Forbidden

Having a long weekend, Adrian drove his college sweetheart, Evelyn, up to meet his parents. It was time.

Paradise, his hometown, occupied a hidden valley about two hours from the city. Unsullied by modern life, the town lived up to its name.

Adrian’s mother told him she would make his favorite dish for dinner.

Wanting to beat traffic, they left early in his pick-up truck.

About an hour into the drive, Evelyn pulled an apple from her purse and took a bite.

Adrian asked, “What’s that?”

“An apple. Want one?”

“No, no, no… throw it away.”

“Why? They’re delicious. You allergic?”

“No… Get rid of it.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never had one…”

“No. Apples are forbidden.”

“Who would ban apples? They’re wonderful. I love them. Here...”

She held the apple out. Shaking his head, he gripped the wheel.

“No.”              

Playing, Evelyn held it up to his face.

“Just one bite. See what you’ve been missing.”

He pulled over, sighed and looked at her.

“May I have it?”

She handed it to him. He rolled down the window and threw the apple out.

Evelyn gasped. “What did you do? What a waste.”

“Had to. Bear with me. You can’t bring those to my town. They’re forbidden. Didn’t you ever read the story?”

“What story?”

“Adam and Eve? Sheesh!”

“Yeah… So what?”

“Hello?”

“I don’t get it, Adrian.”

“What’s it about?”

“Uhm, temptation… Some people think it’s about sex. I learned it was about pride… thinking we can...”

“Duh! Read it again. It’s about apples. Right in the text. Black and white…”

She tried not to smile.

“You’re kidding, right? That’s a metaphor.”

“It’s pretty clear. ‘Don’t eat the apples.’ You know what happened after that. Do the math.”

Stunned, she sat back. “Adrian… I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. Keep this between us. Don’t talk about apples around my folks.”

She scoffed. “They’re as American as apple pie…”

“I’m not kidding!”

Evelyn let that sink in. She turned to him.

“Tell you what. I’ll stay silent. But I’m not even sure I want to meet your folks.”

“Evie, please. I love you. We’ll work this out. I promise. But not right now. Not with my folks.”

“Okay. But I need you to do one little thing.”

“What?”

“Take one bite…”

“No! I’m not going to eat something that’s been on the ground. Yuck!”

She pulled another apple from her purse.

Adrian reacted in horror. “Put that away! How many do you have?”

“One bite. I won’t tell. I want you to know what you’re missing. It will bring us closer.”

She leaned in.

“But my folks…”

“It’ll be our secret. No one will know.”

“But…”

“I’ll never ask again. Unless you want me to. Don’t you trust me? I’d never tell.”

“I don’t know… It goes against everything I’ve...”

She cooed, “You’ve been so deprived.”

Increasing the distance between them, he leaned against his door. “This is a side of you I’ve never known.”

“One little bite.”

With a loud crunch, she bit the apple.

Adrian felt panic creeping up. “Wait! Stop. What are you doing?”

She passed the apple back and forth before him. He couldn’t help but smell its tart and sweet aroma.

She smiled. “One bite. And I’ll never mention it again… unless…”

“It does smell good.”

“It is good. It’s delicious. I love them.”

He reached for it. She pulled it away.

“Now, don’t throw it away.”

He shook his head. “Promise…”

She let him take it. Without hesitating, he threw it out the window.

“Adrian! You promised!”

“I couldn’t. I didn’t mean to lie. You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I can’t believe you don’t trust me.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

“How can I trust you, if you pull stuff like that?”

“You can trust me… How can I prove I’m trustworthy?”

Evelyn pulled another apple from her purse.

“Oh, no! You’re crazy! How many of those do you have?”

“Enough… Hey, I didn’t make this a deal breaker. You did.”

“But…”

“But nothing. You lied.”

Adrian sulked.

Evelyn tried again. “Addy, I’m not asking you to do anything wrong. I’m trying to share something I’ve loved all my life.”

“Your parents did this to you?”

“It’s food… Where I come from, it is a given. Apples grow on trees… in everyone’s yard. They’re everywhere.”

Adrian shook his head. “It’s sick. You need help. You can be saved from this… horrible….”

“They’re not horrible. They’re good. Delicious. Nutritious…”

“But… what about the story… they’re forbidden…”

“It’s not about the apple, Adrian, but the trust.”

“No one I’ve ever known… I never heard this before.”

“Adrian… an apple a day…”

“Blasphemy!”

“Apple of my eye…”

“Great… Lust and gluttony combined…”

“Apple I-phones? Computers…?”

“Tools of… Wouldn’t own one. It’s all wrong.”

“Listen. Please! Apples are not immoral. The whole world enjoys them.”

Sensing leverage, he turned. “Don’t go into sales, Evelyn. ‘The whole world’? What a recommendation! I’ll pass.”

“Okay. The world isn’t the best example… But apples aren’t to blame. They may be one, good, little thing that redeems it.”

“Not convincing me.”

Evelyn regrouped. “So, no one in your town eats apples?”

“No. Not that I know of.”

“And everyone’s perfect? Always does what they should?”

“I suppose there’s a few bad ap… ahem… but I wouldn’t call them apple eaters.”

“Call me cynical, but I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a whole subculture, a secret society...” She put on the voice of a detective. “Welcome to the dark side. The apple eaters… denizens of…”

He put his hands to his ears. “Stop. You’re right. I don’t know. Oh, but look at the time. We’re late. Were due in Paradise twenty minutes ago…”

He shifted his truck into drive. She reached over, turned the ignition off and took the keys.

“What are you doing?”

Evelyn said, “We’re not going anywhere until you take the bite you promised.”

He looked at her and extended his hand. “Okay…”

“Oh, no you don’t. I’ll hold it. Wouldn’t want you to ‘accidentally’ drop it out the window. You think I’m made of apples?”

He said, “You want me to answer that?”

“Ha. Ha…” She held it up to his mouth. “One bite is all I ask.”

Adrian shut his eyes and took a bite. She smiled as she heard the apple crunch. His eyes widened as flavor surged while he chewed and swallowed.

“Mmmm… Wow! That’s amazing. I’ve never tasted anything like that. No wonder it’s forbidden. Pleasure like that could drive weak men to commit horrible acts.”

“Or make a pie… Remember, apples are not forbidden, they’re for bitin’…”

Adrian did not laugh with her. She bit the apple and hummed with pleasure. Adrian stared into the distance.

She said, “What’s wrong?”

“What have I done? Am I forever tainted? Have I fallen irrevocably?”

“Another bite?”

“Yes!”

He took the apple, took another huge bite and threw the rest out the window.

“Adrian!”

He swallowed. “I know! But we have to go. It was too much. Too good…”

“It was mine!”

Eyes averted, Adrian nodded. Every which way he looked at it, he felt ashamed.

They rode the rest of the trip in silence. But when he pulled up and shut off the engine, he said, “They’ll know.”

“What?”

“I lied. I failed. I ate an apple. I reek. They’ll hate me.”

“Worst case, they’ll get over it. You’re their son…”

“You don’t know what you’re saying… This is big… foundational…”

Evelyn leaned in. “Adrian… We’re together. Right? Kiss me. We’ll say it’s my perfume.”

He kissed her.

~

Adrian’s mother, Edna, answered the door and embraced them in greeting. She stepped back. Her expression betrayed her sense of something wrong.

‘She smells apple. I’m doomed…’

Adrian’s and Evelyn’s eyes met. They read each other’s thoughts.

Evelyn said, “May I use your restroom? This perfume… Traffic. Long drive…”

Adrian pointed her to the closest bathroom. He ran upstairs to another, where he rinsed his face.

Edna called after them. “Dinner’s ready…”

Sitting at the table, Evelyn tried to think of things to talk about. Edna passed dishes around. Adrian’s father, Lyndon, didn’t speak. The silence was suffocating.

Adrian joined them in the dining room, smelling of soap. He served himself.

Lyndon said, “Good. We can eat now. Turkey’s getting cold.”

Everyone commenced stuffing their faces accompanied by the ring of cutlery on plates. Evelyn noticed that Adrian kept wiping excess gravy from around his mouth.

He said, “This is great, Mom. What’s in this?”

“Turkey gravy, Addy. The usual. Make it every year.” She turned to Evelyn. “You know my son from…?”

“School. We had classes together.”

“Same majors?”

“No, actually, I’m into horticulture. Love learning about and tasting exotic fruit. Things you don’t see much… kiwi, mango, guava, papaya…”

Adrian tensed. He began to fidget. He tried to interrupt.

“Didn’t you say you were going into nursing?”

“No, silly. The greenhouse is called a nursery…”

She suppressed a nervous giggle and touched his hand. He settled and stared at his plate. His parents exchanged glances.

She continued. “…there are so many uncommon foods we only see in coastal cities and farmer’s markets. Such a big world.”

Lyndon said, “I had papaya once. It was okay…”

Edna said, “You see them in the canned goods section at the grocery. Never tried one.”

Evelyn said, “Different from your standard fruit… not like oranges.”

Adrian coughed.

Edna asked Evelyn, “Do you eat apples?”

Adrian groaned and mopped his face with his napkin.

Evelyn smiled. “There’s so much hype about them. I bit one once… long ago. It tasted bitter. Overrated if you ask me.”

Edna murmured, “Once bit, twice shy.”

“I don’t know what all the excitement is about. I love the cherimoya. Tastes like ice cream.”

“That must be good. I’d like to try that.”

“I’ll get you some. They’re sinfully delicious…”

Lyndon said, “We don’t eat apples.”

“I can see why…”

Things relaxed after that. The dessert was pumpkin pie.

Adrian and Lyndon retired to the living room.

Evelyn volunteered to help Edna clean up in the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Edna said, “You make a nice couple, Evelyn. He’s a good boy, but Adrian’s young. We can’t always be there. Please don’t hurt him. Don’t corrupt him.”       

Evelyn put her arm around Edna’s waist. “You’ve just met me, Edna. But you’ll learn that’s not my style.”

In the living room, Lyndon poured himself and Adrian a brandy.

“Thanks, Dad.”

They sat.

Lyndon said, “We need to talk.”

Adrian felt the weight of those bites of apple in his gut. The room felt warm.

Lyndon said, “You’re grown now. I know I can’t shelter you from the world forever.”

“Yeah…?”

 “Your friend, Eve? She gave me an idea. You want to make some money?”

Adrian perked up. He took a sip of his drink.

Lyndon leaned toward him and spoke under his breath. “I haven’t seen an apple around here, long as I can remember.”

Adrian couldn’t believe what his father was saying.

“They’re not illegal exactly, frowned upon, more like it… But listen up. We could start small. Bring a truck load in, maybe twice a month... Give it time to catch on, overcome resistance, and then up the frequency of deliveries. Once people try them, there’ll be no going back…”

“Wow…”

“Once we build demand, others will try to move in on it. But we’ll have our customers. We can up our game and beat their prices.”

“But…”

“Oh, don’t worry about the cost. I’d front you the money, be your point man and down the line we’ll split the profits.”

Adrian was stunned.

“I don’t know what kind of apple your friend ate. Didn’t make sense. Apples are like the ‘food of the gods.’”

“I never…”

“You have to try one. They’re amazing. And so many varieties…”

“I’m surprised, Dad…”

“Oh, and keep this just between us. Your mother’d never understand. She’d squelch this in about two blinks. Maybe less.”

“Oh, well… let me get some prices, see what’s possible.”

~

While driving back to the city, Evelyn apologized.

“I’m sorry Adrian. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that. Your parents are nice. What do I care if you like apples or not?”

“It’s okay, Evie. Dad thinks you’re a genius. Wants me to ship apples up here to sell in groceries.”

“What? You’re kidding!”

“True story.”

She pulled an apple from her purse.

“Keep your window closed… This calls for a celebration.”