When Shellie’s parents move to a
new village, he has to adjust to a new and strange environment. He gets to meet new girls. He is charmed by an Indian girl, Rosalie Ghidaree. Her father implicitly accepts him as a potential son-in law. There is also Joan, who is more cheerful and accessible. She is staying with the Lammy family on her Christmas vacation. On her last day there Shellie takes her to the Ghidaree plantation to show her the scenery. They leave after having carved their names in a tree.
Three
weeks into the new year, Shellie’s father dies of lung cancer. A couple of days later he goes to see Joan, but she is not at home. He sits under a cashew
tree and accepts the condolences of his friends and of Rosalie. His friends take him for a drink and he gets back
home at three in the morning. A couple of weeks later he decides to quit working for Mr. Ghidaree and to leave school. He works now in the cocoa field to help pay the bills and care for his mother. His mother does not need to work overtime any more. Rosalie is jealous because now he spends a lot of time with Joan.
Shellie is invited to a school party. There he dances slow music with Rosalie and he realises that he still likes her. He takes her outside and kisses and caresses her. Rosalie assumes that he is going to break up with Joan now. At home she relaxes under an apple tree and suddenly she sees Joan’s and Shellie’s name carved together in the tree. She does not believe it. She runs home and tells her father everything: how she let Shellie kiss and caress her. How he made her believe that everything was over with Joan.
The next week Mr. Ghidaree, who is still very angry, asks Shellie to go to his plantation. He asks Shellie to water the plants, while he goes to the field to pick some fruits. The dogs are ordered to stay behind. Suddenly they attack Shellie. He screams for help, but Mr. Ghidaree does not come until the dogs have bitten him savagely. Then he explains to Shellie why he commanded the dogs to attack him: he had led his daughter on, defiled her and lied to her. Because he touched Rosalie now he has to break up with Joan and marry Rosalie once she becomes 18. Shellie agrees and Mr. Ghidaree takes him to the hospital. Weeks later Shellie rests under a tree, after working hard on the plantation. He looks at the scenery and realizes this is the place where it all begun.
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