The "Surprise of the Day" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Our arrival on St. Martin was delayed about 12 hours, but we finally made it at about 11:00 PM.  After picking up our rental car from a sleeping Leslie in the airport cab area we headed to the French side of the island to claim our keys for our villa.  We arrived at the rental agency and found a note with a phone number to call and within 20 minutes Gael, the young man who works at Cap Cariabes Sprimbarth Agency, arrived and escorted us to our villa.  I could tell he had been sleeping when he got my call, but he was none the less happy to see us.  This year for the first time Carol and I decided to bring a bit of Lancaster as a gift for a few special people on the island.  Something to show the recipient  of the gift what we appreciate where we live.  

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Being from Lancaster County, PA we had many great choices.  Small tins of homemade Hammond pretzels, Wilbur Buds chocolate treats from nearby Lititz, PA, Whoopie Pies from just about any farm stand on Central Market in the heart of Lancaster City, or ….. how about Lancaster Caramels which had just entered the candy market a few months ago.  Lancaster Caramels are made by Hershey Foods and were based on Milton S. Hershey's original caramel candy that he began making back in the late 1880s.  He had just moved to Lancaster and began experimenting with the making of caramel candy when he developed "Crystal A" caramels which he made during the day and sold later in the day on the streets of Lancaster on a push cart.  

Lancaster Caramel Company in Lancaster, PA

He was successful with the caramels and after getting a bank loan, started the Lancaster Caramel Company on Church St. on the west side of Lancaster.  Well, Hershey Foods decided to bring back Milton's caramels and we both loved them even though I lost a crown while eating one.  So we took 4 bags with us to St. Martin as gifts for our special friends.  Thought that Gael would be our first candidate for the special service he gave to us that first evening of our trip.  

Candy aisle in the Cole Bay Super Grand Marche.  There
in the middle of the shelf were Lancaster Caramels!!

After tipping him we gave him the bag of Lancaster Caramels.  With a big smile on his face and a thank you, he hopped in his car and was gone.  The following day we spent resting, lounging around the pool and shopping at the Super Grande Marche for groceries for our 19 day trip.  Walked down a few aisles in the grocery store when we came to the candy aisle.  I'm sure by now you could finish this story, right?  Anyway, there on the shelf were bag after bag of Lancaster Caramels.  "What are the chances of something like this happening?" I asked Carol.  "Next year we need to bring something that isn't mass produced," she replied.  Oh well!  Everyone enjoyed the treats that were developed in Lancaster, but are now evidently sold all over the world.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.