A Picking of Your Choice

It was a crisp fall afternoon here in Brick County. The air smelled fresh and the sky was an array of colors from orange, pink, and yellow. The birds had gone back their nests and the animals were quietly settling down. I was exhausted from all of the morning chores and needed a break to ease my mind. Working on a farm can get to you from time to time if you let it.  I looked across the fence and saw my next-door neighbor, Tyler. Tyler was the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. She was like a doll. Her rich chocolate skin, curly big hair, and the way she pouted her lips.  Tyler was so kind and giving, even when people didn’t return the same. Brick County wasn’t the nicest place to live in. It was in the middle of nowhere and unfortunately, Brick County is racist. People like Tyler weren’t welcomed nicely here. However, no matter how many people tested Tyler she never let them get to her. My family has always loved Tyler. Both of our families were close and Tyler and I were best friends. I’ve had a crush on Tyler since elementary school and never got the courage to ask her on a date. Time is filled with swift transitions. I couldn’t wait around forever. However, my shyness and anxiety always ate me up inside. However, today was going to be different. I was determined to make Tyler mine forever. I needed to think of a plan. It’s not like I could just go up to her and ask her, “Hey Tyler will you go on a date with me?” No! No! That was too easy and simple. I need to think of a grand gesture. Something to sweep her off her feet. Then, I looked across our farm and an idea popped into my head. I sprinted across the street and saw Tyler reading a book on the porch eating a juicy red apple. She must have heard me panting heavily because she turned around with a perplexed look on her face. “Umm hey Jackson, are you okay?” she said. I wiped the sweat running down my face and wiped my hands on my pants. God, I was a mess. “Hey, Tyler. I don’t mean to pop up on you like this but I wanted to ask where you got that apple from?” I asked her.  Okay. That was bad but, I clam up when I get nervous. I planned to ask Tyler if she wanted to go to a movie Friday night. Tyler looked at her apple and laughed. “You should know genius. I get them from your farm. Your parents let me go apple picking every Sunday afternoon. In return, I use half of the apples I pick and make your parents an apple pie.” My parents never told me Tyler went apple picking. Hell, I didn’t even know we grew apple trees! I needed to have a conversation. Tyler waved her dainty hand in front of my face. “You there love?” she asked. I nodded my head and laughed nervously. Come on Jackson! Just ask her! Tyler put down her book and picked up two straw baskets. “It’s supposed to be raining tomorrow, so I was going to go picking today. Would you like to join me?” she asked. She extended her basket toward me. I took it from her hands as she grabbed my hand warmly and led the way to the farm. Her little hands fit perfectly into me and I couldn’t help but smile on the inside. “You look like you’ve never seen this before”. I put my hand on the back of my neck. “That’s because I haven’t,” I admitted. Tyler laughed and shook her head. “Well, there’s a first time for everything”. She guided me through the trees and explained how you could tell whether the apple was good or not. To be honest, I wasn’t listening at all. I was too distracted by her beauty. We went to almost every single tree possible and our baskets were filled to the rim. “Oh Jackson, look at that one! That’s like the most perfect apple I’ve ever seen. It’s so high up though.” she pouted. I laughed at her childlike aura and dropped my basket. “Allow me”. I said. I scooped her up and ran towards the tree. Tyler laughed and screamed as I felt her wiggle in my arms. I lifted her light body as she retrieved the apple. I let her down gently. She looked at the apple and then at me. “Smell this apple, Jackson”. She said. I gave her a weird look as she held it out to me. As I reached down to smell the apple, she pulled me towards her and kissed me deeply. I was stunned by what was happening but I wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her closer to me. I looked into her eyes and felt right at home.  I was caught in the rapture of love. “I knew you didn’t come over here for a stupid apple Jackson”. she said. I looked at her and kissed her some more. I felt her melt under my touch as we both pulled away. “It’s about time. I got tired of waiting for you to make a move,  so I decided to take matters into my own hands”. Tyler said. “I’m glad you did.” I laughed.  Having her admiring me felt so strange. It felt like I was in a fever dream. After all of these years, I finally had her. After all of these years of not being picked, I can now say that I’ve been chosen. Tyler picked up our baskets and intertwined her arm with mine. “Let’s go, we have a pie to bake”. I took an apple from her basket and took a huge bite. It was so sweet and juicy. “Lead the way captain”. I said. She playfully slapped my arm as we walked our way home before the dawn turned into dusk.