I Like That Tree

 

 

It is raining cats and dogs. The downpour is teeming heavily, making people in the neighbourhood dare not to let their children to play outside the house. Pitter, patter, pitter, patter. The sound of rain resonates so loud that it is rather impossible to hear other environmental sounds that play within. Abruptly, a rumming engine sound comes from afar. It gradually becomes slower and put to a halt in front of an old white vacant villa at the neighbourhood located quite a distance from the other houses and the closest is 500 metres away. Why is there any visitor of that house at this moment, no one knows and no one wants to know.

A manly figure steps out from the car. Tall, perhaps in his thirties and wearing a trench coat paired well with matching pants and black leather shoes, stands blankly facing the old building. He takes out his black umbrella and set it up to prevent him from the crying rain. He wanders slowly, step by step, calmly and steadily forward. The rusty iron gate is being pushed and it makes a creaky sound, one that gives you goosebumps upon hearing it late at night. Without any hesitation, he climbs up the wooden stairs meticulously that leads to the front door. Falter never creeps into him as if he is the commoner of the house.

The door, as expected, is tightly locked with its knob that almost looks like it’s impossible to be used. He reaches a key inside his pocket and slowly stuff it into the shallow keyhole. It fits nicely and the door opened. Nothing has changed at all except that it’s now mended with cobwebs of spiders. The large patio looks squalid enough to demand a desperate cleaning. He creeps slowly, scrutinizing every corner of the living room and halts in front of a huge picture frame of a happy family hanging dully at the wall near the stairs that leads to the second floor. Out of the blue, the memory of the past comes to abreast his long stare upon the sorrowful picture. It is quite disturbing for him to remember all those mixed up feelings of jubilance and woes. Extremely crestfallen of his past, he’s on the verge of tears. The rains outside is pouring its heavy loads, as if acknowledging the drastic change of emotions inside the abandoned villa. Vividly floating in his mind, that one night which left him a deep bleeding gash and changed his entire life.

February 11^th it was. A night the family were happily enjoying their meal that ironically, turned out to be the last dinner they had together as a whole. On the way home from having a big feast full of family jokes and laughter, a truck drove by a highly intoxicated drunken man turned to be a big fullstop for most lives. It ramped on their car and sent them to their narrow escape of death in the jungle by the roadside. His parents and 4-year-old sister were up to heaven straight on the spot after the crash. Leaving him alone staggering and gasping for a soul to help. Luckily, there was a car of a good Samaritan happened to witness the accident. And he’s the one responsible for saving the boy and sent him to the hospital for further help. But the future is so cruel for the boy, having to live his life alone at such a young age. And it was a dreadful nightmare he has to bear with for the whole life.

The man passes a blurry window in the hallway and ceases there for a moment, notifies something that caught his attention. A tree. Nope, the tree! The tree that becomes his only shelter and friend after he lost his family. He took a long time to heal himself out of the terrible trauma. He wasn’t himself at all. Not so warm and friendly David anymore. He’s cold and he just wanted to be left alone. Until one day, an adorable little girl came to play under the tree. She wore a beautiful white dress and held a Barbie doll in her hand. Jasmine is the name. Jasmine isn’t a normal girl. Though she’s pretty, but she’s disable. She cannot speak after involved in an accident that took away her voice box when she was 4. Nobody wanted to be her friends and she just wandered and played alone with her Barbie doll. And the meeting with the boy named David under the tree gave her a chance to at least met someone of her age that didn’t judge her harshly. David wasn’t fond of her at first but he didn’t repel her as well. He just let Jasmine played under the tree with her doll. Until one day, he found out that Jasmine can play piano very well. And he’s interested to know her as he also loves music. Guitar is his favourite. And he came to her house frequently as her family loves to know their daughters made friend. They played alongside each other, interacting more through music than words. Music is their mutual language and also through music, their hearts get tangled together slowly and deeply. And the knacks are what made them today, a professional guitarist and a talented pianist and both are lovable entertainers of many. And love makes their story even sweeter.

It has stops raining completely. The man goes outside and approaches the tree, fumbling for something between the barks. His hand touched a piece of paper and he smiles, knowing that he found what he wants. He opens the half-crumpled-and-half-folded paper and there it is, a handwritten poem written on the old paper.

 

A tree obviously cannot bear,

Without immaculate water, light and air,

A timid tree can’t be a tenacious king,

It will die a scrubby thing,

Good timber doesn’t grow with ease,

Stronger wind, stronger trees.

 

“David?”, a pregnant lady reproaches the man. Although her tummy bloats, but she still looks gorgeous in her white dress.

“Sorry, dear. I was just remembering things. This tree and this poem, remember?”, David replies while slowly approaching the lady and hugs her from behind.

“Hmm of course I do. How can I not.”, her face turns red a bit to the thought of their childhood memories.

“My Jasmine.”, David whispers softly at her ear and kiss her lightly on the cheeks. He smiles and hug her tighter. “Come on, dear. Let’s go to the car. It’s not good for you to be out at this terrible weather especially after the throat’s surgery. And also for this little hero.”, he kisses her tummy and caress it gently.

“I’m fine, dear. Sure. Let’s.”

They hold hands together and the lovebirds walk away from the villa with laughter and joy.