The Island of Missing Trees(79)
She told me about her children. Whatever one might think of female mosquitoes, there is no denying they are good mothers. They can consume blood up to three times their own body weight and use it as a prenatal supplement. But the mosquito said that lately she could not properly provide for her eggs as she had been infected by the infamous parasite. Desperately trying to nourish her offspring, she ended up feeding the enemy inside.
This is how I came to learn that recently there had been a surge in reports of malaria across the Mediterranean, an uptick in the number of cases due to climate change and international travel. Mosquitoes had developed resistance to DDT, and the parasites to chloroquine. I wasn’t too surprised to hear this, though. Humans lose focus easily. Immersed in their politics and conflicts, they get sidetracked, and that is when diseases and pandemics run rampant. But I was taken aback by what the mosquito shared with me next. She talked about a baby she had bitten several times – Yusuf Yiorgos Robinson. I felt a chill spreading from the tip of my branches down to my lateral roots.
Hundreds of British babies died in the 1960s in Cyprus, the cause still unknown. And when Defne’s son, adopted by an English couple, succumbed to acute respiratory distress caused by the insect-borne parasite, he would be buried in the same place, next to the other infants who had lost their lives on this island about a decade before.
A wave of sadness washed over me when I found this out. I tried not to hate the mosquito. I reminded myself that she, too, was a casualty of the parasite, and sometimes what you called a perpetrator was just another name for an unacknowledged victim. But I could not see it that way. I failed to overcome the bitterness and anger that rose up in me. To this day, whenever I hear that buzzing sound in the air my trunk stiffens, my limbs tense up and my leaves tremble.
Soldiers and Babies
Cyprus, early 2000s
On the balcony of the hotel, when Defne stopped speaking, Kostas stood up and put his arms around her, feeling her pain surge through him. For a while the two of them gazed silently at the island stretching out before their eyes. A hawk cried overhead, riding the air currents, miles above the earth.
‘Shall I go downstairs to find you cigarettes?’
‘No, love. I want to finish. I want to tell you everything – just once – and never talk about that day again.’
He settled back down on the floor, put his head on her lap again. She continued to stroke his hair, her fingers tracing circles on his neck.
‘I stayed inside the tavern with Dr Norman. At first, we didn’t pay attention to what was going on outside. We assumed it would be over in a minute, whatever it was. We heard a scuffle. Angry voices. Shouting. Swearing. Then it got really scary. The doctor asked me to hide under a table, and he did the same. We waited, trying not to make any noise. And don’t think I haven’t flayed myself for my cowardice all these years. I should have gone out, helped Yiorgos and Yusuf.’
Kostas was about to say something, but she cut him off with a sharp gesture. With an impatient toss of her head, she continued, speaking faster this time.
‘As the sounds got louder, Chico panicked. The poor bird became agitated, screaming his head off, banging against his cage. It was awful. I had to leave my hiding place and get him out. Chico had made so much noise, the men outside must have heard him. They tried to come in and check. But Yiorgos and Yusuf blocked the way. There was a tussle. A gun went off. Still we waited quietly, the doctor and I. For how long, I don’t know, my legs went numb. When we walked out, the sky was dark and there was this eerie silence all around. I knew in my soul something terrible had occurred and I had done nothing to prevent it.’
‘What do you think happened?’
‘I believe these thugs had been casing the tavern for some time. They knew Yusuf and Yiorgos were a gay couple and wanted to teach them a lesson. They probably thought the place was closed. They were going to vandalize it, smash the windows, break a few things, write ugly slurs on the walls and leave. With all the chaos across the island, they trusted nobody would bother to investigate such a trivial incident and they would get away with it. But things didn’t go according to plan. They didn’t expect the owners to be there. Nor did they expect to meet resistance.’
Her hand, tracing his neck, slowed to a halt.
‘And neither Yusuf nor Yiorgos would have fought back in this way, they were the gentlest souls. I think they became overprotective because of me; they must have been worried that the men would force their way in and find me with the doctor. How would we explain what we were about to do? What would they do to us then? That’s why Yusuf tried to block the entrance and Yiorgos ran inside to get his pistol – things got out of hand.’
‘When you went out, they weren’t there?’
‘No. There was no one. We searched everywhere. The doctor kept saying we had to go, it was dangerous to be out so late. But I didn’t care. I just sat there, feeling dazed. My teeth were chattering, I remember, even though I wasn’t cold or anything. I had this crazy idea that the fig tree must have witnessed everything. I wished I could find a way to make the tree talk to me, that was the only thing on my mind. I thought I was going mad. I returned the next day, then the next … every day that month I walked to the tavern and I waited for Yiorgos and Yusuf to come back.
‘I always brought some food for Chico, those biscuits that he loved so much, remember? The bird wasn’t doing well. I was planning to take him home with me, but I hadn’t been able to talk to my family yet about my own situation, I didn’t know how they were going to react. One morning I came to the tavern and Chico wasn’t there. We never consider how animals are affected by our wars and fights but they suffer just like us.’