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CHAPTER ONE 'sycamore tree'
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THERE I SAT on that sycamore tree overlooking the water with nothing but a water bottle and a blanket. and my phone, of course, but it's more mysterious to say that i was alone on that tree. but i wasn't, i had my birth mother by my side, cameron. i was born by a sperm donor, and my two mothers have been by my side ever since. we had been silent for over 10 minutes now, and it was comfortable. i grew up picking flowers and gardening with my moms, i couldn't ask for anything more.
earlier this week it was announced that this very tree would be cut down tomorrow, and in its place, a new starbucks would be built. this outraged me and my mothers, but they told me there was nothing left to do. but there's always something to do. i'm a problem solver, and i like to be right all the time. i had planned a small gathering in attempt to save the tree, but i'm not expecting many people to come. cousins beach isn't the most environmentally friendly place, so it really leaves my moms, susannah fisher and a few of her friends and i to speak up for nature here. we've been called the lorax, tree huggers, etc., but i don't care. if i don't contribute to saving the earth, who will?
i focus on things like that rather than boys. i had a boyfriend once, a damn good one at that, but sometimes things happen— or people happen, like his ex-girlfriend returning. until the right guy comes along, i'm gonna focus on saving this damn tree.
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i woke up the next morning at 5:45 in the morning with a headache. if you ask me how i'm doing, i'll almost always say that i have a headache, because i almost always do. the sun was starting to come up, which meant i had to shower and get ready to protest.
i came downstairs and was greeted by iris— my other mother— baking french toast.
i grinned and sat down at the bar stool, "are you excited for today?"
she gave me a slight smile, her blonde hair in a tight bun. "i think mom's gonna stay in bed and miss the protest, honey. she's tired, with work and all that entails."
i knew this was coming. my mom worked as a nurse at a nearby hospital, which meant she came home late and went to work early. i hardly ever saw her, with the exception of sundays, where she gets off at 10pm rather than 2am.
"oh. that's uh, that's fine. so it'll just be you and me then?" i asked, trying to sound optimistic. if i had my mother there, there would be one more person yelling with me to keep the tree alive. now it just left iris, susannah and i. three people couldn't do much, but susannah can do the work of 20 people.
susannah had a beach house that she and her sons came to along with her best friend and her daughter and son in the summer. while my family lived in cousins full time, susannah only stayed for the summer, but she made it count. she always took part in protests and events that benefited something or someone. she was great like that. susannah once told me that i would grow up to do great things. she knelt down to me to get to my size and rested her hands on my cheeks, "julianna, i know that one day you will be something bigger than just a girl. you will grow up to be extraordinary, honey." and i believed her. she had a way of saying things, a way of living that made you believe in happiness. she was more than just a summer resident, she was one of my favorite people.
