The Anything Tree (part 3)

Thomas finished the last piece of the pumpkin pie, leaned back on the bar stool and belched. Instinctively his hand came up to cover his mouth as he mumbled “excuse me” to the empty room. The appreciative burp was the only sound in the room except the muffled noises coming from somewhere in the back as Gabriel searched for a suitable tree. Thomas had doubt that the old man would actually return with a tree! He looked around the shop again. With no doubt the shelves were filled with hundreds of different nick-knacks, colors and flavors, but nothing that looked like a plant, much less a tree. Thomas reprimanded himself again for losing the tree list.

His self-reprimand was cut short when the double doors opened with a bang. Carrying a large black pot with a tree rising above the rim was the little shop owner. With a wide grin on his wrinkled face, Gabriel carried the large pot over to a small two top table and sat it down. With hands on his hips he arched his back slightly, Thomas could hear the bones cracking and popping like kettle corn.

The tree stood about three feet high. The branches that came off it were scarce and practically bare. Most of them drooped, especially those near the top, as if or bowing down to some unseen king. The few buds or small leaves that were on the tree were pale yellow or an insipid green. This tree looked sick and yet Gabriel stood by the table with the look of a proud papa, smiling from ear to over-sized ear.

“Come here, come here. Get a closer look at this wonderful tree. I told you we are the Everything Shoppe! Come and look Thomas!”

Thomas climbed down from the bar stool wand walked over to the small table. Closer inspection didn’t improve the picture of health for the small tree. Thomas noted that even the pot that the tree resided in seemed old and incapable of holding soil or badly needed water and yet somehow it held together.

“Sit down and take a closer look. “ Gabriel read the look on Thomas’ face.

Thomas followed the direction of the shopkeeper and sat at the small table.

“What kind of tree is it?” Thomas asked.

“I don’t know. See that small tag hanging from the bottom branch? Turn it over, the species should be written on it.”

Thomas turned the tag over with his larger clumsy fingers. He looked at the small and neat handwriting on the back. “N.E.THING” was carefully written with black ink, Thomas’ look of doubt transformed into a look of perplexity.

“What’s an N E Thing tree?”

At first Gabriel chuckled, and then his chuckle turned into full hold-your belly laughter. After a full minute of laughter, Gabriel pulled out the second chair and sat down next to Thomas.

“Well it’s not an N E Thing tree. That’s an old tag that must have fallen and got hung up on the tree branch. Long ago, before this was the Everything Shoppe, my dear wife named it the N E Thing Shoppe.  Her first name was Naomi. My middle name, which she favored over Gabriel, is Edgar. My last name, in case I haven’t told you is Thing. N.E. Thing Shoppe!  But over time we had so much stuff cramming the shelves that people starting calling it the “Everything Shoppe”. Well it made since so we officially changed the name in ’53. I haven’t seen one of those small tags in years. Naomi tried to tag everything that came into the shop, she would spend many late night hours writing out those tags and putting the price on it. Thomas does that one have a price on it?”

Thomas looked at the tag again. Faded but legible, written below the block letters was “25¢.”  

“It say’s 25 cents.” Thomas answered.

“Well what a deal you’re getting!  A tree for a quarter! For that price it don’t really matter what kind of tree it is.” An ear to ear smile returned to Gabriel's face.

“I can’t pay a quarter for a tree Gabriel. That’s not fair...no matter what kind of tree it may be.”

“That’s the price tag on it. House rules, whatever it says is what you will pay. That’s Naomi’s second rule, right after “Your break it you buy it.” Gabriel chuckled again.

Thomas thought for a minute before speaking again.

“I don’t know. I already messed up by losing the list. If I show up with this scrawny little tree, even if it only cost a quarter, they will probably shoo me out of town.”

“It won’t always be scrawny, Thomas. It’s almost wintertime, which means it is still fall. Fall is for planting!  Why if you get this tree into the ground now, by the first signs of spring I bet you have the best looking tree in all of Eden.”

“But what do I tell everybody when they ask what kind of tree is it?”

“You can tell them to wait and see. Or tell them it is an Anything Tree. That’s what the tag said.”

Gabriel cleared his voice and moved closer to Thomas.

“Tell them it is whatever tree they wanted. If they wanted an oak, tell ‘em it’s oak. If they asked for a pear tree, tell ‘em it’s a pear.”

“That doesn’t sound like the right thing to do; it sounds a lot like lying.”

“Thomas, what kind of tree is this?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then how could it be lying?”

 Thomas Gallo was just a little slow, but this last puzzle the little old man tossed his way was too much.

“Well look there, the sun is coming out. I think you better get back on the road to Eden before the next batch of bad weather gets here. Pay me for the coffee and the tree; I’ll slice you another piece of pie for the road, no charge.”

The mention of another slice of pie took the puzzle and the thought of lying right out of Thomas’ mind.

“That’s nice of you Mr. Thing.” Thomas smiled.

“If you ever get down to Eden be sure and come find me. I think I owe you a lunch of your own.”

“Well thank you, Thomas. I might just do that. Now load up your tree, while I grab that pie. My knees tell me bad weathers on the way.”

As Thomas Gallo drove away he saw the flickering lights of the neon sign pulse once or twice. They “y” in everything” lit for just a second before all the lights went out.

“’Y’ indeed?” Thomas thought.

To be continued.