I can’t remember how the move from our old home to the new one went but I remember being fascinated by how high the gate to the new house was. Inside it was a big compound, several flats and two duplexes. While there was so much space to play, kick sand and the freshest of pebbles, the most fascinating part of the house was where there were several short palm trees planted so close together, it made that area dark and cool even at midday. I remember running through it just to feel the coolness.

Shortly after, we had to move again to a smaller house and smaller compound but it was still large by normal standards. Surrounded we were, by trees again; mango, cashew, African almond tree and the pride of Barbados. I remember the rainy seasons were beautiful here. The pride of Barbados would shed her flowers and create a carpet of red joy. The wind would throw the mangoes and almond fruits to the ground and the cashew nut tree would shine brilliantly green the next morning at sunrise as the birds sang at my window. The nights were cool and even though I fell from the mango tree once and lost my bearing for five minutes, I never stopped climbing it.

And then we had to move again. While our new home, which was finally a home built from the ground up stood tall as our forever home, we didn’t have any trees yet. The elements attacked us from all directions, the seasons changed and the air blew hot. While our forever home sweltered, our neighbours had the trees and no fence and it reminded me of our other homes in the town. Tall trees, growing close together that it made the place dark even at midday and the rains, brought down mangoes with them as rain drops hit the ground. It was close to my home, so it was enough.

Eventually we started to plant our own trees too, who like our house, will be with us forever and whenever I go back for holidays and breaks, I see the trees and I know that I’m home.