Climbing up those trees in his grandpa’s backyard in the summer was always Mike’s favorite part of those years, Lisa was his second favorite part.  He remembered this even though he had been only five and seven when they played with rollie-pollies in the street acting like they were in charge of some great, miniature society.  Coming up with laws, coming up with stories for each grouping.  He also remembered climbing that very large tree for the first time on that gloomy, windy day.  He’d reached the top and could feel the wind touching every pore on his face, reaching in his pockets and pulling out all the pain and anger and filling them with just a little bit of moisture and fresh air.

Back to Lisa though, there was something in the way she looked at everything.  It wasn’t a stare, it was more delicate than that even though she’d been touting herself as being so callous for so long.  Ah, and she was so clever.  She knew just the words to say not only to get what she wanted but also to get what she “didn’t want” so she could pout.  She was an angel in tinfoil with dotted lines going down the side so you knew just where not to tear.  And Mike knew where to but usually he didn’t, he loved her too well.  Sometimes he would lose his head in the heat of the moment or the lack of heat in it and then the walls would come down over a fifteen minute period of time everything would break.

Lisa and Mike ended up falling quite in love a little after they had both been to college.  “This has been the best learning experience in love since I took that class on British Romance Novels” said Mike, being the bookie that he was.  More than anything it was just two slightly bruised people who were reintroduced at the perfect moment, it’s like throwing in that one high note right at the crescendo, right at the beginning of the song.  They knew it wasn’t perfect but hell, what in life is?

They went back to Mike’s Grandpa’s house in Montana for a visit with Mike’s father who was withering away in that house.  Hank hadn’t moved a single picture from the walls since grandpa died and also hadn’t moved the ones that were put up with his late wife, Mary.  Mary’s pictures were fairly obvious because of the lack of sun damage to the frames.

The tree had been cut down recently, apparently a landscape architect was driving by one day and informed Hank that the tree would fall on the house within a year or two so he should have it removed as soon as possible.  Mike always thought that guy was just trying to make a few bucks off of an old couple.

The first night they were eating dinner and Hank had a massive stroke and passed away.  Mike didn’t shed a tear and Lisa was convinced for several months that he was completely heartless.  She would ask questions of him such as, “If I died, would you be hurt?  Would you be sad?  How would anyone know?”  The truth was, however, that Mike was sad and he was hurt even if no one knew.  Mike and Lisa ended up spending less and less time together, and Mike moved into his grandpa’s house and put up a few new pictures, wondered about the living room and dining room and muttered to himself.