Grandma’s Apple

The school was going to start in a week time. The thought of it made me fret, but that day I was happy to see my paternal grandma. It was a cold day of October, and it had been pouring for over a week now. Since I was in a village, I remember how difficult it was to reach to my grandma’s place on a day like that. There were no roads or streets with asphalt. It was just sludge, lots of it! A couple of times, I nearly lost my boot because it got stuck in the mud.

I finally arrived to her house; modest with a low entrance door that I had duck to get inside the antechamber. Grandma was not a tall woman. She had a very kind face and sweet voice. She was not expecting me to visit, so I could see the joy on her face when I entered the small kitchen. Instantly, she was

worried how I will get back on such a rainy, muddy day.

After a few hours that I spent with her, she prepared some goodies to take back with me. She took out a handkerchief and gave me all her savings she has knotted for school, and most importantly, she gave me an apple. Grandma used to have these red, big and juicy apples. I thought to myself that I will eat it on the way because I did not want to share it with my brothers.

Here I was with a heavy backpack and the apple in my hand. Grandma accompanied me to the gate. She was waving at me with tears in her eyes, but all I thought about was to eat the apple she gave me, and how I will enjoy it by myself like a greedy child.  

By now, the road had become muddier because it was not very cold anymore and the mud had begun to melt. It was very slippery and the heavy backpack was not helping me much in keeping my balance.

Finally I took a bite from the apple that I was craving for so long. As soon as I took the first bite, I could feel myself flying off the ground and hitting it so heavily that I saw and heard the mud toss around me. The apple flew from my hand about two meters away and the chunky bite I had taken got stuck in my throat.

I couldn’t even stand. Whenever I tried standing up, I fell back, soaking even more in mud. I was lying flat in mud and I could still see the apple. Instead of thinking of myself, I think of how to get to it. I got on my knees and began to crawl towards it. I could feel the heaviness of the backpack. I finally got the apple back even though the price was to be covered in mud head to toe.

I decided to return to my grandma’s place. As soon as she saw me, she couldn’t stop laughing. She washed me, and now I had to walk back home all wet.  You may think all of this happened because of my greed for the apple. It was not just an apple, it was grandma’s apple.

When someone gives you something as little as an apple, but puts the entire love and care in it, you should patiently treasure it and only delve into it when the time is right, not when you are feeling greedy because that’s the most precious thing they had to give you and you would not want it to fall into the hands of greed.