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Under the Flamboyant Tree

Published : Saturday, 8 February, 2025 at 12:00 AM  Count : 2343
Mahamudunnaby Rocky
'Have you lost something?' I asked.
In one corner of the park, there was a flamboyant tree. Under the blazing crimson canopy of the tree, a man was looking for something and groping around crazily. He gave me a frenzied gaze for a moment and then resumed. The sun was about to set. People were heading to the exit of the park.

'Have you lost anything, brother?' I asked again.
'Yes,' he replied absentmindedly.
'What have you lost?'
From his agility, I thought he must have lost something very costly.
'A ring,' he replied.
'Diamond or gold?' I asked.
'It was a silver ring,' he replied in a low voice.I was perplexed for a moment.
'A silver ring! Are you sure?' I asked him again to ensure that I had got it right.
'Yeah, a silver ring with a pink stone,' said he.
'When did you lose it?'
'Five years ago.'

I was downcast. This guy must be a lunatic. I had no intention of prolonging the conversation and turned to the park's departure.

I was supposed to join a new workplace the following morning. Accordingly, I reached my new office in due time. At the orientation time with my new colleagues, I was surprised to discover the same man whom I had already met at the park the previous day.

He seemed very normal and welcomed me with sincere words. His name was Tarique Anwar. With his decent attire and slim appearance, he looked hardly older than 40. He was an executive officer of the company and would be my superior at the workplace.

I was not quite sure whether he remembered seeing me at the park. I did not feel the urgency to inquire, either. But in the backdrop of my mind, I felt a subtle curiosity to know why he acted so weird last evening.

As days and months passed, I learned more about my new workplace and my new boss. I discovered he was a sensible person with a proper sense of humour and compassion. One day, I was late for home because of some extra chores in the office. He offered me a ride. Although it might sound bizarre, we developed a good friendship over time.

We lived in the same area in Gazipur. Sometimes, after work, we met at the coffee shop. We often discussed political issues. But I never asked him about the incident in the park.

A year passed. One day, I was taking a walk alone in the park. After a long walk, I was about to leave the park when I found an influx under the flamboyant tree. With a subtle curiosity, I peeked over the crowd.

There, in the green grass, Tarique Anwar Sir was lying on the ground on his back. He looked almost senseless. Dense white saliva was coming out of his mouth. I rushed him to the hospital. He was having seizures. After the first aid, he looked okay.
While I was accompanying him to his home on the rickshaw, he spoke to me in a soaked voice.

"You know, how I desire, I had no birthday," he said.

'Why?" I asked him to put him at ease so that he could share his story with me.

And this is what he shared in his narration.

It was the beginning of my career. I got married a little early, even before I consolidated my career. My wife, a wonderful young woman of 24, was well-educated. But she was someone whose ambitions never surpassed my means. So, everything I could afford sufficed us. And everything I could ask for in the whole universe was there in her. Sometimes, we went broke. But I still don't know how we managed to meet both ends. The truth is, we were not affluent. But we were happy.

One evening, under the flamboyant tree in the park, I presented her with a silver ring on the second anniversary of our marriage. Compared to the worldly value of resources, it was of little value, neither diamond nor gold. Yet, it was the gift that I could afford with all my means at that time. And, you know, she accepted that little gift in such a manner as if it had been the most priceless thing she ever got.

She said, "Maybe one day you will offer me many expensive things. But to me, none of those will be as half of the value as it is to me now."

And the following year, she gifted me something very special- a cute little elf, my daughter. What else could a man ask for?
Truth be told, 7 years later, on my 32nd birthday, I lost them forever. We were going to Cox's Bazar in our newly bought car when a lorry hit us from behind. My wife and daughter died on the spot. I suffered a head injury but somehow survived.

Now, I'm perfectly okay. Most of my injuries healed. My scars disappeared. I act sanely and live normally on most of the days.
Then, a day comes when everything in my life relives. Doctors call it delirium. I have severe hallucinations. I go out with my wife and my little fairy. We come to the park together and sit on a mat under that flamboyant tree.

My daughter hands me a notelet with her wavering handwriting.

I unfold the paper where she has written, 'Love you, Baba.'

What can be a better birthday gift?

Then my wife says, 'I am giving you back my most precious wealth, the silver ring. Please, start anew.'
But before I can touch her delicate fingers, the ring slips and falls and gets lost in the grass. I look for it everywhere. I go mad.

I have been living through this delirium, and this is what I will pass away with.



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