The apple tree

Marcel sat under an apple tree. The tree was one of hundreds of apple trees. All were currently sporting the beautiful white flowers. It was this along with the perfect weather that brought Marcel out of her grandparents house and out under this tree reading her favorite book. She had been out there since that morning and it was now four in the afternoon. She had finished about half her book and now she was getting bored. "Marcel didn't you just get book?", Marcel looked up to see her grandfather standing above her.1

"Gandpa hey", Marcel smiled. Her grandfather was sixty-seven, and the owner of the apple orchard. He had owned the orchard for more than fourty years. Though he was old, but he still managed to have that same sparkle in his eye that rivaled that of a teenager. He sat beside his granddaughter, giving the occaisonal grunt while trying to get down. "So Marcy, by the way you are looking at me, you're bored", he asked with mock curiousity. Marcel laughed at her gradnfathers joke. He could always make her laugh.2

"Yeah, I'm already halfway through it and I'm bored with it", she sighed. Ever since she was young she loved stories, listening to them, reading them and sometimes telling them. But as she got older, she found herself less interested in stories and more into trivial teenage things. She looked down at the book, "Dante's Inferno", she started, "Not for me anymore".3

"I may know what you are looking for", her grandfather smiled at her; she Marcel turned to look at her elder. She had no idea what he was thinking. "How about a love story?", he asked her. Marcel without any hesitation nodded yes. Her Grandpa smiled, "Good so are you ready for this awesome stories", Marcel nodded again. The old man's grin broadened, "Good so here is the story:4

-"There was a boy that used to work on this orchard. He was no older then nine. He would come out every day and pick apples send into his employer and go out a pick some more. In the seasons where there wasn't anything to pick he would help his emplyer's wife with the house keeping, you know cleaning and cooking, he wasn't good at it but he could manage. The boy was relatively happy; he had a home, three square meals a day, and people who cared about him. 5

"It wasn't until a certain that he started questioning his life. You see he was in the middle of picking when someone threw an apple at him. Ooh you just imagine his anger. Now we know that a nine year old boy don't know nothing about self control. He got up and started screaming, 'Who did that?', and 'Who's the filthy coward?'. Now the boy didn't think that somebody would answer. But sure enough, out from behind a tree came a little girl. She had to be about seven years old. She was very pretty, but the little boy didn't think that. He just saw some little punk about to catch a severe piece of pain. 6

"He slowly came up to the girl and said, 'Did you throw that apple at me'. He somehow managed to make it sound more like a statement than a question. The little girl looked at him and gave him a hug. The boy was shocked, in his head he was thinking who is this girl, why is she hugging me, and why don't I won't her to stop? She finally let go and spoke, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just saw you working and I thought I could help'. 7

"The boy laughed, he had never heard anything like that before. 'I don't need no girl's help', he said confidently. The little girls eyes started to tear up, and a little choked cry surfaced from her. The boy seeing this hurried to say, 'But you can stay if you like'. Before the girl could get out anything else, the boy took her hand and sat her down beside him. He took a pocket knife and took one of the apples; he started to peel the apple for the girl. Once he was finished he handed the apple to her. She looked at it with such grattitude, 'Thank you'.8

" 'No problem', he said as she started eating her apple. He then carved their initials, after finding out her name, on that tree CT and WF. This had become their traditionfor the next few years. Every year during the picking season, the little boy would pick the apples and the girl would either watch, read a book, and on special occasions even pick apples with him. No matter how she spent her day with him, it would end the same, the boy would pick the bst looking apple, peel it and give it to her. They would sit together at their tree, side by side, while she ate her apple.9

"Now seven years had gone by and the boy was slowly becomeing a man. He had grown tall and muscular, from working all the time. He was also incredibly handsome, and the girls in town would come over ot watch him pick apples with his shirt off. Anyway it was one girl in particular that caught his eye. She was very pretty and was smart. She would come over everyday when the crowds of girls, and the occasional boy or two, was gone and she would talk to him. 10

"It was one night where he was finished picking and was taking in his apples. The other girl, as I will call her, was waiting for him. He raised his hand and waved at her. She had a look on her face that he could not read. He asked her what was wrong and she said that she had fallen in love. The boy tried to hide his shock when he heard this, but he was unsuccessful. He then went on a rant about why she can't love this person beacuse he loved her. When he was done, he wlaked away, the other girl turned to him and said, 'Tht's okay because I'm in love with you'. This stopped the boy in his tracks; he turned to her and dropped his apples. 11

"He rushed toward her and kissed her. He took her to the nearest tree, and they made love. They didn't bother going their seperate ways, they just laid there under that tree the whole night.12

"Now that little girl had grown, too. She had went from a small child to this beautiful teenage girl. She had missed that picking season but got there when the flowers were blossoming. She ran through the orchards, wearing a white sund dress and no shoes, hoping to find the boy. She missed him terribly; not long before she got there, she had realised that she had fallen in love with the boy. As she ran through the trees she was thinking about what to say to him. Then she heard giggling.13

"She ran toward the gigling and saw the boy and a girl. They were bounded together by limbs, and only a blanket covering their naked bodies. The girl hid behind a tree and kept an eye on them. The boy was gently kissing the girl's forehead and lips. 'I love you', he said. The other girl looked at him and smiled, 'I love you,too'. Behind the tree, the girl fought back the tears. She struggled with not going out there and confronting them. She sat on the ground and cover her ears as they made love once again. 14

Tears flowed down her face. She started forgetting everything else there and sat there, not listening to them anymore. It was the voice of the other girl that brought her out of her trance. 'Who are you?", the other girl asked. The girl got up and looked at the other one. She was prettier than the girl, and definitel more mature, physically and probably mentaly. 'Uhm I'm an old friend of', the girl started but didn't finish when the boy came into view. He looked at her, his eyes filled with shock. 15

" 'When did you get here?', he asked. The girl looked down at the ground when she answered, 'Today, I was coming to say hi, but you weren't around so I just took a rest behind that tree and', she didn't have the strength to go on. She looked at him, his face had changed from shock to apathy. She turned around and ran away. She had gotten to the entrance when she saw the boy waiting for her. They both stood there for a few minutes. The boy decided to break the silence, "I didn't want you to find out like this". 16

"The girl didn't answer, instead she started running a...."-17

"Willard and Marcel there you are. Marcel go inside and call your mother and father; they are worried sick", an elderly woman, Marcel's grandmother looked at her with tranquility covering her face. Marcel, disappointed that she couldn't finish the story, got up and ran toward thehouse. Once Marcel was out of view, the elderly woman plopped down on the ground and took out a pocket knife. "So what were you two talking about?", she asked as she gave him the knife. She watched him take out an apple and started peeling it. She turned around to see that they were under the tree with the initials.18

"Oh nothing but how we met", Willard told her. The older woman, smiled, "What ever happened to Bethany?". Willard shrugged, "Don't know, don't care". Willard looked at his wife, who rolled her eyes, "Tact, Willard, tact". Willard shrugged once again, and gave his wife the apple. "Carmen, eat your apple".19

Carmen took her apple. There they sat there together under their tree, side by side, while she ate her apple20