The West Indian Cherry

Short Story from Childhood Memories – The West Indian Cherry

Southeast monsoon was pouring down heavily outside. It must have been around three in the afternoon, but it looked like six. It was only when the rain splashes started to wet my face that I took my eyes off the book. Keeping it aside, I walked towards the window. The power may go out anytime as the wind was blowing hard, I thought. Within seconds, it was dark inside the room. It took a while for my pupils to dilate and make my way to the window. The crossbars of the window had hanging raindrops about to fall down. I looked outside. The yard was flooding with dirt and water. Because of the rain, it was hard to get a vivid picture of the trees and shrubs at a distance. It all looked like different shades of green on a canvas. I felt memories drifting back from ten years ago.

The day I went to join in the fifth standard. It was raining like this on that day too. However, is this rain as same and beautiful as that old one…? No. Never.

This rain is an ache in the heart. Like someone’s tears, this rain is giving nothing but agony, I thought. I remembered Anu. That day when I was entering the school campus with all the curiosities and mischief in mind, she was there beside me, holding my right hand. The one who scolded me affectionately saying, “Don’t do that Vinu,” when I splashed raindrops on to her by swirling the umbrella.

She was in the seventh standard then. Nevertheless, she was a matured elder sister to me. I used to call her ‘Anu chechi’. In fact, she was just a girl next door. They were three girls. Anu chechi was the youngest. It was my shift to the new school that made me her little brother.

She was always with me in the journey to the school and back home. She would accompany me until my class’s doorstep. Every evening she would be waiting under the Gulmohar in the school ground for me. Even if we were living under two roofs, for me, she was my own sister.

The Southeast monsoon showered and drained. The festival of Onam came and went. Then it was the turn of the Northwest monsoons. The season that compelled me to close my ears tightly with both my hands because of the thunder and lightning, whether it was raining or not. Under one umbrella both of us would be walking slowly. With my ears closed and she holding me close, without letting me get wet. Even though I had umbrella, for the ease of closing the ears I never opened it. However, she was brave.

“It’s a shame Vinu. Why are you afraid of thunder? You are a boy right…?” She would ask.

By the time we reach home, she would be completely wet by the rain. She never cared about that and she brought me home every day that season without a single raindrop falling on me.

Rain started to weaken outside. It seemed the power supply was gone forever. The sky was still dark and cloudy. The yard was full of fallen cherries. Those were wine-red in color with the size of a glass marble and had a sweet-sour taste. It was one of the seeds from the cherries she gave me once that became the West Indian cherry tree in my yard. It was bearing fruit for the first time.

Will these fruits have the same taste as of those she used to give me…? No. This won’t be that sweet. Perhaps I may taste the salinity of tears in these. I thought with a heavy heart.

I stood by the window transfixed and watched the cherries floating away through the small water canals just formed.

Christmas vacation came to a close. School reopened. I was getting the marks of exams one by one. For one subject I got only twenty-nine out of fifty. While going back home that day Anu chechi noticed my grim face and asked the reason. I kept my lips zipped.

“How are the marks today, Vinu?” She asked with a twitching smile across her lips.

I could not hide anything.

“Won’t your mom scold you…?” I shook my head.

“It’s all right dear you need not panic. I’ll tell aunty that you’ll get full marks for the final exam.” Seeing my eyes starting to flood she said and held me close to her. Thus, I escaped from mom’s punishment that day.

At last, there was a drama during school anniversary that year. Anu chechi played the role as my mother. Though it was just a coincidence then, recently I felt it as destiny.

She invited me to her home the day school closed for summer vacation.

“You should come to my home during the holidays. I’ll give you loads of cherries.” She said. I grinned ear to ear. She knew I liked them very much.

I did not know exactly where her house was. Though, as she said, through the narrow passageway behind my homestead, climbing up a small hillside I reached her home. She was waiting for me by the roadside. There was a small pond in front of her house with water lilies and lot of ornamental fish. She was keeping a surprise gift for me. It was a small round glass jar with a pair of gold fish.

I spent most of that day with her wandering through the backyard and orchards, eating the cherries.

If I knew then how much she loved me, I would never have snatched that cherry from her hands. She would not have fallen down and had that scar on her forehead for the rest of her life.  She cried that day, the one who used to have a level of maturity above her age. The saltiness of those tears will be there in every cherry in my courtyard. I was sure of it. There was a small cherry plant in the south of the backyard near to where she fell down.

“When this one bears, I’ll give you the whole lot to you. Did you hear me you stupid kid…?” She said with a naughty smile on the face that was smeared with the mascara from her eyes.

Because of regret or something, I did not utter a word.

That was the day we spent the most time together. Throughout the vacation days, I looked after those gold fish she gave me. One day, she came to my home with a handful of red ripe cherries.

“Here it’s Vinu. These are the last fruits of this season. By the way, you are feeding the fishes, aren’t you…?”

In the new academic year, she was in another school. Seeing each other became rare. However, whenever we met, she asked.

“Are you studying well dear…?”

Only one cherry remained in the yard as the rain ceased. Still, the sky was the same, dark and cloudy. I did not feel like continuing to read. It was when I moved the book that was lying on the bed to the table, that I noticed something. It was a big pencil with the girth of three ordinary pencils tied together and was yellowish green in colour.

Once I drew a picture. It was a baby elephant. I showed it to Anu chechi. She liked it so much.

“This one looks like you.” She teased me and I smiled.

“Can you give this to me Vinu…?” I shook my head in agreement.

Smiling as if she got some treasure, she kept it inside a book like something that will get broken by mere touch. Then she took something out of her bag’s side pocket. It was a pencil, a big yellowish green pencil.

“You may keep this. My gift to you. Don’t lose it ok…? You should draw lots of pictures.” She said

It was the first present I got for drawing something and I consider it more valuable than the several other prizes I got from different painting competitions.

Two years passed like the blink of an eye. I started to forget Anu chechi gradually. I joined in a new school in eighth standard. I was not aware that the fishes she gave me were dying. Under new turn of events, she and I must have been forced to separate.

During the journey to home from the school in the evenings, I used to see her sometimes. Keeping the acquaintance alive by a faint smile, I always walked away and she with two of her classmates.

The veranda was slippery with water. I did not feel like wearing the sandals. Despite the mud and water, I stepped into the yard. All the trees around were with drooping branches and leaves as an epilogue to the rain. The atmosphere was rather cold. The cherry that could not float away was bobbing up and down in a small water pool.

I met her one day during my vacation after the tenth standard. As I expected, the first question was about my public exam.

“How was your exam, Vinu? She asked curiously.

“It was alright, chechi” I said sounding rather not interested.

She seemed to ask something more but hesitated. She smiled halfheartedly and then asked me as if from memory.

“It’s been so long since I saw you” She touched my cheeks with her right hand.

“Did you forget me…?” I saw her eyes gleaming.

“Err, no.” I said without looking at her.

“I know you won’t no matter whoever forgets me”

Was her sound distorted? Was it two tear drops that I saw in her eyes that were shining, and hesitated to fall down? Why didn’t I understand it then…?

Once again smiling at me, she walked away with the cool breeze that blew out of nowhere.

I came back home by three in the afternoon that day. The cool breeze that used to blow always in that season was no more there. In the absence of the wind, nature seemed to become static. The sky was cloudy and the atmosphere was irritably hot. The way home was lonesome. When I reached home, mom was locking the front door as if to go somewhere.

“Where are you going mom…?” I asked.

She was not aware of my presence and it seemed my voice startled her. However, she asked in a broken voice.

“Vinu, haven’t you heard..? Honey, your friend Anu tried to commit suicide.”

I could not speak anything. I wanted to ask why but the words were stuck in my throat.

“They have taken her to the Medical College, but it’s heard that the chance of survival is less.”

My mind was full of Anu chechi, whom I met a few hours ago. I felt my legs weaken.

“Oh God, she was such a caring girl. Please don’t let anything happen to her. Vinu, are you coming…? I’m going to their house.”

Did I hear what mom asked? I collapsed on to the veranda. My mind was like a balloon about to blow. I felt increasing heartbeats. I wished to see Anu chechi once more. I always used to hurt her with my pranks but she never hurt me even with a single word. She must have liked those pranks. She must have loved her little brother that much. Was it too late to realize everything…? Her memories from the day we first met flooded somewhere in the mind.

I wished if I could go to school once more holding her hands, if I could have collected fallen cherries with her, if I could have got wet in the rain. I wanted to hear her calling me “Vinu” again. Nothing will happen to her. I tried to console myself. It is only when we start to lose something, we will realize its real value.

I took that lone cherry in my hands and looked up to the tree. There was not a single one remaining. That meant the one in my hand was the last one of the season.

“Vinu” I heard Anu chechi’s voice. I looked around. There was no one. It must have been my imagination. However, I preferred to believe it was she who called me and I wanted to see her right away. I walked towards the back of my house. From there, through a narrow passageway, climbing up a small hillside, I walked in the direction of Anu chechi’s house. My legs were following my heart.

On reaching her home, I walked towards the south end of the backyard. Everywhere grass had started to sprout welcoming the monsoon. Small trees were drooping down. Towards the corner, there was a small coconut palm. It was where she had been cremated. She’s sleeping these days without waking up, forever. I walked towards her slowly. I still had that cherry in my hands. I brought it to offer to the earth she had dissolved in.

“Vinu, did you forget me…?” I heard her voice again. It was our last meeting that filled my mind then.

“No chechi, I will never forget you.” I put that cherry at her feet and prayed for a moment.

I wished at least in the next incarnation she might take birth as my own sister.

Then two drops of water fell on my face from somewhere. I looked up. I saw the branches of a cherry tree with full of fruits.

“When this one bears, I’ll give the whole lot to you. Did you hear me you stupid kid…?” I remembered her words.

“Today, here is the cherry full of fruits but the one who offered it to me is not with me” I thought bitterly.

Once again, few more water drops fell on my body. Was she crying…? One cool breeze glided past me. The West Indian Cherry shook slightly. One cherry fell down in front of me. I felt my sister’s presence. It started to rain heavily again. In the pouring rain I walked back home. The cherry she gave me was safe in my palm. No one saw tears flowing down my cheek, except her.

Those we really love will never go away. They will walk beside us everyday, unseen and unheard, but still near, still loved, still missed and still felt.

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