The Cherry Farm in Brentwood (1)
Christina’s birthday party was held in a well-appointed two-story house in the suburbs. The bright lighting, upbeat music, and the atmosphere filled with laughter everywhere helped me forget the stress of school, at least for a moment.
Upon arriving at the party, I spotted Armando at the entrance, waiting for me with a visibly nervous expression.
"Brian! You're late!"
Armando was pressing down on his wristwatch repeatedly, and it was obvious he was incredibly tense. Having the experience of being a married man myself, I was certain that things wouldn't end well for Armando today.
"Sorry, I was looking at some data. But why the look? Anyone would think you're heading off to war."
Armando couldn't hide his agitation, turning his head repeatedly to scan the party venue.
"Christina is already here... but I can't find the right timing to talk to her. Look over there, she's always surrounded by people!"
At the end of Armando's gaze was Christina, standing at the center of the party with her blonde hair and a bright smile. Students were swarming around her like honeybees around a queen bee.
She might not have been on the level of Chloe, who was called the queen of the school, but she was certainly a beauty.
"So, you haven't even been able to say a word to her?"
"It wouldn't be natural!"
"Ugh, alright. Don't rush it. I'll think of something, so just calm down."
I slowly scanned the noisy party hall. That was when one person caught my eye: Chloe Harris. She was wearing a sophisticated black dress, chatting quietly with her friends while smiling. I carefully approached Chloe and struck up a conversation.
"Hey, Chloe."
"Oh? Brian? You actually came?"
Chloe gave me a quick once-over and smiled. I had dressed neatly because it was a party, but I couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind that smile.
"What? Did you think I wouldn't come?"
"Hmm, not exactly."
"Anyway, I told you I had a favor to ask, right?"
With that, I leaned in slightly toward Chloe and whispered.
"You see my friend Armando over there? He really wants to talk to Christina, but he hasn't had the chance. Could you possibly bring Christina over to our side in a natural way?"
Chloe looked at me with a curious glint in her eyes, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.
"Well, that shouldn't be too hard. But you have to do me a favor later, too."
"Of course. Just say the word anytime."
Chloe walked over to Christina and said something to her. A moment later, Christina began walking toward us, following Chloe. Seeing that, Armando grabbed me and shook me as if he were about to pass out.
"She's coming! Christina is coming! Argh, my heart feels like it's going to explode!"
"Get a grip. Smile naturally. And close your mouth. Stop shaking your legs!"
As Chloe arrived with Christina, I offered a natural greeting.
"Happy birthday, Christina."
"Oh, thank you, Brian. Thanks for coming, too."
Chloe skillfully led the conversation and introduced Armando. Armando, who had been awkward at first, soon melted into the atmosphere and managed to get a few words out.
"Hi, Christina. Happy birthday. You look pretty today."
"Thank you. You look great today, too."
"Hahahaha... Do I?"
The atmosphere was gradually improving. But at that moment, a handsome, 190cm-tall giant approached Chloe and gently wrapped his arm around her waist. It was her boyfriend, Evan Creed, the captain of the football team.
"Chloe, people are looking for you over there. Let's go."
"Oh, okay. Sorry, I have to go first. Have a great time!"
As soon as Chloe left, Christina returned to the friends who were calling for her, and Armando just stood there, blankly staring at her retreating back.
"Why did you just let her go like that?"
When I pressed him, Armando turned back with a dazed expression.
"What was I supposed to do?"
"You idiot! You should have grabbed onto any topic to keep her there!"
"Then you should have told me that!"
"How was I supposed to say that out loud!"
"Damn it! Christina..."
The look in Armando's eyes as he gazed at her longingly was truly sickening to watch.
"Ugh!"
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"Forget it. Let's call it a night and leave."
"Leave? Already?"
"It's already over. If you get drunk here, I guarantee your chance will be gone forever. If we end it cleanly now, a chance will come again someday."
"Are you telling me to leave Christina behind with the booze and other guys?"
"...Stop talking nonsense and let's go. Opportunities will come again."
And so, I dragged the dejected Armando out of the party. Since I had borrowed my father's car, I asked him casually while driving.
"Was there anything special at the Silveroak vineyard?"
"Huh? Oh... it was actually pretty absurd when I went there."
"Absurd? What was?"
"From the moment they called us in, they kept emphasizing, 'We are using organic farming methods.' And then they had a few workers go around spraying something like organic fertilizer."
"And?"
He tilted his head and continued.
"But after all the farm work was done, as I was about to leave, I felt like I couldn't just go home like that. You know? We just worked hard and were leaving!"
"Th... that's true."
"Exactly! So I pretended to leave, but then I snuck a look around and headed toward the warehouse, and there were still a lot of workers who hadn't gone home yet. The same ones who were spraying that organic fertilizer earlier. And you know I can't stand being curious, right? I wanted to see what kind of organic method they were using, so I went into the warehouse, and there were these containers I see all the time."
"What kind?"
Armando spoke as if he were an archaeologist who had made a great discovery.
"Pesticides."
"What?"
Even I was surprised this time. To advertise organic farming and then shamelessly use pesticides...
"Those bastards! They're trying to pull a fast one by advertising that they made wine with Cabernet Sauvignon grown using organic methods!"
"Exactly!"
"Ni~ce!"
Excited, I high-fived Armando while driving.
"It would have been a perfect day if you had just hooked Christina."
"The timing will come again. You saw it earlier, right? Christina greeted you very brightly when she saw you."
Armando tilted his head.
"So what? Does that mean she likes me?"
"You idiot! It means she doesn't find you repulsive, at the very least."
"What's that supposed to mean? Is that all?"
"That's where it starts with women. It's about how you build your image from here on out. Anyway, that was good."
"Since I did this much for you, if I don't have a place to go after graduation, I can work at your farm, right?"
"...... Ye, yeah. Then... of course."
'What is it? Is his family struggling that much?'
I was taken aback, but since we were always short on help at the farm, there was no reason to refuse. After dropping Armando off at his house, it was past 9 PM by the time I got home.
"You're home early?"
"It's already past 9 PM, you know?"
"Good job. Your mother worries so much that you'll be corrupted by strange kids in America. I heard they do drugs and stuff at parties?"
"...... Don't worry about that at all. Where's Dad?"
"Your dad is studying right now. He's been doing that all day."
My father, who had run a business in Korea, had never been seen studying anything other than language until he passed away in my previous life. Perhaps it was because I hadn't been interested in him. Or, if that wasn't it, maybe he never had a reason to study...
"Is he studying about grapes?"
"Yes. I think he borrowed some books from the library. He's struggling with an English dictionary, so don't go in and bother him."
Even if he knew basic conversation, he would inevitably run into many unknown words in books that required specialized knowledge.
"Let me know what kind of books they are later."
"Why?"
"To recommend some suitable ones."
"Ah~ I suppose that could work. Alright. I'll take a look later."
"Okay."
After I went into my room, washed up, and lay in bed, all sorts of thoughts flooded my mind. In particular, the memories of resenting my father after we decided to immigrate to the United States came rushing back.
The memories of projecting my despair onto my father—the despair I felt when I was far from my familiar environment and friends, and when I faced the hateful gazes directed at me—were vivid.
'I won't be like that anymore.'
With that resolution, I closed my eyes.
Three days later, we were finally able to use the wine facility we had been waiting for.
"It looks pretty decent after a thorough cleaning, doesn't it?"
The building housing the winemaking facility had been quite decent to begin with, but after repairs and cleaning, it looked even better.
In addition, the three of us had moved a mountain of grapes from the warehouse to the facility.
"Will this really work?"
My mother asked, worried.
"How do we start now?"
Seeing my father, who was trying to learn with his eyes full of determination, I smiled softly.
I first went to the large vat of the equipment and placed my hand on it.
"This is the press. We put the harvested grapes in here to squeeze out the juice. Don't press too hard; you have to press gently to extract the grape juice so that you get a clean juice with less astringency."
"But is it really possible to make vinegar with... grapes that are this... not-so-great?"
The grapes in the box right next to us, which were of lower market quality, definitely lacked the plump, top-grade feel, and I could even see some rotting ones here and there.
My mother put one in her mouth and frowned deeply.
"Ugh... it's not tasty."
"Why are you eating it if you know it's not tasty?"
"I just wanted to try one. It's really not in good condition."
Unlike Campbell or wild grapes, which are the varieties mainly eaten in Korea, Cabernet Sauvignon is not meant to be eaten raw. The reason is that the skin is thick and tough, the astringency is strong, and the seeds are large and very sour.
In short, Cabernet Sauvignon is a grape that just doesn't taste good if you eat it as is.
"You don't have to worry about the vinegar, as the quality doesn't depend on it as much as wine does, even if the marketability is low. After pressing it here, you just need to move it to the fermentation tank, and this is the fermentation tank."
I moved to the side of the equipment and pointed to a tall, round stainless steel tank. My mother and father followed and peered inside the tank.
"After putting the grape juice in, you need to add a little yeast and maintain a constant temperature. Then the yeast eats the sugar in the grape juice and turns it into alcohol. This is the primary alcoholic fermentation process."
"So it becomes alcohol? And if you drink that, you get drunk?"
I burst into laughter at my mother's cute question.
"That's right, it becomes alcohol. But we're trying to make vinegar, not alcohol, right? We'll make vinegar by putting this alcohol through one more acetic acid fermentation."
"Oh~ our son is a doctor."
'I really was a doctor...'
At that moment, the phone tucked in my back pocket suddenly vibrated. The vibration was so intense...
Bzzzt...
I pulled out the phone that had been shaking my hip and confirmed that a message had arrived. But the content of the message was surprising.
"Huh? How did she get my number?"
"Why, who is it?"
At my mother's question, I immediately sent a reply saying I understood and put it back in my pocket. I didn't want my mother to start imagining strange things.
"It's nothing."
But suddenly, I became curious about Chloe's intention in calling me to her farm.
'Did she say she runs a cherry farm? What is it?'