The Mean Tree

“Sophie called me complaining this morning,” Helen Jackson said, her eyes on best friend Josie, as she and Isabel waited to be served in one of their favorite Spanish restaurants.

Josie rolled her eyes, swaying her head. Isabella glanced at her waiting.

“So, Miss Starapple, what did you do this time?” Helen teased her.

“Why do you keep calling me that,” Josie demands, annoyed, her eyes swaying from Helen to Isabell.

“I asked first,” Helen said, glancing at the menu the waiter left on their table.

“She said I wasn’t kind enough to be a part of their fake sisterhood club,” Josie explained in disappointment.

“She is right you know,” Isabell agreed glancing at her menu.

“Hey, I give when I can,” Josie fights back. “I have student loans, car loans, rent, etc, etc.”

“So do all of us,” Helen reminds her.

“It’s my money! And if I don’t want to share it, that’s my right!” Josie battles with her friends.

“Well Miss Star apple,” Helen went on. “You are too mean to enter their heaven.”

“I was mean and rude to no one,” Josie defends herself as Helen signals the waiter.

“Not that way silly,” Isabell said. “She means you aren’t the kindest person.”

“So is the Star-apple a mean fruit?” Josie asked.

“No, the tree is?” Helen answered giving the waiter the menu with her order.

“How can a tree be unkind?” Josie asked, indicating on the menu what she wanted.

“Yeah,” Isabell wondered loudly following Josie as the waiter turns to her. “I thought that was a human thing.”

“Most fruits will fall from the tree when it’s fit or ripe?” Helen elaborates.

The Star-apple tree. Image by Annelise Lords

“So the Star-apple is so mean it stays on the tree and rots?” Josie asked.

“How did you know that?” Helen quizzed her.

With raised brows, Josie asked, “It doesn’t fall from the tree at all?”

Helen nods, then explained further, “In my country, the Star-apple never falls off the tree, even when it’s spoiled or rotting. If you want the fruits, you have to climb the tree to get them. The Star-apple trees are huge. You have to be a good climber to go up and down safely. So, we say the tree is mean because it doesn’t share its fruits.”

“So, in your culture, you compare humans and their lack of kindness to the Star-apple tree?” Josie asked.

“But it bears fruits, that doesn’t mean it’s mean,” Isabell said.

“Yeah,” Josie agreed. “If it bears fruits how can it be mean?”

“All other fruits fall from the trees when they are fit or ripe sharing their fruits with humans. especially the ones who can’t climb,” Helen explained. “So, because the Star-apple doesn’t, we say, ‘You are mean like a Star-apple.”

“Am I that bad?” Josie asked.

Helen’s eyes met Isabell who nods.

“Damn,” Josie said, as the waiter pushes a cart with their meals on it. “I guess I could be more kinder. Dinner is on me.”

“Ok Miss Star-apple,” Isabell said as the waiter handed her her meal.

Josie pulled her ponytail as they laughed and began to enjoy their dinner.

Star-apple comes in green-skinned or deep purple skin. I like the purple skin ones. I haven’t eaten one in almost thirty years.

Jamaicans are so creative. Lol

Have you ever heard of fruit being mean? Well, every Jamaican knows the meanest fruit ever is the Jamaican star apple. These delicious fruits even when they have gotten overly ripe, will just not fall from the tree. The trees tend to be so high that only a skilled climber or the use of a bamboo stick will be able to get it down.

https://www.my-island-jamaica.com/jamaican_star_apple.html

Star apples are a very healthy fruit. I will start eating them again.

https://jamaicans.com/8-star-apple-benefits-you-need-to-know/

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it.