A Trip for a Tree

“Billy, it’s not comics and cartoons! It’s manga and anime!”

I kindly bowed my head to the wheelchair bound child as she pointed a stern finger in my direction.

“Of course, Lady Danielle. How could I forget that?”

My name is William B Tabito. Or as the young lady refers to me, Billy. I serve as the Wellington family’s head butler, and have for the last fifty years.

In all my time with them however, I’ve never met someone in their family half as enthusiastic as this young lady right here.

I was currently wheeling her home from school. Her Japanese club had just finished, and she was going to be very tired soon on account of her various bodily ailments. Taking her home in a car would have been the most obvious choice, but she had something special in mind today.

“Billy, I want to go the long way,” she said, fighting hard to keep her eyes open.

‘The long way’ was code for a trip through the park. It was quite beautiful this time of year.

“Young lady, you’re too tired to go the long way. Are you sure?”

Of course, I couldn’t convince her otherwise. A stubborn young child, much like her mother.

As commanded, I wheeled her through the park, praying her strength would hold.

We passed by a fountain. A few children were playing by the pond it made. A peaceful sight.

An assortment of wonderfully vibrant flowers surrounded us on both sides as we entered a tunnel trimmed out of the bushes.

For as beautiful as this flora was, the real reason the young lady wanted to come this way had yet to be seen. A pink coloured tree, only blooming this time of year, was her true destination. When under it, a rain of pink petals would gracefully fall, painting the ground in a sea of light reddish wonder.

“Keep going!” she pointed eagerly with all her strength. “We're almost there!"

Her excitement grew along with her body's stress. A trip out here was not easy for her to handle, but the prized tree would make it all worthwhile.

Little did we know, the treasure we sought had already been dug up.

*🇺🇸*

“Cherry blossom, cherry blossom, cherry blossom…” The young lady chanted, bringing a smile to my face.

As we approached the end of the flora tunnel, the light from outside blinded me for a moment. Just past here, we’d see the fabled cherry blossom tree.

As my vision finally returned, I was struck with a horrible sight.

Where the cherry blossom once stood, now laid a construction zone.

“Impossible!” I shouted, seeing a fence around one end of the park to the other.

The young lady burst into tears. Her nose began to bleed from the stress as she covered her face with her hands. I rushed to clean her delicate face as she poured out her anguish.

“What happened…?” her voice cried out.

A woman was standing next to us, clearly just as bothered as we were.

“Didn’t you hear?” she said in a sorry tone. “The mayor wants to expand the town. He’ll be putting a housing complex right here.”

It just so happened that the mayor she was referring to was the one in a town just next to ours. We weren’t informed because we didn’t live there. And unfortunately, this part of the park was under their jurisdiction.

“It’s gone! They cut it all down! It’s gone!” screamed the young lady.

If only I’d have known…I would have fought tooth and nail to keep them from cutting that tree down. Even if the rest of this land had to go, that one tree was very precious to me.

You see, my grandfather was a Japanese immigrant who came just before the Second World War. Our people were not looked upon favorably in those days. On the contrary, the Wellington family was very kind to him and my father, offering them a job opportunity as butlers of the household. As a peace offering to them, grandfather planted that cherry blossom.

I suppose that’s all forgotten history now.

With grave disappointment, I wheeled the tearful young lady back home.

Getting her into bed tonight was even more of a chore than normal. She fought me every step of the way and refused to fall asleep, even against her own body’s best interest.

“What’s the point of sleep if everything beautiful is destroyed? I hate life. The one thing I looked forward to seeing every year, and now it’s gone.”

That tree truly meant a lot to her. It was a small slice of her favourite country placed here in the States.

But all hope was not lost. I had an idea that may just prove helpful.

“What if I were to plant you a new tree? It could be placed here on our own property. Nobody would ever dare cut it down then.

Her eyes lit up like the stars above. She couldn’t have been more excited.

“You’re going to Japan to get us a new tree? Can I come with you?”

I hated to dash her hopes, but I hadn’t said anything about going all the way to Japan. Even if I had, given her condition, travel would be impossible for her.

Watching the excitement drain from her smile was nothing short of disheartening, but she did inspire an idea in me…

As of late, I’ve been learning more about the internet, as all old men should, and found a category of video streamers who will stream themselves exploring exciting locations across the world. Internet connection permitting.

Rather than have her watch those strangers go on their own daring adventures, I could stream my own version, even allowing her to influence where I go.

Naturally, I’d be going halfway across the world to my ancestral homeland. While there, I could find a new sapling for her too.

As expected, the excitement came back to her face, twice as strong this time.

With her father’s permission, and a few phone calls to extended family overseas, I was given permission to fly out to Japan to give the young lady a vicarious experience she’d never forget.

*🇯🇵*

“Remember, if someone gives you a gift, deny it three times before taking it,” The young lady told me over a phone video chat.

While on the plane ride, she insisted on calling me every few minutes to tell me different elements about Japanese culture she’d learned from her club at school.

“And another thing…a lot of places don’t accept credit cards, so you’ll need some cash.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Her cautious words made me feel comfortable. She knew quite a bit about Japan that I figured would come in handy.

*🇯🇵*

The plane finally landed, giving me my first on the ground gaze of Tokyo through the window. certainly a nice city.

The young lady was on the phone again, her face pressed up against the screen as if she were inside the phone itself.

“Billy, I can’t see anything other than your face. Show me Japan!”

“You can’t see anything because I haven’t seen much yet either,” I chuckled.

Traveling through the airport wasn’t too difficult, but navigating the train station really tested my patience. With aid from signs in English, and the young lady’s quick internet searches, I managed to board a train and head to the part of Tokyo I would be meeting my long distant family in.

A woman named Noriko was a cousin of mine, and she was proud to tell me that she had a private garden of her own. One thing she’d been growing recently was cherry blossoms, and she offered me a few seeds and a sapling.

We weren’t scheduled to meet until sometime in the afternoon. So that gave me some time to explore around the city. As human nature would have it, I became quite peckish along the trek.

“Young lady, I’d like to find a place to eat. Any recommendations?”

Her answer did surprise me.

“WcDonalds!” the young lady cheered over the phone.

“Wc…WcDonalds…?” I uttered in disbelief. I was hoping she’d pick a more ‘cultured’ spot. “Young lady, why choose a place you can visit anytime in the States?”

“Well…you see…” the young lady twiddled her fingers, “they have this special toy out there that you can't get here…I-I'd really like to have it. Plus, the buildings they have in Japan are so much more cool and colourful. The restaurants here look like big, boring gray cubes ever since they were renovated.”

She did often complain about that design choice.

I didn’t expect my first meal in Japan to be fast food, but on the young lady’s orders, I made a stop anyway.

This restaurant did seem much more theatrical then the ones back home. Cartoon characters littered the wall as if they owned the place. Children seemed very entertained to explore all the advertisements.

The food here certainly didn’t disappoint either. It was presented exactly as pictured in the advertisements. A stark contrast to the States.

“Shrimp burger? Teriyaki flavoured fries? Banana cheesecake ice-cream?”

Such a unique menu. I could already feel a stomach ache brewing.

“Make sure to get me a Snappy meal! That’s how you get the toys.”

I didn’t plan on taking a whole meal back with me, so I decided to simply order that Snappy meal with a smaller portion of the three featured items.

As I pulled out the toy, the young lady seemed averse to it.

“Yuck! I hate that one. Um…can you get another one?”

*🇯🇵*

Noriko, my cousin, said that she was able to leave work just a tad earlier than usual and wanted to meet with me as soon as she could. I had just finished several meals worth of food and was taking a brisk walk, with Danielle still on the phone, across part of the Sumida River.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, showing off their dazzling pink colours as I walked along.

The young lady was as quiet as a mouse, entranced by their beautiful hue. Thinking she’d fallen asleep, I pulled the phone up to look at the screen.

“Hey!” she shouted. “I was looking at the trees.”

“My apologies, young lady Danielle.”

I was surprised she’d managed to stay awake so long. Her condition made her become tired very quickly. If she fought the need to rest for too long, her body would ache.

“How are you feeling, young lady?” I asked her.

“I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

“Are you feeling pain?”

“Y-yes. But I’m fine.”

I couldn’t do much to force her to sleep from here. This trip would only be a one day adventure, and I didn’t want to be the reason she’d miss a moment of it.

When I first suggested it to her father, I was hoping to stay longer, but there were duties at the household only I could accomplish. Not to mention that I was the primary caregiver for the young lady.

It did make me wonder though. She was always so fervent about having me take care of her almost exclusively. She begrudgingly allowed her mother tend to the more 'feminine' aspects of her daily care.

With a quiet moment between us, I decided to ask why this was.

“Oh…” she cooed out. “Well…you're not going to like my answer.”

I had a feeling I already knew what it was, but I wanted to hear it anyway.

“Feel free to share anything,” I implored her.

“You said your grandfather came from Japan. I always thought that was cool. Plus you had so many stories of his that sometimes it felt like I lived along with him.”

“Now, why would you assume I’d not like that answer?”

“Because I feel like you’ll think I only like you for one reason,” she said. “It’s not the case, I swear. You're super cool on your own. I mean, you went all the way over to Japan just to get me a plant.”

Traveling does become significantly easier when you’re affiliated with a very wealthy family, who also cares for the happiness of their youth. Flying out here was hardly a blip on their bank's radar.

But the truth was, I certainly appreciated any reason she had for wanting me around. She really is the closest thing to a grandchild I’ve ever had.

She was at that age where if I told her that, she’d probably dismiss it as ‘too emotional.’ But I wasn’t one to hold back my words.

“I see you as family to me. I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

She blushed and covered her face with a pillow.

“Stop talking like that!” she said, just as I had predicted. “Thank you though.”

“You’re welcome, young lady.”

*🇯🇵*

Finally I was able to meet my cousin. A rather business savvy lady with a polite smile, but determined eyes. She spoke fluent English, and carried a bag full of the promised seeds and sapling.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, William,” she bowed to me. “I am Noriko, and I hope you have had a lovely time in Japan so far.”

Beside her was quite the opposite looking fellow. Twisting pompadour hair, eyes covered in sunglasses well out of style, and a hardy looking vest that read ‘bad boy’ on the back.

Despite his clear delinquent appearance, he was all smiles and jolly.

“Oh yeah! My name is Ace! Welcome to Japan!”

I was impressed that he could speak English too. But it seemed as if he’d learned it from a video game.

“Forgive him for being so witless,” Noriko giggled.

“Ok!” he gave her a thumbs up. “W-witless? Sorette dou iu koto?”

“Aho.”

“Ah…aho da?” he uttered as if baffled at a discovery.

The young lady was very amused by Ace’s particular way of talking. I haven’t heard her laugh so much since she’d seen a similar looking man in one of her cartoons.

“Oh, this the Dannyelu I heard so much of?” Ace pointed at the screen and waved, prompting the young lady to wave back. “Hello!”

“Danielle,” Noriko corrected him, then pushed him away from the phone so she could show the young lady the sapling. “Here is the tree I will be giving to you. If it does not like America and dies, I will also give you seeds along with it.”

“It’s so cute! It looks like a bonsai tree.”

Noriko nodded. “I was going to make it into one, but you needed it more. So please, take it.”

“No, I couldn’t possibly.”

“I insist.”

“No, thank you though.”

"Oh, but you must."

"Honestly, I don't deserve it."

“Are you sure? It is for you.”

“Well, if you say so,” she nodded, finally accepting the gift.

From the look of confusion on Ace’s face, I wonder if he knew the three denial rule.

With the gift accepted, Noriko offered to take us to a bar.

The bar was quite small, but Noriko was careful to pick this one since it allowed foreigners. The owners were even kind enough to allow the young lady to stay in the video chat while we enjoyed a few drinks, all the while listening to some interesting tales from Ace.

“So, I play kendo with a sword. Swing, swish swish! Then hat flies off, whosh! I was almost stabbed in the face!”

Noriko seemed embarrassed at his attempts to tell a cohesive story.

Nonetheless, the young lady was infatuated with listening to him speak.

As a thanks for all they’d done for me, I decided to pay for the drinks, keeping in mind the payment needed to be made in paper money. Noriko and Ace insisted I shouldn’t have to, with Ace even putting money in my hands.

“We pay. You are our guest,” Ace nodded.

“I couldn’t possibly force you to do that for me,” I argued.

“Is it an American thing to deny hospitality?” Ace questioned “You are all too kind. I love Americans!”

The server came by and offered a bit of wisdom of his own with a laugh. Noriko translated for us…

“It doesn’t matter how kind you are, as long as someone is paying.”

Humorous advice indeed.

The young lady couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer after that, so she was forced to slumber on account of her ailments. I felt bad that she couldn’t say goodbye to Noriko and Ace, but I shared our contact information with them, so they would be able to chat again with her at any time. Both of them have been nothing but kind while I’ve been here. They even paid for the cab fare to the airport.

“It is nice to know my family in the United States is doing well.” Noriko told me as I exited the taxi in front of the airport.

“I feel as if I should return the favour someday,” I told her. “If you ever want to visit, I will personally tour you both around my hometown.”

“Thank you.” Noriko and Ace both bowed to me. “Bye bye!

We all shared parting words, then I left to catch my plane.

*🇺🇸*

They say the plane ride home is always shorter, but 13 hours to fly back home certainly wasn’t my idea of 'shorter.'

When I returned, the first thing the young lady and I did was plant the tree safely in part of our garden where it would grow as tall as it wanted.

In that moment, she reclaimed that once joyous spirit of hers. One day I could only hope to take her in person back to Japan with me. But until then, I’d happily continue to care for her here, giving her whatever journey she desired.