Amy

Epilogue

My shoulders ached as I reached up for the thousandth time to pull an apple from its tree. The fruit grown here was much smaller and less shapely as the kind you would find in a supermarket, but it tasted much better. As I dropped a few more into the bushel at my feet, I noticed my sister sitting in the shade with a couple of her friends. We decided to change her name from Sapphire to Stephanie when we enrolled her in the local public school. It was hard at first because neither one of us had had any formal education, but Oliver tutored her at nights and eventually she caught up with all the other kids her age. Again I was amazed at how strong she was.

I glanced at Oliver, who had moved to the other side of my tree. Even when focused on his work, he had that same, genuine smile that made you feel at peace. He noticed me staring at him.

“Alright there, Amy?”

“Yeah.”

He leaned forward and kissed me, something I could never understand or get used to, and turned back to the apples. For a moment, I leaned against the trunk and closed my eyes, felt the cool, fragrant breeze drift by, and reminded myself of how lucky I was to be there.