The Fragrance After Rain
We usually do not pick flowers to keep in a flower pot; personally, I believe flowers are most beautiful when they remain on the tree. Unfortunately, we do not have the privilege of planting a tree at our home. Still, Hassanuhana flowers bloom across from our building, and right beside that tree stands a small tea stall.
Although we normally go to Alliance Française or North End for tea or coffee and rarely visit roadside tea stalls, sometimes, when it rains, we step out for tea near our building. After the rain, nature takes on a pure, refreshed look—washed free of dust, calm and luminous.
The Hassanuhana tree stands just in front of the tea stall. My friend never hesitates to pick a few flowers. He places them carefully in an old stubby bottle that broke many days ago. We even have a beautiful new flower pot at home, yet he never uses it. We do not remove the flowers before they fall on their own. Slowly, the petals fade and scatter across the bookshelf. It is a sight that cannot truly be understood without witnessing it. The entire house is filled with the fragrance of Hassanuhana.
In those moments, I feel as though I have returned to my roots—to a time when a Hassanuhana tree stood in front of our home, filling the whole house with its gentle scent.
