Fruits of Temptation

North and South

“Ahh, The first sip is always the best.” I say to my husband. He looks over the breakfast bar at me and smiles in agreement. We sit and sip our morning coffee in unison. Just like we’ve done for over three decades. “What’s on your agenda for today?” He asks. “I guess I’ll take a walk on the rail trail and then stop for a few groceries on the way back.” I respond. “How about you?” I ask. “Maybe I’ll stop in at the shop for some guitar strings.” He says with a smile. We both know stopping at the shop for guitar strings is his guise for the opportunity to spend the afternoon with his buddies and catch up on the local gossip. His favorite pastime. Since we reside on the north side of town we rarely stray from our conservative routines. We understand it’s a privilege to be surrounded by corn fields and acres of soy crops. And we feel fortunate to be able to hear the neighbor’s cows “moo” and their sheep “baa” as they wait impatiently for their breakfast. We understand it’s a mystery and a blessing that we have somehow managed to remain unaffected by the construction of mega stores and warehouses invading all around us. I realize they will discover us someday, but for now we persevere. Although I do enjoy an occasional “visit” to the chaos on the south side, I always treasure returning to my sweet suburbia!

With that said, I launch a hair brush through my bed head and a toothbrush through my teeth. I’m on my way. I look forward to my morning walk. I think “Lowell and his new beagle puppy will be there by now.” “My former coworkers Sharon and Elaine should be heading out too.” “They will be eager to get their morning stroll in before it gets too hot.” If I hurry, I can catch up to them. Before I know it, I’m at the trail- head pulling into the parking lot. I must have been day- dreaming during the entire trip. I barely recall the drive over. I’m so easily distracted these days. I can tell I’m near the path entrance because I can smell all of the forsythia bushes. That first whiff always makes me sneeze. But that doesn’t deter me from following the row of rhododendron bushes into the woods. Most mornings the birds chirp so loud I feel like they are competing for my attention. Fortunately, their chatter simply blends in with all of the rest of the mayhem in my brain. While I wander, I think about how quickly the time flies. Our kids grew up and moved out of the house, and my husband and I transitioned into our role as “empty nesters.” It occurs to me that we settled in quite nicely . Sometimes our patterns can be a bit monotonous but we make it work. Once again I realize I’ve managed to spend forty five minutes engrossed in thought and I’m already back at my car. I’m not looking forward to the task ahead of grocery shopping. I sigh. “How many different ways can you cook chicken?” “Should I get the romaine lettuce or the red leaf this time?” “Is almond milk or coconut milk creamer healthier?” These are my weekly puzzles to solve. Next step is to conquer the self- check- out, load up my supplies, and forge on back home. As I drive, it’s obvious to me that all of the new construction over here on the south side has significantly added to the traffic congestion. It’s taking me so long to pull out onto the main road. As I sit tight, I realize that luxury town homes, franchise restaurants, and some kind of fancy cigar bar now occupy the spot where the Horst’s dairy farm used to sit. “Nothing is sacred anymore.” I mumble to myself. Finally, an opening in the traffic and I can proceed. As I pass the strip mall, I notice a silver Subaru parked outside. It looks just like my husband’s car. I edge closer and notice several patrons coming out of a café. They are carrying containers with bright purple and florescent green colored food inside of them. “That would be the day MY husband would be eating anything that looks like it might glow in the dark!” I blurt out. Yet, even though he should be on the complete opposite side of town right now, I am intrigued and have to investigate. I’m about to pull into my parking spot, when I notice him. There he is, my significant other, carrying a bright pink and white shake. I can’t believe my eyes! He’s just as surprised as I am and his face blushes timidly from scarlet to crimson to maroon. He says, “What?” “You’ve never seen anyone with an acai shake?” Raising my eyebrows I say, “Uhhh, yeah, but not you”. He quickly continues with “The guys at the shop told me about it.” “It’s supposed to be really healthy.” “I thought I’d give it a try.” “I knew I’d never hear the end of it if I told you” So, here I am, mister scramble eggs and home fries eating berries and chai seeds!” “I guess you caught me!” “I sure did and red handed!” I scold. I let him squirm a little, then I laugh out loud and say, “Well, go get another straw!” He grins awkwardly and hurries back inside. When he walks out, he’s holding both hands up in the air proudly displaying a spoon in each hand. We head over to a pic nic bench with a shiny purple umbrella on top to try out the new concoction. Both of us giggle as we slurp down blended layers of fresh fruit, wheat germ and coconut. He looks ridiculous with a coating of berry juice on his lips. So, I reach over to wipe it with my napkin and say, “I’m feeling a bit guilty!” “What’s to become of us?” I ask. He laughs and points to a sparkling aqua colored establishment two doors down. The sign outside of it reads “Himalayan Salt Cave.” “Bring your own robe.”