THE GARDEN

Abubakkar a man in his late 30's, short, slightly bald at the centre which he thinks is inherited by its not, looks fat not not too fat only at belly and at hands, woke up by his alarm.

He walks with a bucket out looking above at the tiny houses like his. He always feels seeing the beehive of houses that he is living inside the belly of a mammoth.

Stands in a queue outside of the bathroom talking with his neighbour's mostly his age or more. They talk about politics, news, mostly will be about gossips about ladies and relationships.

On his turn he walks in, cleans out his body and mind.

Walks out, stands in another queue, fills the bucket with dripping water from the tap. Takes bath near it.

Walks back to his house, seeing his wife Shaja preparing food. He hugs her. She pushes him in shy pointing at the sleeping child.

He jumps in bed waking his only, loving daughter alia. Fights with her, gives her a rose saying it was a gift from the plants. She hugs him with love.

He puts down the mat. Stands on it. Raises his hand to his ears say “Allahu Akbar”. On his each position, at start he says ‘Allahu Akbar”, then at being in that position he prays with the words of god.

After praying for 5 minutes he gets ready for work. Takes a cassette in his bag.

His daughter runs out in school uniform. He picks up his lunch bag, kisses her wife in lips and sits down and kisses her sightly bulged stomach and keeps his ear on it.

Gets on his TVS scooter, drops his daughter in school. Goes to a cassette shop, gives it and gets another one. Drives long for about an hour, stops at a point.

He opens a gate. He looks at the plants arranged in order and smiles at them. As he goes in wipes the dust in the name board which says "Infinite Green nursery".

He breathes in, walks inside greeting at the plants with a good morning.

He takes the cassette from his bag, shows it to them and tells that he's got a new song today.

He walks to the room made up of plastic green sheet. The room looks small with plastic spots, packets of fertilizers. His dad's photo.

A certificate is framed saying "Green Thumb Award", switches power ON. There are speakers all over the garden. He presses a switch from the radio, a compartment opens up. He puts the cassette in. Closes it and presses play.

Speakers crackles and a voice shouts "everybody". . It is a song from backstreet boys.

As the song plays, he picks up the dead fallen leaves and puts in a plastic box saying "for fertilisers", singing along with the song, picks up the flowers from each plant into a basket and keeps the first one in front of his father's photo.

Waters all the plants one by one with care, spraying for some of the indoor plants, puts fertilisers for some.

Another song plays. Customers starts to come in. He welcomes them with smile and shows all around explaining the plants and its origin and what to do and what not to do.

By afternoon, he opens his bag, sits facing them all and starts to speaking.

He tells, that in a a few months there will be a new guest in their house. He likes it to be boy but his wife needs a girl again. But whomever he will love them both.

He laughs, telling all the gossips that they shared at his colony.

He suddenly jumps and says, alia got second prize for singing. He feels proud, saying like dad, like daughter.

He stops for a second like something caught in his throat. He drinks water from the bottle.

Keeping the food down back in box.

He looks at them and says, he once dreamed of being a musician. He played guitar in his college got prize for it. He even used to sing and attract girls with his talent.

Played for some musicians for short films, stage performances. Once his dad died of hear attack, he was pushed to take way his dad's business leaving his dreams.

He stays silent for a minute. A small breeze flows and touches him. He wipes his tears and says, still he is happy being here with them.

He asks, if they wanted to hear the song that he wrote. There was silence with a breeze making the leaves to move falling on him.

He smiles and walks inside, brings a dusty guitar. Sits on a chair at the centre of all.

He starts to play with his fingers over the strings of the guitar, singing a song. He looks at them all as if they are his audience. Sometimes he would feel the breeze heavier, he would feel like they are enjoying it more. Ne never felt this happiness before.

It goes on and on and on. . The song carrying away by the breeze moving towards the leaves of the plants, moving them to feel like they are dancing to it.

It carried towards the evening. He looks at his watch, gets up telling them he has to pick up his daughter from school.

He takes the cassette, takes the flower with him. Closes the door. Before closing the gate he says, it was nice playing here and will be back with new cassette and new song from him.

The leaves waves their hand at him when breeze flows.