Cry For Me

Chapter 20

“And so, from the information I’ve gathered from various experts who’ve tested the soil quality, fertility, the climate of the land and gathered information from the previous vineyard owners, I would say it’s safe to proceed to planting Cab. It would also be advisable to plant smaller amounts of grapes that can be used for blending. Perhaps Petit Verdot or Malbec,” Omar explained with hand gestures as he pointed towards the projector which was displaying the PowerPoint he’d whipped up over the past few months. 

Amir nodded in acknowledgement. “Have you spoken to the vineyard managers yet?” he asked, and Omar nodded as well.

“Yes, he’s already decided on how to orient the rows, how to space and trellis the vines. Adjustments to the soil have been made, for optimum production. It would be best to start right away, whilst the winter season is still around, and as you know, this is a very slow process. The first harvest will be after roughly three years,” he added, switching to the next slide that was displaying a fruitful vineyard.

The other investors in the room seemed very impressed with how Omar had conducted the presentation and were sharing little discussions amongst themselves. However, Omar’s older brothers, Hakim and Navid, remained quiet and silently displeased. They both never wanted to see their little brother, a.k.a designated family black sheep, win for once. Navid never overtly aired his views on Omar, but he had made it very clear that they would never get along. 

After a few minutes, Amir cleared his throat loudly to grab everyone’s attention. “We have decided to give you the green light. As you have shown much diligence and dedication, we have all concurred that you’ll will officially be the vigneron of this new company. Everything will be under your charge, congratulations son,” he said stoically but his eyes were shinning with pride.

The meeting was adjourned, and Omar received remarks from the other board members. Once they were all gone, he began to tidy up the conference room and switch off the projector, when his two siblings approached him. “Congratulations, brother. You deserve the honor,” Navid droned apathetically. 

Omar grinned at him. He had a striking resemblance to Navid, that sometimes people thought they were twins. “Thanks, Navid. I almost believed you for a second there,” he replied sarcastically, and disconnected his laptop.

Hakim tsked and curled his lips in annoyance. “You’re really happy about this little achievement, aren’t you?” he asked him, sarcasm lacing his London accented voice.

“Of course. Some of us appreciate even the small things in life. You know very well that I’d much rather conduct my business affairs away from both of you, and now I’m finally getting the chance. Why does this bother you so much?”

“What bothers me is that I know you will inevitably end up shitting on this and somehow taint our family’s image. You’ve already done that many times before,” Navid commented coldly.

Omar shrugged and shut the laptop before putting it under his arm. “And that’s why I have you two; whenever I screw up, you’ll be there to clear the mess before it gets too far. You might both think that you’re somehow above and better than me, but in a way, you’ve spent your whole lives picking up after me. What a pity,” he clucked his tongue before sliding past them.

“I heard that the little girl you hooked up with is in town. I’d love to meet her,” Hakim said, smirking maliciously. Omar paused in his steps and spun to face him. His face suddenly got hard, and he could feel his pulse spike.

“Too bad you won’t. Now that I’ve concluded this meeting earlier than I thought, we will be heading back to the States soon,” he chewed gruffly, and Navid smirked as well.