22. April 13, 2023
Cherry
As the entrée plates disappeared, the staff replaced them with dessert bowls with a banana mousse laced with rum, topped with a meringue, cinnamon, and a shortbread cookie embossed with the plantation’s banana tree logo. When they had finished their dessert, a voice came from behind them.
“Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy.”
Both turned to see Calvin Deschamps behind them.
He gestured to another golf cart along the path. “If you have finished your dessert, I am happy to give you the tour you requested.”
Cherry rose from her seat, and Demon did as well, pulling her chair back to make exiting from the table smoother.
With a hand to the small of her back, he walked beside her as the manager led them to their transportation.
Behind the wheel sat the teen, Andres, who returned Demon’s greeting with a nod of his head, and then blushed furiously when she smiled at him and said hello .
Demon handed her into the golf cart, then slipped in beside her on the other side, sitting behind Calvin, who was in the front passenger seat. “I hope this tour doesn’t put you out, Mr. Deschamps.”
“ No, no, pa ditou ,” he assured them. “I’m always pleased to share Bananato del Sole with those who are genuinely interested in what we do here. I had Andres bring down a cart to take us to the center court, and we will walk from there, sì ? Save you some of the heat and dust.”
The smile on the man’s weathered face felt genuine. Perhaps he was truly one in a long line of banana farmers? And yet… the lack of living female influences in the family hinted at more.
“Do you go to school, Andres?” Cherry asked.
“No, ma’am, I am what you would call homeschooled. However, I may go to university when I finish my secondary studies next month. I have not decided yet.”
A gentle pat on the shoulder from Calvin caused the boy to smile.
“Andres has always been a homebody. I think it comes from having lost his mother. He’s always been more comfortable here, and many of the workers’ children come to work with their parents and attend classes here with him.
We actually have a small virtual-based school of our own that is open to them while their parents are under our employ. ”
“It’s odd,” she replied. “I hope you don’t find this rude, but… I don’t see many female staff.”
Calvin turned sideways in his seat, one arm folded over the back of it as he replied to her comment.
“Yes, it is true. We do not have as many women on staff as we do men. Unfortunately, we still hold on to a lot of the ‘old’ ways, and it is difficult for our older managers to be as open to women in higher positions. As younger managers step into place, we see more women. Slow to change, but… there are more women who work in the kitchens, on the farm, and in other facets of our business.”
She held her tongue regarding this not being just an issue of tradition, outdated customs, or even misplaced chivalry.
This was the Salieri. Their misogyny wasn’t something that would ease with education and time.
It was an abomination. It needed to be rooted out and burned to ash so it could never rise again, and she hoped it had yet to touch the sweet young man driving the cart.
Before she knew it, they were in the central outer courtyard.
Although she admitted it was less charming, the golf cart was infinitely faster traversing the distance than the horse-drawn wagons and also provided more of a breeze on the ride.
The return trip felt like it took mere moments after the original fifteen-minute ride earlier.
Upon arrival, another member of the staff stood ready with warm washcloths to wipe down their hands and faces from being outside.
With a clap of his hands, Calvin began the tour. “When Mr. Norton invested in Bananato del Sole , we could enter a new age of sustainable farming never possible before.”
“They’re willing to advance their success through technology and money, but not through women. Oh, the irony!” Demon growled low enough under his breath so that only Cherry heard him.
She agreed with him but played her part. “I thought your family owned the farmland for generations?” she asked.
Calvin gestured for them to proceed to the smallest building on the property.
“Yes, all the way back to before the islands were under French control in the 1600s, and through all the skirmishes between the French and the British for control, up through to today. But owning the land was not enough. Come! You’ve already seen the offices today, or building 1.
We will go through the buildings counterclockwise so you can see the process from start to finish.
Building 2 is where we take individuals to see the history of the farm and the conception models for what we are today. ”
Cherry followed the man and his grandson, but Demon lagged for a moment, his hand on the hood of the golf cart. “Ciarán? Everything okay?” she called .
He gestured for them to go forward. “Yeah. Think a piece of rock worked into my shoe. Be right there.”
They turned and proceeded toward the building.
Moments later, Demon had returned to her side.
Deschamps ushered them into the small stone hut, where cool air immediately blasted them.
Cherry hugged herself, and suddenly a warm body pressed up against her side, with an arm around her shoulders to pull her tightly to it.
Demon had noticed her shiver. Did the man ever not notice things about her?
“I am sorry.” Deschamps’ smile was apologetic.
“We keep this room quite cold because of some documents housed here. It will be a brief stop, and then in a few minutes, you will wish for the air-conditioning again.” He stepped to the center of the room, where a giant 3D concept map stood on a pedestal table.
It sat inside a plexiglass box. “You will notice the centerpiece diorama of Soufrière, the Pitons, and the surrounding area. You can see Bananato del Sole at the foot of Petit Piton.”
Along the bottom quarter of the mountain were rows of trees flanking a dirt road, which led to several small buildings that formed the original homestead and outbuildings.
“Scientists believe the last known eruption of the Pitons was forty thousand years ago.
We believe the event provided the plantation with its rich soil, perfect for successful banana farming.
In addition, it is responsible for Sulphur Springs.
While the Pitons are dormant structures, there is still much geothermal activity here, and it has produced a major tourist attraction of taking the mud baths.
“My family has possessed this property since the earliest recorded history. Like many businesses in the agricultural world, the farm has existed through periods between destitution and success. Banana growing has waned dramatically in St. Lucia over the years. However, when your uncle came and offered his financial backing, Bananato del Sole could do much more than just produce and sell bananas. We became a beacon for environmental experimentation and sustainable farming practices. ”
He gestured in a circle around the walls.
“Based on the diorama, you’ll notice that they added this building to the existing structures.
That is because we needed updated wiring for all the technology in here.
These screens and interactive displays walk our prospective clients, investors, and business visitors through our history, current practices, and future goals, which they can listen to as a group, plug in with provided headphones, or link to their phones.
We also have cases that are kept at low temperature, low humidity, and low oxygen levels to preserve the family documents associated with the groves. ”
They followed him out the opposite door and into another more modernized building. Cherry made an observation. “It’s amazing how well you’ve done matching the new buildings to the original structures.”
Grinning, Deschamps replied, “Yes, Zion was most insistent about that. He had to secure special permission from the government to quarry for limestone to match. I hesitate to think what that cost.” He turned to continue walking forward.
“In fact, he secured some funding for this project from your father.”
She and Demon exchanged a glance.
“This is building 3. Here we do our research and development. Again, a newer building, so added to the original structures. And again, necessary because of the technological needs.” The temperature in this building was cooler, and the lighting was harsher.
A central hallway passed through the building with glassed-off rooms. Inside, workers in scrubs, booties, gloves, and masks worked with test tubes and other assorted chemistry lab materials.
“Here on the main floor, we work with testing seedlings, the suckers which are eventually planted to create the trees, natural pesticide methods, genetics, and all the things that go into selecting the proper fruit, soil concentrations, water levels, and everything that makes our product from the bananas themselves to the by-products from them.
“We dedicate each room to a particular part of the process to avoid cross contamination, and each room features a double-entry system to maintain cleanliness. Employees enter through a separate entrance into a sort of airlock, which blasts them with filtered air to remove microbes and the like that might contaminate our work. They enter a locker room where they shower and don specific clothing. When they enter the room, they seal the doors in the foyer and receive another blast of filtered air, and only then may they enter the research portion of the room.”