The Berry Pickers

Content Warning: The source text contains descriptions of violence, domestic violence, racism, substance use disorder, miscarriage, and outdated terminology for Indigenous and First Nations peoples.

The narrator, Joe, sits in his room. He holds a picture of his daughter Leah and contemplates his mortality. His legs hurt, and he is tired of medications and treatments. He is lonely but understands that he will have to experience death on his own. His sister Mae tells him that they have a visitor.

It is the beginning of summer, and Joe traveled with his parents and siblings— Charlie, Ben, Mae, and Ruthie—from their home in Nova Scotia to Maine to pick berries. Many temporary, Indigenous agricultural workers cross the border between Canada and the United States, reuniting friends from the previous seasons. The work is difficult, but they are excited. Joe is one of few to sleep in a cabin—shared with his mother and sister, Ruthie.

Ben and Mae lived at a residential school. Their father pulled them out because of the poor treatment and family separation. Their mother, a devout Catholic, didn’t oppose the religious instruction, but she was happy to have her children back home.