anthropomorphic

It is early and I haven’t had a chance to see what the day is like. I don’t necessarily mean the weather, I mean my attitude. Putting me on the spot this early isn’t what I recommend anyone do. Without at least a second cup of coffee inside me there is no chance of me giving a polite or crafted response.  

‘What’, I shout at my phone, ‘make it short’. Pretty sure my phone cringed and glared back at me.

‘Weren’t up yet then?’ Comes back at me. It’s him.

‘No, and any nice thought that I had concerning you is now long gone.’ He knows me well enough to have expected that. No need to push it though.

‘Will it wait?’ I plead in a more tempered tone. My phone lets out a sigh of relief.

‘Clearly not, we need you at site and we need you now. I’m already here.’ He takes a quick breath and continues, ‘I’ll have coffee waiting.’

‘No need, I’ll have it with me.’ I respond resignedly. ‘I should be there in no more than an hour.’ 

I know that he will start watching for me as soon as we stop talking. A futile and unreasonable use of his time but that is what he does. He is all visualisation technique meets unrealistic ego. 

My first coffee out of my loyal thermos thankfully kicks in. I have adjusted to wearing my glasses, rather than my usual contacts, but only after knocking them off my head twice. Why I have such naughty and uncooperative glasses I do not know. There is some jealously thing going on between them and my contacts so best give them a day out as a treat.  I start on my second coffee just as I pull up to site. Now I see the problem. Protesters. This is going to take a lot more coffee.

Here he comes, entourage in tow, but they are not who I need to speak with and he knows that. He points to the administration building and starts heading towards it, the entourage following.

‘Good idea, you go head. I’m going for a walk around first.’ I say. I stand there sipping the last of my coffee, grateful that it isn’t raining and that there isn’t any media, then head off towards the protesters. Some are camped out under the ancient trees that will be removed. Others are setting up a command post that threatens to look permanent. I make my way over, preparing for battle as I go.

Once I am a couple of metres away, within earshot, I stop and wait to be noticed. Of course that doesn’t happen because I look like one of them, clearly they mistake me for another recruit. I wait and watch patiently and then sidle up to the young woman who seems to be directing most of the activity.

‘So you’ve spoken to the trees then?’ I say. She turns towards me. 

‘You have spoken with them right?’ I restate gently, working hard to put my early morning belligerence behind me and focus. Focus mentally I mean, my eyesight is marginal at the best of times.

‘We’re here to save them.’ She states in a firm but calm voice, seems she has worked out that I’m the enemy after all. 

‘I hear you, but have you spoken with them? I ask again. She looks harder at me. I hold her gaze, slightly raising my eyebrows for emphasis. She searches my face, I give her time to work out that she knows me. Her stance slowly softens; she leans forward, has a closer look at me and takes a hesitant step towards me.

‘Sorry I didn’t recognise you, haven’t seen you with glasses before.’ She says seeming relieved, but also a bit put out. There is definitely a touch of cynicism lurking. It’s a good start that she recognises me but it isn’t a done deal yet.

‘Well, seems my work is better known than I had hoped. Pleased to meet you.’ I say extending my hand. She takes it and calls out for the others to come over. I look at each of them carefully and, when they are all present, earnestly thank them for their concern. I ask that we all move underneath the closest of the old trees. Once there I explain what the tree has told me, what he has asked, what he wants.

‘Before you question my work all I ask is that you look up, close your eyes and breathe quietly. Tell this tree, without speaking, that you see and hear him.’ I say. 

Silence descends. No one asks me anything. We move on to the next tree and then the next, until we have spent time with them all.

When we are done I ask them what they are thinking – the trees I mean. I want to know how they intend to treat these protesters. They divulge to me that, although I clearly have few social skills, they trust me. Will the judgement ever stop? I turn to the protesters and wait until I have their complete attention.

‘So, who wants to share, or would you rather that I get you started?’ I ask. No one offers so I continue.

‘What voice does each tree have: low, shrill, quiet or booming? Each tree has eyes but what are they like: round, saggy, brown, green, clear or crinkled in the corners? Each tree has a personality, is it: forthright, shy, intellectual, warm, standoffish, confidant, curious, hesitant or decisive?’ I let them absorb what I am saying, see the truth of it, find their answers.

‘Are you prepared to truly know these trees so that you can pass their stories on to the trees we plant? As they grow they have to be taught, they will have to learn. If we can promise to do that these ancients will be content to go. They know that they were never going to be here forever. Are you prepared to be a part of this because once you start you cannot let them down?’ I explain.

The equipment that the protesters came to stop is not here to remove the trees, not yet, not today. It is here to prepare for the new trees. It is now early afternoon and I leave my apprentices to continue their elated conversations. I strike out for the administration building and hopefully coffee. When I enter everyone is sitting around the large conference table looking at site maps.

‘All good?’ He asks looking up as I enter.

‘Absolutely. You have some new helpers, a little sooner than we planned. They will take time to get over the crash course but they will stick around until the nursery trees graduate’. I say.

Turning to those around the table he says, ‘Now I can let you lot back out there, just had to make sure that you didn’t inadvertently interfere. We need help with the trees and she can’t do it all on her own. The real problem was that the help arrived before we were ready for them.’ 

Without a fuss he places a fresh coffee in my hand, in my favourite cup too, the one with the cheerful optimistic personality that virtually giggles when I hold it.

How does he do that, get me I mean?