The Breadfruit Tree
by Roberto
Grandma
B was a fine specimen of a "cholita". Guayme blood ran through
her veins, and she was one "hot" lady in her Youth. This caught
the eyes of both Gen Victoriano Lorenzo and Gen. Quintero during
the "1000 Days War". That's what allows me to tell you this
story. Gen. Quintero won the "Love War" and so came to be my
mother was born. Flaky introduction to this story, but I am no writer,
just a describer of events soon too past.
This story is true.
There was a "Fruta de Pan" tree in our backyard as I grew up. The age
of the tree was about 12 years old. It never had bare fruit on those
ten years. On a Monday, on a fine summer night, as we listened to the
radio, (No TV then) (I believe the novella name was " El Derecho de
Nacer", whose main character was Albertito Limonta), my Grandma B asked
me if I would help her with a ceremony. She was my hero to start with,
since she use to tell me all kind of stories, would cook arroz con
quantum, with "concho", Bistec en Tomato sauce, and Yucca (With a side
order of sauce on the side, so I could dip my Yucca in it as I enjoyed
what was close to gourmet dinning as I ever enjoyed in my life time
specially for me and could do all kind of magic tricks with simple
objects around the house, and better, when the Thunderstorms at night
would cause lighting and all kind of noise, I could sneak into her bed,
and she would explain that Lighting boom noises were nothing but the
angels Bowling in heaven, and the water (Rain) was just an angel
spilling his glass of water while been so happy he had made a strike!
Never mind this would have been the largest glass in history! What
would you have said if this had been your grandmother? Hell, I was
honored and so happy, that I had been chosen for this by her and not my
ugly, Obnoxious brother and sister, I immediately said yes. She then
gave me the instructions I would follow before and after the ceremony.
She would wake me up before the sun was up by nudging me. I would sleep
with her in her bed the night before the ceremony (Happy Me!), I
wouldn't speak to her, neither would she speak to me. I was to follow
with a leather belt she would set up the night before on a chair by the
bed and the belt should never touch the ground. Then she told me " Do
not get scared when I do what I will do" I will explain to you later
what it was all about, will you not get scared?… I answered,
heck no, Grandma!). A G-2 Noriega team could have interrogated me, and
I bet I wouldn't
have said a thing! It was Good Friday morning, when Grandma woke me up.
I grab the belt and followed her to the yard, wondering what the heck
Grandma had in mind. We approached the Bread Tree, she said some thing
in a language I didn't know (Later on she said she said `Father Sun" in
Guayme). Then proceeded to whip the tree with the belt and yell at the
tree! I never seen grandma so mad! She keep saying in Spanish ~You lazy
tree! If you don't give me fruit I am going to cut you down and make
"Leña" out of you!, You lazy tree, give me some fruit or I will
cut and get all the life out of you! Give me fruit you lazy tree! . She
went on for about 5 minutes, then a Rooster sang. (I guess with all the
racket, he woke up a little earlier). Poor rooster! As soon as the
rooster sang, she stops. She gave me the belt back to carry to the
house. When we got to the house she smiles to me, said I did a good
job, and made me "huevos with carne, yucca, and a BIG glass of
chocolate milk!" Talk about living large! Then she explain to me, that
she done that to the tree so it would give us breadfruit next year.
Right there I knew Grandma had flip! I may have been young, but even I
knew trees don't listen to people and feel pain! But I was not about to
tell grandma that. I forgot about it, and went on with my happy child
life. Till the following year.
Sure enough, the Fruta del Pan bore fruit! And Boy, how did it! Every
one in the neighborhood got some. And the usual comment was, wondering
how the tree had come to give fruit that year. Grandma used to look at
me, and put her finger in her lips, to signify silence. And then smile!
Boy she was a great looking woman even at that age when she smiled! Few
years later she told me how to do the ceremony. Step by step. I still
didn't believe she was the cause of that tree giving fruit, and
continue to do it for all that time.
Forward 45 years later, while living in the US, I read an article about
a Harvard study about folks talking to plants. It said that plants seem
to do well when you speak to them! Flower, fruits are much larger and
colorful. And the plants tend to live longer times! Call me
superstitious, but I think Grandma knew some thing we have forgotten
for so long. Is up to you to make the call, but I think grandma was not
a "bruja", but a wonderful woman with more knowledge on her pinky than
all those scientist and their 100 million dollar Labs.
Roberto