Strawberry

With an exasperated sigh, Aaron tossed another crumpled sheet from his sketch pad into the overflowing trash can by the door. 

The pile of bad cartoons Aaron had gathered was more impressive than anything else he had accomplished for the past week. The weekly due date for his newspaper feature was only a day away, and everything he had done thus far had made its way to the wicker basket serving as his waste bin. All the crumpled up paper formed an origami-like structure, or a constellation of half drawn, reject ideas. His eyes darted around the dusty room, as though his next idea would suddenly appear etched into the walls.  The ticking clock was a menace. He wondered why he had put it there in the first place. For every tick it made, a voice in his head (an amalgamation of his father, his high school principal, and his wrestling coach) repeated:

"Failure."

Tick.

"Failure."

Tock.

The room was bare aside from the ticking clock, the dust on the unswept floors and his desk which was ridden with writing utensils, paper, and a souvenir shops worth of coffee stained mugs. His Wife, Elizabeth had always insisted upon her cleaning the room for him but Aaron was vehemently opposed.  

“ This is the ONE room in the house which is mine. “ He would say. Elizabeth wondered why that meant he had to keep it in such a dismal state, but she dared not challenge him on such touchy subjects of this kind. 

Aaron watched the sun rays steam through the blinds, casting a golden splendour upon the oak desk and the chestnut floorboards, admiring the clouds of dust floating about like the inside of a snow globe. His eyes moved to a spot in the corner of the room where the rays formed a shadow over the heap of cobwebs.  The walls had slight little bumps if you looked closely enough, and little chips where a new coat of paint was needed. The house was ancient already, but on top of that, Aaron didn’t bother to keep it from looking that way. 

“Honey?”  Called Elizabeth. 

“I’m coming.” 

Aaron was regimented in a way where no matter what he had accomplished, lunch had to be eaten at 12:45 pm. It was what he considered to be an integral part of his "Creative process"

Elizabeth was a therapist who saw clients in her home. Because of Aaron’s strict schedule, she made sure to block off the hours  between 11:45 Am and 2:45 Pm in order to prepare, enjoy, and clean up after lunch with her husband. 

“Outside?” Called Aaron

“Yes” called Elizabeth. 

Aaron insisted, as soon as the weather was warm enough they would have all their lunch meals on their backyard patio. Aaron sat at his usual spot, where his coffee had already been poured and sweetened.  He sipped the coffee while listening to the birds singing and admiring the flourishing colours emanating from their beloved garden. Elizabeth laid out  a bowl with green salad and a basket filled with flatbread, a plate with cheeses and a saucer with homemade strawberry jam. 

“We’re running low on jam.” said Elizabeth. 

“And not a moment too soon.” said Aaron

Elizabeth smiled.

"Cheesecakes, and jam and pie. I can hardly wait"

Hearing Elizabeth say this made Aaron blush with pride.

Elizabeth looked on at the garden and back to Aaron while he chewed a forkful of the salad. She let out a warm contented sigh and it evaporated into the calm afternoon. 

When they had finished eating, they sat in silence while sipping their coffee and listening to the birds in peaceful reverie. Elizabeth knew not to ever ask about Aaron’s work for the day, unless information had  been volunteered forth by Aaron. 

When they had finished their coffee, and the afternoon sun was at its peak, Aaron walked over to the garden for closer inspection on his treasured crops. 

The sun beamed down upon Aaron’s famed garden in a way which made him titter with happiness. He admired the tulips,  standing tall and vibrant with brilliant yellow mirth. He looked at the bushel of peas which was more abundant than ever before. Each pod looked pregnant and ready to burst at any moment. The prized rose bush was also in good health. The deep crimson colour of the  flowers were so rich, so celestial, they could’ve came straight from Eden. With a deep breath, Aaron left the roses to see his most beloved child of them all; his precious strawberries.  Aaron was perturbed to see them in a rather sorry state. It seemed to him, between the rodents which came in at night for food, and all the insects who swarmed straight for their delectable sweet juices, the strawberries resorted to utter decay. Just before turning to leave, Aaron glanced at the dirt where an enormous strawberry sat, ridden with ants. Aaron picked up the festering strawberry and held it close to his eye. There was one massive ant, bigger than all the rest which caught his eye. With great interest, Aaron watched the one massive ant feast upon the strawberry’s flesh. Just then, Elizabeth came up behind him. 

What are you looking at sweetheart? 

"I think I’ve got my  next character"

 Aaron said. His voice was jubilant. 

"What will you call him? " Asked Elizabeth.

"Arnold. "

...

“Doesn’t he know we know he’s there?”

Said Arnold the ant, to his fellow ant workers. 

“Whatever. Who cares. Let’s eat”  said Lionel the ant. 

And on they went. 

....

Meanwhile, in another garden, Andrew had just finished mowing the grass. He took a deep breath, savouring the fresh spring air and the smell of the cut grass and the barbecue ribs from his neighbour next door. Andrew wiped the sweat from his brow and cracked open a can of beer and sat down with his wife, Evelyn, on their respective deck chairs. Together they laid back, Andrew with his beer and Evelyn with her novel, both rejoicing in what was the dawn of a promising summer ahead.  

“Ahh” 

Said Andrew

Evelyn giggled. 

“You’re the same man I fell in love with. “ she said. 

“You always know how to enjoy a good spring day... “ 

"I wouldn't know how if I didn't have you, my love." Said Andrew

Suddenly he started up off his chair.

“Almost forgot! “ He said

“What is it, honey?”

“The strawberries, dear! ”

“Mmmmm. Yes please.” said Evelyn 

Andrew went over to the strawberries and was immediately fixed where he stood.

After some moments Evelyn called to investigate the situation. 

“What is it honey? I’m getting inpatient for my snack. “ 

“Oh nothing...” said Andrew gathering berries in his shirt, his voice in a daze. 

“Just a little friend here. “ he said pointing out a little black dat on one of the strawberries 

Evelyn leaned over and smiled at the little dot. 

“ A friend, huh? What will you call him? “ 

“Aaron”