letter, anxious to tell him that she would gladly be his wife. Of course, she was going to have to wait to send it to him, since he was in training. She mailed it as soon as she got his address and waited patiently for his return letter.

Alicia hated not being able to see Jeb so she decided to keep herself busy. She was the sweetheart of the town by then. She organized food drives, volunteered at all the town festivals, baked cookies for the local police and the fire department on Holidays, she collected and put together food care packages for the poor overseas and so on. If you can name a charity around here, believe you me, Alicia was involved in it. She was especially interested in helping tutor the children in the elementary school since the special education program there was so dear to her.

Meanwhile, Jeb's infantry unit had been mobilized. He saw a lot of combat in Iraq, but never received Alicia's response letter to his marriage proposal. He was very distraught by this, to say the least. The problem was, Alicia wasn't receiving any of his letters either. She began to worry that something had happened. She wrote him every single day but never got any letters in return.

Look at you! You look like you're going to be sick! Ha ha. You still want to know if Jeb survives the war? Just bear with me, friend. I'm getting to that part.

Anyway, Jeb's squad got hit by a UED. That's an unidentified explosive device. Jeb caught some shrapnel to the side of the head and his face. While he was wounded, the Al-Qaeda had launched an ambush triggering a fierce firefight between the US troops and the terrorists. During the firefight, some of the local Iraqi people had rescued Jeb and another soldier so that they wouldn't be captured by Al-Qaeda. The problem was, the locals had to keep both Americans secretly hidden and Jeb was in a coma for several weeks. He finally woke from his coma but couldn't remember who he was. Miraculously, the locals were able to return Jeb and his fellow soldier to the US Army without them being discovered by the enemy.

During the few weeks Jeb had gone missing, a notice had been sent out by the Department of Defense to Jeb's mother that her son was MIA or missing in action. Local reporters sniffed the story out and reported it on the evening news. You can only imagine how devastated Alicia was. Her entire world crumbled in an instant. She didn't leave her parent's house for weeks. Her parents kept her alive by checking in on her every few hours, making sure that she ate and showered. Alicia basically gave up living.

When Alicia finally started taking care of herself again, she would sit out by the Thinking Tree and stare out at the Gulf. She would be there for hours, sitting in the shade of the tree, lost in thought. She barely slept and hadn't been back at her job since Jeb was reported MIA. Somehow, she knew in her heart that he was still alive. Everyday she would sit under the Thinking Tree from sun up until sundown praying for his return. She repeated her routine for weeks, expecting Jeb to show up one day. Her parents were very worried about her.

Now I know what you're thinking. This was supposed to be a love story, right? Just bear with me and don't give up hope yet, friend. The story isn't over by a long shot. Anyway, by then the Army had contacted Jeb's mother to let her know that her son was alive but suffered memory loss. After he called her and talked to his mother on the phone, he immediately recovered some patches of his past. He remembered his mother and some of his childhood but most importantly, he remembered the Secret Hiding Spot. Soon after, he was placed on extended medical leave and came to North Carolina to be with his mother.

There was a parade in his honor and everything. I hear it was quite a show they put on for his return. After he was home for a few hours, his mother asked him when he was going to visit Alicia. Jeb had no idea who Alicia was.

His mother was very concerned because she hadn't, at that time, realized that Alicia still didn't know Jeb had survived the war. She figured that Jeb had been in contact with Alicia the entire time. Now that she knew, she told Jeb that he needed to go see Alicia as soon as possible. Jeb was hesitant. He was very uncomfortable going to see a woman that he didn't know. Regardless of what his mother told him, Jeb refused to go see or even call Alicia on the phone.

You have to remember that Jeb and his mother were living in North Carolina at the time. It was the first time Jeb had ever been there although because of his memory loss, he wasn't thrown off by the fact. What he was troubled with, was remembering Rockport, Texas.

Why didn't Jeb's mother call Alicia herself? That's a good question, friend. You see, after his mother thought he was missing in action, her health plummeted. She was bedridden and was still recovering after Jeb came home. She was very weak and had to rest a lot so she couldn't do very much to help her son reconnect with Alicia.

His mother had arranged his bedroom for him since he was away in the military. Jeb finally went to his room, feeling helpless then he noticed the letter that was framed and hanging on his wall. That was the very first letter that he got from Alicia promising to be friends forever no matter what. The letter wasn't enough to jog his memory, but it was enough to convince him to fly out to Rockport to see Alicia.

A few days later, Jeb's plane touched down at Aransas County Airport which is just ten miles out of Rockport. He was having trouble remembering the area but the more he saw, the stronger his sense of familiarity became. I guess it would be like visiting somewhere you haven't been for a very long time and seeing the changes that have happened over the years.

Jeb wasn't readily recognizable with the wounds he had sustained to his face. His hair was a lot shorter because of the service and he had gained a lot of weight in muscle. Basically, he found the Thinking Tree by sheer dumb luck.

The Thinking Tree didn't stir up any memories of his childhood with Alicia. Distraught, he reached into the Secret Hiding Spot and found a stack of letters written for him by Alicia. She had wrote the letters while sitting under the tree waiting for him for all those weeks. It took him a couple of hours to read every letter but he did. After reading her heartfelt and loving words, Jeb was convinced that he had to meet her even though he still didn't remember who she was or what she looked like.

Luckily for Jeb, a kind passerby pointed him in the direction of Alicia's parents. In fact, he escorted Jeb there. Her parents tearfully informed Jeb that Alicia had gone on a vacation to clear her mind. They didn't know exactly where she had gone and had no way of contacting her.

Depressed, Jeb flew back to North Carolina. He left a letter in the Secret Hiding Spot, hoping that Alicia would find it. In that letter, he expressed how her words of love, devotion and encouragement made up his mind that he would like to see her. He was hopeful that meeting her again would somehow cure his memory loss.

Yeah I know. The fates seem to be against Jeb and Alicia from ever being together, don't they? I felt the same way but bear with me, friend. You need another beer? No? Okay.

Now where was I? Oh yeah. Alicia happened to call her parents the very next day after Jeb left. When she found out she had just missed him, Alicia rushed home to Rockport and immediately called Jeb's mother. His mother put Jeb on the phone and they talked for the first time in months.

At first, Jeb was very shy because he still didn't know Alicia but after only a few minutes of talking with her, he was comfortably telling her everything that had happened during his tour in the military. Even though his memory was gone, she was still his best friend after all.

He told her that his face was scarred. She didn't care. He admitted that he was suffering from PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder. She was concerned about that either. She was just happy that he was still alive. He listened to her cry on the phone and it broke his heart. He wanted to comfort her very badly.

Eventually, their conversation turned to the letters that they were writing to one another. How could all those letters go missing, you ask? Well, let me tell you. Turns out that the guy Jeb got into a fight with over Alicia, worked at the local Post Office. He was intercepting their correspondence and destroying their letters to each other out of spite. Can you believe that?

Yeah, that jerk got exposed and the post office fired him. Several of the locals basically ran his ass out of town. Serves him right, the dick.

Now where was I? Oh yeah. Alicia couldn't afford to fly out to North Carolina. Jeb had blown all his money flying out to Rockport so they were stuck. After she hung up the phone with Jeb, Alicia went out to the Thinking Tree bawling her eyes out. She checked the Secret Hiding Spot and found the letter Jeb had left for her. She read it and cried all night under the boughs.

The following morning, folks around town noticed how deeply saddened Alicia was. Word spread that Jeb was alive but she couldn't afford to go see him. The townsfolk banded together and started collecting money. Lots and lots of money. Alicia was the sweetheart of town. Everyone loved her and wanted her to be happy. They gathered enough money for a plane ticket, can you believe that? Alicia was speechless but very grateful. She called Jeb to tell him the good news then hopped on the first flight she could.
You're on the edge of your seat now, aren't ya? What's that? No, her plane didn't crash on the way to see him. Let me finish. No, he wasn't hit by a car and killed on the way to the airport either. I told you it was a good love story, didn't I?

Jeb went to meet her at the airport dressed in his military uniform. It was going to be hard to find her, since he still didn't know what she looked like. He was very anxious too because his face was scarred. He was afraid that maybe she wouldn't find him as attractive as she once had. I'm here to tell you, Alicia was not a normal girl. I believe that she was an angel that got lost on its way to Heaven and decided to stay here on earth. Scars were not going to deter her love for Jeb one bit, unbeknownst to him. If his memory hadn't been gone, he would have known that there was nothing to be worried about. Alicia was his best friend.

Her flight arrived, and Jeb was very nervous. Alicia practically ran to get off the plane. She was so eager to see Jeb that she had told the story to the flight crew. By the time her plane touched down, half the passengers were cheering her on and wishing her the best of luck.

Jeb was pacing, anxiously waiting for her at the terminal. By a stroke of luck, he saw her before she saw him. As soon as he looked at her, all of his memories came rushing back. Yep, just like that! One look at Alicia and his memory loss was instantly cured, isn't that something?

Alicia saw him standing there and she froze. They stared at each other for a few seconds. He was still reeling from all of the wonderful memories he had of her. All of those days of sitting in the Thinking Tree, all of the hours they spent talking and planning out their lives came rushing back to him. On the other hand, Alicia was still in shock that he was hurt but alive. She shed tears of happiness as she looked at him. Her Jeb was alive!

After a few more seconds of staring at her, Jeb finally spoke. He said, "I remember you." Alicia knew exactly what he meant when he said it. Jeb took her in his arms and kissed her. They were so happy to see each other that onlookers actually applauded them. Jeb got on one knee, showed her a beautiful but simple wedding ring and asked her to be his wife. Of course, Alicia said yes.

Now I know Jeb wasn't sure that he would recognize her or remember her when he first headed to the airport. His mother had insisted he take her wedding ring along with him just in case. He was very glad that he listened to his mother.

Jeb got an honorable discharge from the military a few months later. He and his mother came back home to Rockport. Jeb and Alicia were married right up on that hill under the Thinking Tree. The whole town attended. It was the biggest wedding anyone around here had ever seen. Everyone pitched in to make it special.

Over the years, Jeb and Alicia's love story quickly became a local legend around these parts then it spread out even further. People from all over the country descended on the Thinking Tree for marriage proposals, anniversaries and wedding ceremonies. They nailed love letters to each other on the Thinking Tree, hoping that their love would be as strong as Jeb and Alicia's.

To protect the tree and also to show appreciation for Jeb and Alicia, the Mayor made up that plaque and put up the fence. The Thinking Tree is still visited by dozens of people everyday.

You remember when I said I could give you a personal guarantee that this story is true? Well, I went to school with both Jeb and Alicia. Also, that kind passerby that led Jeb to Alicia's parent's house was me. I pitched in to fly Alicia back to North Carolina and I also attended their wedding. That's the God's honest truth, friend.

Of course Jeb and Alicia are still married. They've got six or seven kids now. They are the happiest and most loving pair you'll ever see. What makes their love so special? Truth be told, I think its because they are, after all these years, still the best of friends. Friendship is what keeps a marriage happy and healthy.

Did you like this love story, friend? I'm very glad you did. Like I said, it's the only damn love story that I like and the only love story that I will ever tell.