Dead Apples

12- Painful Cuts

The cut on my leg hurts so badly that it hurts to wear pants over the cut. It's on the side of my thigh so I've gotten away with just wearing loose pants. Maybe it needed stitches but it's been a few days so it's too late for that now. I've cleaned it the best that I can so I'm careful that it's not getting infected.

After work, I have to take Zero on a walk so I take him back to the park, hoping and praying that it's safe to go back. I'd assume that Dex learned after last time that it's a bad idea to make this his hook up spot. I have my sketch pad with me so while I let Zero go run around to get some energy out, I lean against a tree and try to think of something to sketch.

I see the oceanic sketch that I started on Saturday for Amber's mural but I'm not loving it. It doesn't look like it's mine. Maybe Dex was right, that I should try to create something that I know.

The only thing that I know is the orchard behind my house but what kind of preschooler wants to look at some dead apple trees while they eat?

But then I realize that I don't have to make it the orchard now, I could paint it when it was thriving, back when my mom was alive and took care of the whole thing almost all by herself. The bright green leaves and the contrasting red apples peeking between the branches.

When the orchard was thriving, my favorite time of day was just after noon, when the sun was bright but starting to lean off to the side of the trees. It created some interesting shadows in the grass and I could help my mom pick off some of the ripe apples. The next morning, she'd take the ripe apples up to the market and sell them.

Sometimes, families and couples would come to the orchard to pick their own apples. Mostly tourists who wanted a cute way to spend their evening, picking apples under a sunset.

But right after noon was my favorite because I could help my mom pick the apples after the market closed. Robby would sometimes help too but he'd mostly hide behind the trees and jump out to scare me.

Without even realizing it, I'd started sketching the scene that I have in my head. The rows of apple trees, the wicker baskets that hold the ripe fruit, and the dog that we had when I was a kid. His name was Muffin and he was a fluffy sheepdog but he died when I was ten so I only vaguely remember him. He loved running through the trees with me and Robby when my mother was picking the apples.

My father would rarely ever help with the orchard because he had his own job but if he was home, he'd bring us lemonade or a snack or something. He'd kiss my mother under the shade of the trees but she'd laugh and push him away, scolding him because she had so much work to do. She smiled the whole time.

I throw the Frisbee for Zero when he gets bored of playing without my help so I try to throw it really far to get myself more time to sketch in between tosses of the Frisbee. I think that Amber will be okay with a switch in theme as long as I have a finished draft of the idea by Saturday so hopefully she likes this one better than the ocean idea.

When Zero is ready to leave the park, he starts groaning and resting his head on my knee so I pack up my stuff along with the Frisbee and we walk back down the sidewalk to the house. My father is home from work now with pizza for dinner so in the kitchen, I grab a few pieces before making my way toward my room.

"Robby called," My dad tells me when he sees me walking through the living room. "He's having a meeting with his lawyer on Tuesday in the city to talk about a plea deal."

"He's not going to take it," I say to him.

"You should go," He adds. "He might do it if you're there to talk him out of going to trial."

"He's pretty pissed at me right now, I don't think me being there will help," I mumble.

"He told me what you did," My dad says. "And he will get over it. You did the right thing by giving that money back to the family."