Writers in the Attic: Apple

THE CONVERSATION Rebecca Weeks “Oranges,” he said, “are superior.”

“By far,” he added.

I could take the challenge.

“No,” I countered, “apples win hands down.”

I couldn’t believe this is what we were doing, comparing apples and oranges. Isn’t there a rule about this? But we were in.

And it was playful. And I knew where I stood.

“Oranges,” he said again, nodding to himself in confirmation. He didn’t move to defend, as if just saying their name was enough.

I clambered into the barrel and took my place amongst the humble fruit of my heart. Apples. It was obvious. Apples are better, but was I really going to have to defend them? Sure, apples have history and it’s loaded. We all know this. They’re complicated and I love that about them.

What would my life be like now if he had said he preferred apples – their blushing skin, the vast variety, their tenderness, the bruising, the utilitarian charm? And what about the diversity of texture, hue, size, shape, and storability? Can you bake an orange? Can you stew, compote, sauce, freeze, dry, can, or store an orange? Can you make a pie? There is no orange pie.

There is no orange on the teacher’s desk as a token of gratitude and good will. There is no orange tree of knowledge of good and evil. Fig or quince or stone fruit – maybe – but not orange.

The apple’s greatness is undeniable. Even the influence of a rotten apple is huge – spoiling the whole lot.

I was stubborn. I knew full well the value of oranges.

I was no idiot. But, I would not admit my appreciation for the sparkling magic within a self-contained and sweet spicy ball of gold.

Here was his argument: oranges are superior to apples because they come in their own packaging and can be neatly kept in a lunch bag or backpack. They’re full of vitamin C and laden with juices that hydrate the body. The spray of burst open orange peel is tantalizing, seductive, like perfume upon the skin. Every Christmas one of the exotic globes was in my stocking, old time symbol of a world beyond the daily relevance of apples.

I drool a little thinking of them – even now – but I will 19