In the Apple

Chapter 11

I was already shaking my head before he'd finished speaking. "Oh, no. No way, I can't do that!"

"Whatchew mean, you can't do that? I just invited you, didn't I?"

"My mother would kill me! Going into a strange man's apartment? You must be kidding!"

"How would she find out?" he asked, reasonably enough. "You gonna go home and tell her?"

I shook my head again. "No, no, I can't." And then, the park began to swim, my limbs felt suddenly cold, the hair on my arms stood up, and little black and white spots began to swim in front of my eyes. The coldness was beginning to spread from my limbs to my trunk, and I started to fall. I fell, someone, Smithy I guessed, caught me, and lead me to a bench. Someone put a cup of water into my hands and I gulped it, leaving a bit to splash onto my face. The world began to come back into focus. I heard the gurgle of water, and saw a Chinese woman refilling the cup from a thermos. I smiled at her gratefully, drank it down appreciatively, and handed the cup back to her. I nodded and smiled again. She nodded, patted my shoulder, and walked on. I gazed after her, moved by the generosity and kindness of her act. I sat there feeling engulfed with a sense of one-ness with the mass of humanity around me, a sense of unity like I'd never felt before in my solitary life, even with my own family. A tiny thrill of joy crept through my chest.