The Apple Tree

by Kara Jimenez

  The situation would need to be monitored to be sure.

  Peter glanced in the rearview and ran a hand through his shaggy, black hair. Maybe it’d be better if the brunette had given up waiting for him. She was hot, but he was more in the mood for a blonde. He took one last look at the woman in the porch. Or a redhead.

  Bianca secured her bike to the pouch and then leaned against the support beam. The sun dipped below the horizon and she breathed a sigh of relief that she’d made it home before dark. Not really in the mood to be cougar chow or even mosquito bait.

  She bent to examine her potted vegetable garden growing across the porch. Several hefty fruits hung from the tomato vines, but the lettuce looked a little wilted. The weather channel said temperatures would reach freezing in the next few nights so she’d have to harvest soon. She sighed, too tired to do it tonight.

  Stepping inside her apartment, she slipped off her sandals and threw them into the wicker basket by the door. Owen sat on the futon, his eyes glued to the TV watching Thomas the Tank Engine.

  She ruffled his curly blond hair. “Hey bud.”

  He stood on the cushion, reaching and grunting for her to pick him up. Those chubby cheeks were a welcome sight after her eerie adventure in the woods. Scooping him into her arms, she gave him a big squeeze and carried him over to the tall corner lamp. The sun setting outside the large double window had cast the room in darkness. She showed him how to flip the switch and he clapped when light spread across the small space.

  Why was Owen rotting in front of the TV and where was their mother?

  A clanking noise came from above them and she set Owen back on the futon so she could go upstairs and find her.

  The middle-aged woman stood in front of a full length mirror, in her bedroom, applying lipstick. Tight curls spilled over her shoulders, strands of silver mixed with golden red. Clothes had been tossed across the floor and make-up cases cluttered the dresser. The room actually looked cleaner than normal, at least there weren’t any dirty dishes lying around.

  “Bee, I’m glad you’re home. You need to stay with Owen tonight. I have a date.” Her scarlet lips stretched into a smile.

  Bianca rolled her eyes. “You could ask me if that’s okay first. Maybe I have a date.”

  “Do you?” Her mother tossed the scarlet tube back on the dresser.

  “Well… no. But you could ask anyway.” The image of the guy from the woods flashed in her mind. She wouldn’t mind going out with him. Well, if he wasn’t so weird. She gathered an armful of laundry from the floor and threw it into the closet. “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll watch him.” Turning around, she noticed her mother’s short skirt and low neckline. “Don’t wear that. You look like a slut.”

  Her mother stepped back over to the mirror, pulling down the fabric of her olive mini dress and twisting her foot with black pump. “I like it. It matches my eyes.”

  Of course, that’s all that mattered to her. Bianca shook her head and trudged back downstairs. The smell of roasted carrots, potatoes and bay drifted from the kitchen. She smiled. Her mother had made dinner. That rarely happened since her father left.

  She pushed the potatoes around in the broth as her thoughts wandered back to the guy she’d met in the woods. What was the deal with those apples and why was he so uptight? It wasn’t like she’d gotten lost on purpose.

  She lifted a spoonful to her mouth. Mmmm. Rosemary, and was that a touch of nutmeg? If she’d inherited even half of her mother’s cooking skills she’d be a success in the food blogging world. Speaking of her blog… The laptop rested on the counter. No, not now. It’d have to wait until Owen went to sleep. She finished her soup and then carried the bowl to the sink.

  Owen ran into the kitchen raising his arms and demanding to be picked up just as their mother came downstairs to say goodbye. She still wore the green dress.

  “Thanks for making dinner. It was delicious,” Bianca said.

  “Oh, sure.” She adjusted her skirt. “You know, I do appreciate you helping with Owen.”

  Bianca smiled. At least her mother noticed what she did for them. “Owen’s already eaten, right?”

  “Oh, yeah. He’s eaten.” She waved her hand and then headed toward the entryway, Bianca and Owen following behind her.

  “Bye!” Owen waved his chubby palm in the air. Her mother gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and then turned to her.

  “Do you have thirty…forty bucks I could borrow? Just in case he doesn’t pay.”

  “No, Mom, I don’t.” And even if she did, she wouldn’t give it to her to buy wine.

  She huffed. “Fine. I’ll use a credit card or something. See you later.” Grabbing her purse, she walked out the door.

  Bianca rolled her eyes and turned toward her half-brother. “Okay, Owen, time for your bath.”

  Her cell phone rang and the beats of Vanilla Ice filled the room. Owen danced. Everyone always laughed when they heard her ringtone. Sure, it was an oldie, but it was a classic. It reminded her of dancing in the kitchen with her mother when she was a child. She looked at the caller ID. Stephanie.

  “Hey, girrrrl,” Bianca drew out, lifting Owen into her arms.

  Stephanie laughed. “Hey, come with me to Lux tonight?”

  Bianca rolled her eyes, grateful to have an excuse. “Can’t. My mom just left so I have to stay with Owen.” And bars weren’t really her thing.

  “Ay, you always stay with him. It’s like he’s your son or something. Grow a backbone and just tell her you’re going out.”

  Bianca bit her lip. “She needs my help, you know how she is. Besides, she already left.”

  “I know how she is, but remember when you lived at my place? We had so much fun! I miss you!”

  “I know. We did have fun.” She’d move back in with Stephanie in a heartbeat if she wasn’t worried about Owen. Twenty-three was way too old to be living with her mother, but in reality, it was more like her mother lived with her.

  “Friday, then. Tell your mom she has to stay home Friday so you can go out with me.”

  “Okay. Friday. Talk to you later?”

  “Yeah. Bye, Bee.”

  Owen spent the better part of his bath slopping water onto the floor and drenching her clothes. When he was dry and dressed in pajamas, she read him a story and tucked him into the toddler-sized mattress in the corner of her bedroom. It was really just a cushion that they moved between her room and her mother’s. The two bedroom apartment didn’t allow the luxury of everyone having their own room.

  He fell asleep and she walked downstairs, spread herself out across the futon and opened her laptop. She clicked onto the whole foods blog she ran. Three new comments. Yes! New blog comments were like frosting for her day.

  She’d started the website four months ago, posting recipes and tutorials on real food cooking. No boxed food, no cans, no processed food. It was a fun hobby, but she also secretly hoped to one day make money from the advertising on the site. Or maybe even get a publishing deal on a cookbook. Then she could quit her lame job at the pizza parlor.

  Jenette465 said she’d tried her recipe for blueberry yogurt muffins and they were “Auhh-mazing!” Bianca did a happy dance in her seat and then spent the next hour rearranging the formatting and making a list of possible new recipes, including the apple cobbler and coconut ice cream she’d thought of earlier. When finished, she closed the computer, turned on the TV, and flipped through channels.

  She settled on a drama about teenage vampires. Sometime after the school dance and the mega-hunk with blood dripping from his mouth, her eyes drifted shut.

  When the lock on the front door jiggled, she jerked awake, clutching the wooden futon frame.

  Her mother crashed through the door. Giggling, she pulled a short, stocky man in after her. His gray blazer hung over a t-shirt that said: My give a damn is busted.

  “Hey, Bee, don’t mind us.” Laughing again, she led the man upstairs.

  Bianca ignored them, sitting up with her hands over her f
ace. The faint memory of the apple trees filled her mind. She swore she could smell the sweet, earthy aroma. Shaking her head, she stood and stretched her arms. She must have been dreaming about it, although she couldn’t recall any details. Sighing, she climbed the stairs.

  Something crashed inside her mother’s room. There were more giggles and a man’s deep chuckle. Bianca sighed. Keep it down for Christ’s sake. Disgusting. She went into her bedroom across the hall and shut the door.

  The next morning, Levi returned to Lilly Avenue. He sat on a wooden bench at the edge of the park, located across the street and a couple of buildings down from the woman’s apartment. Several terra cotta pots formed a neat row across her front porch. A smile spread across his face, remembering his own garden at home. Hers was much smaller, of course, but she must have a green thumb.

  He’d been sitting on that bench since eight o’clock, wearing a red baseball cap and sunglasses while pretending to read a book. Now, it was almost ten and the only thing he’d noticed was a middle-aged man stumbling out about an hour ago. Was it her father? The man looked nothing like her. Stepfather? Maybe. Boyfriend? He shuddered. Hopefully not. She deserved better.

  A woman, pushing her child on the swing, gave him the stink eye. Looking back down at his book, a wave of embarrassment washed through him. He wasn’t going to be able to sit there much longer.

  The door of her apartment opened and a small boy ran out followed by the red haired woman from yesterday.

  Levi held the book up over his face, his eyes peering over the top of the pages. Who was the boy? Her son? His stomach dropped. If she was a mother there was no doubt who the curse would affect. It always went for the one you love most. He flipped the page of his book, not seeing any of the words. Of course, if she had a husband, it might go for him instead.

  A cold breeze brushed over his arms, giving him goose bumps. He should’ve worn a jacket.

  The boy skipped down the sidewalk and the woman walked along behind him, jogging at times to keep up. They were headed to the park.

  He stood and almost tripped over a rock. Would she recognize him? He walked in the opposite direction. When he reached the safety of his truck, parked around the corner, he climbed inside. The only thing between them was the grassy baseball field and he continued to watch from the cab.

  Hopefully, the curse wouldn’t go for the little boy. He hated the idea of being responsible for the downfall of anyone, however indirectly. But a child? That would crush him.

  The boy climbed up the ladder to the slide. She stood behind him with her arms slightly extended, ready to catch him if he fell. When he made it to the top, he turned and gave her a huge grin. Her expression beamed and she gave him a high five.

  Levi smiled at the scene, but he needed to come up with a plan. If she ate a red apple, he’d know for sure in a few more days. Should he tell her? If he didn’t, would she connect the events back to the orchard on her own?

  They moved over to the sand pit, where a little girl played with a shovel. When the boy threw sand at the other child, the woman picked him up and carried him to the other side of the playground. He kicked and screamed, yet she remained calm, holding him until he cooled down. She was good with him.

  His heart sank knowing what would happen. But only if she ate one of the red apples, he reminded himself. There was a chance they’d be fine. There was a chance.

  When they returned home from the park, Bianca set Owen down on the floor next to his toy trains and encouraged him to play.

  She ran upstairs to change for work, smoothing out a wrinkle on the floral quilt as she passed her bed. This space was her sanctuary. The rest of the house may be a mess, but not this room. She smiled at the photos of her friends, the frames forming a straight line along the wall. On her dresser, a picture of her mother and Owen stood next to her hairbrush, while her father’s photo lay inside the top drawer, under her t-shirts. She couldn’t bear to get rid of it, but didn’t want to see it every day either. Her closed laptop sat on the nightstand. She gazed at it wistfully, wishing she had time to work on her blog.

  Opening the dresser drawer, she took out her Papa’s Pizza uniform, a red logo tee and white pants. She cringed, hating the ugly carpenter-style pants, but yanked them on anyway.

  Dressed, she walked across the hall to find her mom still sleeping amongst a pile of tangled sheets. As soon as she stepped in the room, the sickly, sweet and sour smell of stale wine assaulted her, turning her stomach. She held her breath and sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “Mom, get up. I have to go to work.” She shook her shoulder.

  Her mother groaned and opened one eye. “What time is it?”

  “It’s almost eleven.”

  “Ugh, okay… I’ll get up.” She didn’t move.

  “I’m going downstairs to get Owen a snack and then I have to leave. You need to be up in ten minutes.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Bianca rubbed her forehead, stood, and left the room.

  Downstairs, she sliced an apple and put the pieces into a little plastic bowl with some animal crackers. She stole a bite of the fruit and frowned, not as sweet as the apple she’s tasted in the orchard.

  A retching sound came from the bathroom upstairs, but she tried to ignore it. At least her mom was out of bed.

  Owen sat on her shoe with his arms and legs wrapped around her calf like a fire pole. She stumbled to the dining room table, swinging him along. He giggled with joy at the ride. After pulling him off her leg and plopping him down at the table, their mother made it downstairs and collapsed onto the futon. Hopefully they would be okay today. It always made her a little nervous to leave Owen with their mom when she wasn’t feeling well.

  After kissing Owen goodbye and waving to her mother, she walked out to the porch to unlock her bike. She didn’t own a car. The rent took most of her money. Maybe if her blog took off… someday.

  Papa’s Pizza Parlor was only a few blocks away, a brick building with maroon trim and matching metal roof. Large square windows ran along the entire front. On the right side, a colorful indoor playground attracted families to the parlor.

  As she slipped her card into the punch clock, Jeremy, the new dough roller, greeted her with a friendly smile.

  “Bianca! Hey, I’ve got a funny one for you. How do you fix a broken pizza?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “With tomato paste!” He gave her a light punch on the shoulder.

  She rolled her eyes. “Funny.”

  Kate, another coworker, walked into the back, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her. She grabbed her timecard. “Hey guys!” She smiled at them both but lingered on Jeremy.

  “Kate, have you heard this one? What does an aardvark like on his pizza?”

  She shrugged. “What?”

  “Ant-chovies!” He slapped his thigh, laughing.

  Kate giggled.

  “Oh, my gosh, where do you come up with these?” Bianca asked.

  “What? Do you think they’re too cheesy?” He grinned and placed a hand on Kate’s shoulder.

  “Hilarious,” Bianca said. It was amusing, but not laugh out loud humorous.

  Kate smiled. “I think it’s funny.”

  Faustino, the manager, came over and reminded them all to get to work. Jeremy trudged back to the dough room. Kate and Bianca walked into the front kitchen and started preparing a large delivery order. They spent the next couple of hours alternating between working and gossiping. Kate was one of those women who knew everything about everyone and loved to share.

  Halfway through her shift, Bianca stood at the prep counter, covering a large pizza with Canadian bacon. She glanced up at the window when a blue pickup truck pulled into the parking lot and stopped in a space near the back. The man from the orchard hopped out of the cab.

  She dropped the bacon on the counter and her eyes grew wide. A deep breath calmed her before continuing to place the meat around the pizza. It didn’t matter if it was that guy. It was just a l
ittle weird, seeing him again so soon.

  He stopped at the front door, holding it open for a woman pushing a stroller. Once inside, he stepped under the hanging wooden sign that read ‘Order Here’ and leaned his elbow casually against the counter, looking straight at her.

  “Can you help that guy? I’ve got to pull these pizzas out before they burn.” Kate flung the metal oven door open.

  Bianca approached the counter, unsure whether to mention the orchard or act like she didn’t know him. Maybe he didn’t recognize her? “Hi, what can I get you?” she asked.

  “Oh, hey, you’re the girl… from yesterday.” He pointed toward her, then dropped his hand and bit his lip. “I’m sorry I was rude last time we met. You caught me off guard and… I had a headache. I’m Levi.” He extended his hand and she took it. His grip was firm as he shook her hand and smiled.

  “Bianca.” She liked the way his navy t-shirt made his eyes appear almost blue instead of gray.

  Releasing her hand, he glanced down at the menu. “I think I’ll have a small pepperoni and green pepper.”

  “Sure.” She punched buttons on the cash register. What was with the one-eighty? He seemed almost nice, but the day before, he’d been downright rude. Would a headache really cause such a drastic change in behavior?

  “So, do you often go trampling through the woods at twilight?” he asked.

  She looked up, studying his smile as she tried to make sense of him. Was he mocking her? “No, I was following a deer. I wanted a picture of it, but I got lost.”

  “Mhmm.” He nodded and handed her the cash for his order.

  “Thank you.”

  He took his time putting his wallet in his back pocket. It seemed like he wanted to say something else. Instead, he walked to a table next to the unlit fireplace.

  She began spreading sauce on his order when Kate came over.

  “He’s cute. Do you know him?”

  Bianca paused, debating how much to tell her. Kate was a gossip after all, and she didn’t want to start any strange rumors. “I only met him last night. I was lost. He gave me directions.”