Oh why??
Once upon a time, there was a cheerful child named Cherry who lived in a quiet little village. Cherry loved plants more than anything in the world. One day, she discovered a tree that had not yet borne any fruit. For some reason, the tree caught Cherry’s heart in a way no other had before. She asked softly,
“Hi, who takes care of you?” said Cherry.
“No one, pretty onee,” answered the Tree.
Cherry was touched by the tree’s reply, and so she gave the tree a name: Jhorry
Day by day, Cherry and Jhorry grew closer. Cherry always made time to care for Jhorry, even when her days were busy. She even spent her savings to buy the finest fertilizer for him. Cherry sacrificed much her time, her strength, her thoughts, and even her bonds with the animals around her. Once, she even scolded a group of bees who tried to build a nest on Jhorry’s branches, just so Jhorry would not get dirty. Everything Cherry had, she shared with Jhorry.
But one day, Jhorry dropped a heavy branch that struck Cherry’s foot. Hurt, Cherry scolded him for being careless. Yet Jhorry insisted it was not his fault, and he refused to apologize. Instead, he claimed that Cherry had hurt him. Cherry, with a heavy heart, simply gave in and apologized for scolding him. This happened again and again, until Jhorry began to feel as though he was always above her.
Still, Cherry tried to be patient. Even when her foot was in pain and she could hardly walk, she still came to see Jhorry. But Jhorry never seemed to notice.
One day, Cherry told Jhorry,
“Please don’t give your finest fruit to anyone else. Save it for me, okayy?”
“Yes,” Jhorry replied.
But the very next day, Cherry found that Jhorry’s biggest fruit was gone. Jhorry said he had allowed someone else to take it. Cherry’s patience was wearing thin. She asked why he had broken his promise, but once again Jhorry said, “I didn’t mean to.” This time, Cherry could no longer hold back her pain. She shouted,
“I have given you everything I have. My strength, my effort, my care—just so you could grow tall and strong. And this is how you repay me?”
“Repay you? With what?” Jhorry replied coldly
Cherry was struck speechless. With tears in her eyes, she turned away from Jhorry and did not return for three days.
Yet, in those days away, Cherry felt guilt gnawing at her heart. She knew Jhorry must be angry as well. And so she asked the wind to carry her words:
“Jhorry, I leave the choice in your hands. Whatever happens to us next, you decide.”
The wind delivered Cherry’s message. But Jhorry only said,
“Tell her to come to me herself.”
The next day, Cherry returned to Jhorry. Her heart was heavy, wounded by all that had passed. When she arrived, Jhorry’s demeanor was cold, so unlike before.
At last, Cherry broke the silence.
“So, what is it?"
“I’ve decided,” Jhorry said. “Our bond ends here. You’re too manipulative.”
Those words pierced Cherry’s soul. She felt as though her world had ended.
“I’ve cared for you for fifteen months,” Cherry cried. “I helped you grow strong, I even gave you your name. We’ve been together for so long—and this is your decision?”
“Yes,” Jhorry answered simply.
“Can’t we talk about this properly? Surely there must be another reason for us breaking apart. I know maybe 80% of it is because of me, but there must be more.”
“What do you mean by more?” asked Jhorry
“I don’t know,” said Cherry. “We haven’t even talked about it yet.”
“To me, there is nothing more,” Jhorry replied.
Hearing those words, Cherry’s heart turned to stone. She could no longer hold back her tears. Silently, she walked away from Jhorry.
From that day, Cherry rarely visited him again. Six months passed, yet she still could not forget the joy she once felt when she and Jhorry were together. But now, Cherry only blamed herself. Each time she saw Jhorry being cared for by another girl, she fell silent, her mind full of sorrow.
Cherry had given too much her love, her time, her strength, her very self to Jhorry. But this was the end of their path.
“Why does it always feel like it’s all my fault?”
