The Carvings On The Tree

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Again this is just a story I found on twitter that I thought was so beautiful and so I wanted to share it. All credit to @citysightlouis.

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I sat on a cold bench underneath the old tree and sighed. The streets of London weren't loud and noisy like they tend to be, but quiet. Almost to the point where it gave you an eerie sensation that make the hair on your neck rise. I looked towards the big tree that was in front of me and observed it. As I traced the carvings on the tree with my cold fingers, I start to wonder. Wonder about what were the stories behind these carvings. I mean, anyone can see that it was obviously a heart carved with two letters carved in it, but what was the story behind this carving? Was it in memory of someone who has passed away? Or were they the first letter of two lover's names? It all remains unknown. Sure there's a heart which indicates love, but it's always the things that don't make sense that are always a little deceiving.

   "It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" A low voice asked. He took a seat next to me and continued, "I mean sure the carvings are beautiful, but I think it's the mysteries behind the carvings that make it ten times better". His voice seemed familiar and his face as well. But it isn't my fault that I have Alzheimer's disease. Ever since I found out that I had it, I can't seem to remember anything. But the only thing I can remember in my past, was when my husband and I lost touch due to a stupid fight. It's been more than ten years since I last saw him, and I regret not trying to mend split ends between us.

"I've been coming here for more than I can remember and my favorite carving is this one," I tell the man before I point to the heart. I trace the outline of the heart with my cold index finger and put my hands into my pockets. You'd expect it to be a little warmer as it's in the middle of March but not in London.

The man softly chuckles. At first I think he was making fun of me and I do get a little bit offended, but then he adds on by saying, "That's my favorite one,too. I must admit it's a beautiful carving but you'd be surprised if I told you that the story behind it was even better."

Without thinking, I ask with curiosity clear in my voice if he would be able to tell me the story. Despite my age of 65, I still have a childish mind, as people like to call it. But I mean the man in front of me with gorgeous green eyes does seem around my age. Maybe 62 years old? But I mean, there's not much a 3 year difference can make when you're old.

I make eye contact with the man and he nods in agreement. He goes on by telling me how the story behind the carving started. "It was a long time ago. Maybe more than four decades when it all started. There were two teenagers, Harry and Lou," he looked at me straight in the eye and continued, "now because of my age, I have forgotten Lou's actual first name but I remember that Lou was their nickname. The couple have been together for a while of course, I'd say maybe 5 years until they actually got married. When they did get married, Lou was 23 and Harry was 20. Quite a young couple, I may add"

      I noticed the man get a little restless so I asked if he'd like to go on a walk, in which he agreed to. As we got up, I noticed out height difference. We walked on the bridge that went over the river the tree was by. We began to walk a while until he cleared his voice. "Like I was saying, they got married at a young age. People thought this couple was crazy! They would always pull pranks, tell jokes, people usually called them the 'it' couple. Their love was so beautiful that you can't help but fall in love," He paused for a second, "with their love."

  "How does the carving come into this?" I ask a bit uneasy. I'm extremely impatient but I can't but feel the slightest feeling of guilt when I saw the man in front of me frown. I hope he didn't get offended by the way I said it.

As I try to apologize, he begins once again, "On their fourth year of dating, the couple decided to make a promise. A promise that indicates that they stick together through thick and thin, through the possible and the impossible. So they left." He stopped for a moment and turned around. He pointed towards the forest which wasn't too far away from us. "They ran away. For a year, people thought they were dead. They left for a whole year, can you believe it? Once they returned back to London, they felt stronger. They soon realized that they loved each other very much."

Finally, we've reached the tree and we took a seat on the old bench near the tree. The man took a deep breath and sighed. "The couple were in love. Too in love if that was possible. After realizing that they were meant to be, Harry proposed on their fifth anniversary. It was in this very spot," He points to the ground, "Of course, Lou said yes and well, they decided to carve this in" He gets up from his seat and stands in front of the carving, just watching it in awe. I stand next to him and look closely to see that it does in fact have 'H+L' carved into the heart. I sighed out.

Now I know. I know the story behind the carving. But it just wasn't enough for me. "What happened to the couple?" I ask.

The man looked into my eyes with sadness, "Not every love story ends with a happy ending. They soon got into an argument. About who knows what? After Harry had stormed out of the house, they never got back together ever since. Can you believe it? They've been married for more than twenty years and all that gone to waste because of a fight. If only I could go back and fix what is broken." I see him shed a tear as I felt pain on my chest. "But that wasn't all. After they split, Harry became depressed and well to be honest, no one knows what happened to Lou." The man checks his watch and frowns.

I notice that the sky has gotten darker. How long have we been talking for? He gives out a sigh and frowns. "I'm afraid I must go now. It was very nice talking to you. But I need to go. I hope to see you again."

After I thank him, he turns on his heels and leaves. Because of him being an elderly man, he can't walk fast. I turn around to the tree and place my hand on the carving. I trace the letters once again. H and L. H for Harry and L for Lou. That's quiet funny, isn't it ? Despite my name being Louis William Tomlinson, I used to go by Lou. But only by one person. My husband. Well, until he left.

As I sat down on the bench just to relax a little, I start remember about the story the nice man told me. It's a shame I never got his name. I look around and notice that the man hasn't crossed the road yet. I stand up and walk over to him. I tap his shoulder and he turns around. With a small grin on my face, I say, "I never got your name."

"It's Harry. Harry Styles to be exact." He responds. He looks at me with a confused look, "And yours?"

"Louis Tomlinson. But I also go by Lou."