| AN ENGLISH ROSE
By Yvonne Higgins
‘Thank you so much for giving up your valuable time to join me this
evening, in what I must say is the finest day I can remember since I ran
behind my old Dad asking him when I could taste one of his little green
tomatoes.’ The joke was old, but true.
This was to be the first new wine introduced out of Robert’s small
vineyard in the last twenty years. It was a real milestone for Robert,
who had taken over the small wine producing company from his father. The
new grape was the result of years of struggle, persistence, and sheer
dedication.
‘And I am so happy to be sharing this moment with my darling daughter,
Rosie. What more appropriate name could I ever have given her?’
She smiled fondly across at her father. She knew how hard he had been
working to get everything ready in time for the launch. Final exams at
university had prevented her from helping him finalise the promotion,
but she had promised not to miss his big day and had arrived just in time.
Rosie was so proud of her father, but a small knot in the pit of her stomach
threatened to spoil the moment. What was coming next?
Sure enough, as though on cue, Robert Johnson looked across at his only
daughter and beckoned her to join him.
‘C’mon lass, don’t be shy.’
Hesitantly she made her way forward. As she approached him she noticed
dark circles visible under his eyes, and a new frailness to him. The hours
he had put in over the last few months had certainly taken their toll.
But when he looked at her and smiled, his whole face lit up and for a
moment she saw again the Daddy who would swing her in his strong arms;
the one who used to make her mother giggle like a young girl.
‘I’m not getting any younger, as many of you will know, and
so I wanted this new venture to represent a fresh start. I have decided
to embrace retirement; it’s a good thing I have someone I trust
to pass the business over to. I will be making an official announcement,
just as soon as the paperwork is completed.’
Rosie’s heart did a lurch. The rest of the evening was a blur as
she struggled to maintain a happy face. By the end of the evening she
had decided she must give up on her own dream, to concentrate all her
efforts on making her Dad proud. She would do this by keeping the family
business going.
She knew every detail of the new crop, from the planting, right through
to picking. She knew the processes involved in bringing the grape to maturity
at just the right moment. An unexpected rainstorm had threatened everything,
but the locals had rallied round and the grapes had been saved.
From a young age, Robert had made sure that his daughter was schooled
in the art of wine. A respected connoisseur himself, he had spent hours
schooling Rosie on the fermentation process. As a teenager she would help
with the filtering and bottling. Then when she was older, Robert had encouraged
her to taste wine, to learn the importance of serving temperatures, the
ageing process, how to identify different tastes on the palate.
The trouble was, her heart wasn’t in it. She had tried so hard to
be the daughter that Robert wanted; even more so, when her mother had
died suddenly in a car crash when she was only thirteen. It was his vision.
But it wasn’t hers. And now, in his proudest moment, she needed
to find some way to tell him the truth.
Growing up in the country had encouraged Rosie’s love of animals.
All manner of injured creatures and strays were taken in and cared for.
Even at university where they weren’t allowed any pets, she had
cared for an injured mouse she had found under the stairs and a timid
hedgehog who returned to their small garden each winter to hibernate.
Today she had bid a tearful farewell to the small band of student friends
she had bonded with over the last four years. They all had jobs lined
up, careers to begin. She had all the necessary skills and knowledge to
work in the wine industry, but none of the commitment.
Her long legs carried her forward as she moved slowly away from the podium;
aware that all eyes were fixed on her. Close friends and a good many prospective
buyers had been invited. She didn’t have the heart to ruin her father’s
day of triumph.
‘This is a damn fine specimen, Rosie’ said Mr Gifford, one
of the buyers from overseas. ‘Nice delicate fruity finish, with
a complex bouquet of redcurrant and rose petal. I particularly like that
tiny aftertaste of cinnamon as it hits the back of the throat. You can
be assured that we will be making a regular order for our clients.’
Rosie nodded and thanked him.
‘You’re a bit quiet tonight’ said a voice close to her
ear. Rosie turned and found Geoff standing behind her. She was very fond
of Geoff. Ten years her senior, he was like the older brother she never
had. Geoff had come to work for her father from the age of sixteen, when
both his parents had emigrated to Australia. He loved the business; had
a keen appreciation for the science of winemaking. He was the reason she
had been able to go to university in the first place. Although she helped
out in the holidays, back at home Geoff was indispensable.
‘Did you approve of your father’s choice for the name?’
he asked.
Rosie glanced at the bottles stacked up on show. There it was for all
to see – Roseanna Rosé. She wiped away a tear which threatened
to escape, and nodded her head.
‘And you’re ok about your Dad’s decision on the business?’
‘Yes of course, why wouldn’t I be?’ Rosie lied.
‘That’s a relief then. I don’t suppose he will ever
let go of the reins entirely, but maybe now he will get to travel a bit.
That’s the one thing he told me he regrets not doing more of when
your Mum was alive.’
They hadn’t had proper holidays when Rosie was growing up. She vaguely
remembered a couple of weekends away at the seaside. But most of the time
the three of them would climb aboard Dad’s old Range Rover and just
take off somewhere for the day. Invariably they ended up visiting another
vineyard, or if there was a wine tasting event somewhere, he wouldn’t
be able to resist. It was a standing joke with the family.
‘Maybe he will take himself off to California or Italy?’ suggested
Rosie.
Geoff picked up on the theme and laughed out loud. ‘I shouldn’t
be at all surprised.’
Later that evening when Geoff was busy tidying up, father and daughter
sat down together for the first time since Rosie had got back home. All
the guests had left.
‘Sorry if I gave you a bit of a shock about the retirement thing,
Rosie. It’s just something I have been thinking about for a while
now. I know I can’t go on at this pace forever. My health’s
not been so good lately and the doc suggested I take it a bit easier.’
‘It’s ok Dad, I’ve finished uni now and I can devote
all of my time to the business.’
Robert looked hard at his daughter. ‘That’s not what you want
to do, though is it love?’
The question was a gentle one. Geoff stood at the doorway looking slightly
unsure about whether to stay or go.
‘As you said, you need to take things a bit steadier now, maybe
take yourself off for one of those long holidays you have always promised
yourself. I know the ropes and Geoff is here to help me if I need him.’
‘And what about what you want?’ prompted Robert. ‘I’ve
seen the way you are with injured and sick animals. It’s how I was
with the wine business. It’s in your blood. You can’t help
yourself.’
Rosie went to say something, but Robert put his hand on top of his daughter’s.
‘I’ve known for some time that you won’t take over from
me. That’s why I’ve been training young Geoff up. I’ve
asked him to take over from me when I retire. Of course I want you to
have a share in the business, but as a sleeping partner only. Geoff will
run the day to day stuff and we are going to take on a couple more people
to help him. I want you to decide what you want out of life and go for
it. You have my blessing.’
Rosie couldn’t believe it. Trust her Dad to know what she felt in
her heart. She felt a surge of love threaten to engulf her.
‘You’re ok with this then Rosie?’ asked Geoff, who had
decided he needed to say something.
‘Ok, I’m more than ok. Come here both of you and let me give
you a hug.’
The three embraced and Robert shook Geoff’s hand.
‘Do you know’ said Robert, ‘I think this calls for a
celebration. Pass me one of those bottles of Roseanna Red, will you Geoff?’
‘Dad, if you don’t mind, can I have a cup of tea instead?’
Rosie asked, rather sheepishly.
‘TEA, she wants TEA’ shouted Robert in mock horror. ‘Go
on then lass, fetch yourself a mug of tea and we will toast to the future.’
Five minutes later the three stood together.
‘Here’s to Roseanna Wines – and here’s to our
Rosie’ said Robert as two wine glasses and one steaming mug were
raised in unison.
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