1: Three Apples
Rudy 7's.
Nacogdoches, Texas.
Wednesday, April 1st, 1992.
Armin parks his silver van in the parking lot and quietly opens the door, careful not to wake the sleeping girl in the backseat. He strides over to the sun-faded service station with his long legs and walks in, shielding his eyes from the blazing afternoon sun.
“Afternoon, sir,” says the clerk, a thin, high school aged boy.
“Hey,” replies Armin. His eyes roam over the ceiling of the store instead of glancing at the clerk. He spots a lone camera stooped behind the counter, its eyes on the entrance and nothing else. Armin takes another look around the store and spots the beverage cooler in the back. Walking over, he takes out a Coke and ambles to the neighboring shelves and proceeds to quietly stuff candy bars into his jacket’s modified inside pocket. Then he walks back to the counter, grabs an apple from the stand, and places it and the Coke on the counter.
“You reading The Great Gatsby?”
The clerk takes his eyes off the book and nods. “For school.”
“How far are you?”
“In the middle,” says the clerk as he rings up the Coke.
“Want to know what happens?”
“No, sir. That would ruin it.”
Armin shrugs and moves toward the exit. Then, he stops and turns back. “Gatsby gets popped in his pool by George. What a freaking idiot.” He takes a large bite out of the apple and leaves the store, grinning.
_ _ _ _ _
Armin walks back to the car and puts the apple in his jacket pocket. He leans down, glancing at the young girl in the backseat, still asleep. He knocks on the windowpane.
“Adriana! Time to get up, sleepyhead.” The girl stirs and yawns, wiping her eyes on the backs of her hands. Armin opens the door and waves, beckoning her to come out.
“What time is it, daddy?”
“Three, four o’clock.”
“I had a dream where I was with my friend Lilly and she and I and oh, also Randy went and ate ice cream and-”
“We’re not in Massachusetts anymore, honey.” Armin waves a ten dollar bill at his daughter. “Get yourself a soda and bring back two apples, too.”
_ _ _ _ _
As the afternoon traffic passes lazily by, Armin watches Adriana as she sits on the hood of his car, attacking the apple with the only section of her mouth that did not have a gap. He smiles.
“Slow down there. You don’t want to lose another tooth, do you?”
She pauses and looks up. “Dad?”
“Yep?”
“Wow will the tooth fairy find me in Texas? No one ever told her we were going on a trip.”
“Don’t worry. You can save the tooth for when we get back.”
“And when are we getting back, daddy?”
“Soon.”
“But when?”
“Soon.”
“But-”
Armin shushes his daughter. “Let me show you a trick.”
“Cool! I love your tricks. They’re wicked awesome!”
“See this?” Armin holds out the other apple Adriana had bought and takes a large bite. “Watch.”
He waits for a truck to pass the road, and lobs the apple into the truck bed. “No more apple, right?”
Adriana shook her braided hair. “Nope.”
“But look here…” Armin takes out the apple in his pocket. “…What’s this?”
“Whoa! It’s another apple!”
“And it has the same bite mark on it, too.”
“Whoa! Cool!”
“Your mom can’t do anything as cool as that, right?” Armin asks as he ushers Adriana back into the car.
“Nope.”
“That’s because your mom’s a boring old bat, right?”
“Yep. You let me stay up late and eat candy and watch TV.”
Armin nods. “That’s because your mom’s-” He slams the door shut after Adriana climbs in. “-a freaking b!tch,” he mutters below his breath.
Let me know if you're interested in reading any more, folks.
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