To be chosen as The First Apple To Be Sliced is an honor. That’s what Jonagold tried to tell himself as 22 business suits escorted him to an unfamiliar row in the orchard.
As the group rounded the curtain of apple trees, Jonagold saw the square table with the white tablecloth and the sharp knife on the starched red napkin. He had heard about this place from last year’s apples. This was the altar where the season’s first apple is sliced and from which word seeps through the orchard: Apple season has begun.
Jonagold’s insides felt like mush. He had learned only last night that he was going to be The First Apple To Be Sliced when the head business suit plucked him from his tree and proclaimed, “I found it! This is the one!” Jonagold watched his leaf twirl to the ground and had a sinking feeling. Being “the one” is a lot of pressure for an apple, even with reassurance from last year’s Granny Smith—or what was left of her.
“Jush be yourshelf,” she had managed to squish out as Jonagold was carried away.
Granny’s words were wise. Jonagold was not afraid of the unknown. He was not afraid of going to an unfamiliar row in the orchard. He was not even afraid of being sliced and eaten. He was afraid he wasn’t good enough.
As he neared the white tablecloth and the red napkin, the pressure of being The First Apple To Be Sliced weighed heavily on Jonagold.
“Golden apples are more delicious,” he heard one apple whisper.
“He really should be wearing red,” remarked his distant Aunt Gala.
He struggled to let Granny’s words into his core. Then, he felt the cool September breeze on his skin, and something shifted.
Instead of worrying about his mushy insides, Jonagold focused on the crispness of the orchard air. Instead of wishing he still had his leaf, he felt grateful for the nutrients in his fruit. Instead of trying to be what the other apples wanted him to be, he just was what he had been his whole life. He was an apple. And that was good enough.
* The views expressed on this site do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations. They are the observations and reflections of someone who likes good stories.