All it takes is one bad apple...
“These cantaloupes smell rotten,” the woman grumbled before wiping a handful of sweat from her chest.
It was another unbearably hot August afternoon, and the city skyline was lost behind a haze of grayish blue.
“It’s the weather, miss,” the man said. “The humidity ripens the fruit.”
“I’m sure it does,” she scoffed. “I just can’t wait to hear what you’re going to tell me when you sell me some moldy strawberries in November.”
Another woman came forward holding four oranges, two containers of raspberries, a few bell peppers, and some ginger. The man added it up quickly.
“Eight dollars, miss,” he said, grabbing her a bag.
The woman handed him a ten, smiled, and walked away.
“Thank you,” he called out after her.
“You’re very rude,” the woman next to him said. “I was here first.”
He sighed and scratched at his beard. “Yes, apologies, miss. What can I get for you?”
She pointed to the peaches. “How are those?”
He looked over at the crate. “The sweetest of the season,” the man said. “But don’t take my word for it; give them a sniff.”
She reached past him and grabbed a peach from the box, ignoring the two that tumbled to the pavement.
She held it to her nose. “I’ll take six — and a container of those raspberries.”
The man nodded. He peeled off a plastic bag and started to fill it.
“Don’t crush the berries!” she shouted at him.
He rearranged the bag silently.
“Six dollars, miss,” he finally said.
The woman dug through her purse and offered the man a few crumbled bills and a handful of quarters. A few dropped to the ground.
“Oops,” she said before grabbing her fruit and walking away.
The man just shook his head and picked up the change.
The woman returned the following day wearing the same oversized T-shirt and plastic sandals. Sweat was dripping down her forehead, and her cheeks looked splotchy and flushed.
“Tasteless!” she screamed, foisting the peaches on him. “Mealy and tasteless!”
The man leaned back on his heels and raised his brows. “Really?” he said, inspecting his cuticles. “No, that’s impossible. I’m certain that any fruit would taste sweet to the lips of someone so sour.”
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