Clara followed Tom as they made their way to the walled garden where they reached the 375-year-old Bobart’s yew.
‘Right. Do you know the best way to deal with stress? Have you ever hugged a tree before?’
‘Hugged a tree?’ Clara laughed.
‘Yup. Try it.’
Some of the branches had fallen following a storm earlier on in the spring, making it easier for Tom to manoeuvre around the tree as he gave her a demonstration.
‘Look. Like this.’
Tom stretched his arms around the trunk as far as they would go.
‘Did you know that hugging a tree for twenty-one seconds increases oxytocin?’ he announced.
She didn’t know that she needed any more of the love hormone in her. Watching him with his curious de-stressing method made her fall for him without any of that.
Tom finally let go of the tree.
‘Try it for yourself. Apparently, it reduces blood pressure as it helps us connect with nature. I’ll bet you any money that you feel less stressed after hugging this lovely yew.’
Clara hesitated at first but Tom kept on at her. She felt self-conscious as she placed her arms around the tree.
‘Feels good, doesn’t it?’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Let yourself go, Clara. Feel the nature. Be grounded and in the moment. Close your eyes and relax.’
Clara did as she was told, and after a bit she did indeed feel more at one with nature.
‘Ooh, it does feel good.’
‘Told you.’
Then Clara heard voices in the distance and quickly opened her eyes. It was one thing hugging a tree in front of Tom, but she didn’t want a whole tour party witnessing the act.
‘Feeling better now?’
‘Thank you. I do. Stressing doesn’t get you anywhere. I was being silly. I feel recharged now.’
Tom wished it worked as well on him as it seemed to on Clara; if only all his problems could be solved by hugging a tree.
As they both left and walked back into town, she was already feeling lighter and more pragmatic. Whether she did or didn’t choose to apply for the job, it really wasn’t the end of the world. She chose to forget about it as they walked along the cobbled Magpie Lane and Merton Street to get to the high street. Instead, she enjoyed the moment with Tom as he told her about an old friend of his from Japan who had educated him on the virtues of tree hugging. Yet again, Tom had managed to impress her with his worldly knowledge.
‘Where’s this friend now?’
Tom regretted bringing up the subject. He didn’t want to talk about the boss who had fired him.
‘We lost touch. He was someone in the accountant’s office where I used to work.’
‘You were an accountant? So, you were a wannabe rock star by night and accountant by day. What a combo. How am I only finding this out about the day job now?’
‘Oh, you know me. I’d rather talk about you. But, yes, it was a bit of a juxtaposition, I guess. I much prefer the rock star bit.’
Tom laughed nervously and was relieved when Clara pointed out a busker she hadn’t seen before. They stopped to watch as he finished singing Oasis’s ‘Wonderwall’.
‘Love Oasis. I wish I’d managed to get tickets when they were playing,’ said Tom.
