My father, for all the best reasons known to him, he never told my siblings and me that he was constructing our new home. I bet my mother and a few cousins knew about it. And what good will that news be to me, I was barely 8 years old and all I cared about was playing and loitering in neighborhoods.
I remember that cold dull day we finally shifted, it was my mother was behind the wheels of my father’s all-time favorite 1988 navy blue Corona Saloon. The clouds were pregnant and ready to release hailstorms and rain. Our last born was 6 at that time, heavy thunder could be heard from distances away and slowly it started to drizzle.
My sister frightened at the sight of the weather she screamed to mom to allow her to go back to the old house until things settled. But mom was determined to never look back. To quite her down she yelled at her and immediately she turned to mute mode sobbing under her breath. Perhaps my sister was not scared of the rain. I think it had something to do with mom being a recent learner of the manual /stick car. If you have an experience with such cars, you might find it hard to trust a newbie to drive you.
Thank God we reached unharmed and excited. The premise was still under construction but what fascinated me was the number of trees around the house. Some had to be cut to tone down on the number of shedding leaves.
However, of all the trees that remained untouched was this avocado tree. We quickly raised a swing that we always retired to whenever we came back from school to blow off some steam.
Though, of all the benefits it has done for us to this day for the last 21 years we have lived there, are the fruits of its purpose. Almost every year we get around two seasons of Avocados that we enjoy for lunch and dinner.
I have no idea what type of avocados they are but one precious item I know is that this tree has seen us through the best of time and the worst of times. That’s why I would not have a problem cutting down other trees around it but not the avocado tree.
Point to note, my family does eat all other kinds of foods.
Soon I will be leaving to start a whole new life. I believe God to send me people and blessings that will have my back like this avocado tree did to my family and me.
