Eliza And Her Brother In The Apple Patch.

"I don't want to be here" Eliza complained for the 40th time, pulling her sweater tighter as she walked back and forth among the rows and rows of trees each filled to the top with flame-red apples ready to be picked.

"You need to get outside more and this is the perfect opportunity," her older brother said as he placed another apple in the basket at his feet.

"It's cold and boring here," she said glaring at him.

"don't give me that look I told you to wear a better coat" he laughed turning away from the apple tree to face her. "come hear" he held out his hand and waited for her to take it, she did. he smiled as he lead her to the ladder near one of the tallest apple trees in the patch. "clime" he says as he puts a hand on the ladder to steady it.

"are you crazy, you drag me out to a patch of apple trees when it's freezing outside, make me carry your basket of apples, and then try to make me climb a ladder that looks like it could fall at any minute, with no explanation? no way, I want to go home" Eliza growled and took her hand away turning away from her father and starting down the path. 

"that's the wrong way Eliza" her brother yelled down the path. she turned back to him her cheeks as red as the apples, but not from the cold. "will you just trust me, I'm your brother" Eliza walked back towards him and took a step onto the ladder her cheeks still red. she took another step and continued until she was at the top of the ladder.

she gasped, the sky, blocked by the apple trees when she had been on the ground but now, the bright blue cloudless sky stretched out for miles meeting the apple trees at the horizon which seemed to stretch forever.

"This is why I chose today" her brother yelled up at her "this rarely ever happens around the right time so I wanted to show you before it was too late." Eliza took a few steps down so she could look at her brother in the eyes.

"you said you wouldn't talk about it" she whispered

A year ago her brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. The same cancer her mother had died from years ago.  the doctors said that he wasn't going to live for much longer but he had pushed threw longer than anyone could have expected. Eliza and her brother had made a promise that neither of them would worry about when the day would come when he would pass and instead make sure their time together was worth it.

“ I know I’m sorry,” he said as she jumped onto the ground in front of him. He grabbed the basket of apples from the ground and they started forward down the path once again.

“Thank you for bringing me out here” Eliza whispered as she and her brother walked.

“What?” 

“I said thank you for bringing me out here,” she said louder 

“I'm sorry I still can’t hear you,” her brother said holding back a laugh.

“I SAID THANK YOU, YA BIG JERK” she yelled as he howled with laughter.

She whacked him on the arm and he laughed some more. 

When they reached the end of the pathway, her brother had finally stopped laughing and she was once again bright red, and like before it was not from the cold. 

They stepped out of the mess of trees and into the mid-day sun, 

“Hey wait a minute, I just realized something,” her brother said turning to face her “I picked all the apples you didn’t even pick one!” Eliza turned and picked an apple fro the tree behind them and tried not to laugh at the sudden fury in her brother’s face as she put it in the basket he was carrying. She turned from him and skipped to the car.

When he got to the car his face had calmed and he looked as though he was already plotting revenge. 

“You were the one who asked me to come, I assumed I didn’t have to pick any apples,” Eliza said as her brother set down the basket and lunged for her. She dodged out of the way and ran back into the trees laughing even harder, her brother started after her but stopped suddenly and doubled over his hand on his chest. Eliza peaked out of the trees and concern spread across her face. “Are you alright?” she asked running to him. 

“I'm fine” he replied as he straightened his back looking at her. 

“Are you sure?” she asked searching his face for any sign that he was in pain.

“Yes,” he whispered. “Eliza, I’m Fine” she st her head against his chest and hugged her brother tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and they stood there in each other embrace for a few minutes neither of them wanting to let go. 

“Are you going to be ok?” Eliza asked pulling away to look at her brother’s eyes, her mother’s eyes. 

“I’ll be ok” he answered “let’s go home, dads probably worried” The two of them walked back to the car and loaded the basket of apples in the backseat before entering the car themselves. 

When they got home there father was standing outside on the front porch. He did not look happy. 

“You were supposed to be back an hour ago,” the two of them exerted the car and Eliza grabbed the apples from the backseat. “Do you have any idea how worried I was, what were you doing?” her brother smiled at her and her father.

“Enjoying the weather,” he said as Eliza walked over and set the apple basket in her father’s arms she smiled at her brother and the two of them walked inside. Followed by there father who set the basket on the countertop and took them both into a hug.

“At least call me next time you’re going to be late” he whispered to them. 

“Yes, papa” they replied. 

Later that night Eliza made apple pie and the 3 of them sat in the living room watching Spaceballs, a Mel brooks film that they all enjoyed. After they all went to bed that night Eliza lay awake listening to her brother cough in the other room. She was scared, she wouldn’t tell anyone but she was, she didn’t want him to die but she knew it was out of anyone’s control, so she prayed, she prayed he would get better and that there would be some miracle but miracles rarely happen, and she knew that but she still tried. Even though sometimes trying isn’t enough, she tried, and exactly a year later, she remembered today, the day in the apple patch with her brother, while she stood by her brother’s hospital bed as he closed his eyes forever.