Of Apples, oranges and a dash of love

“Apples grow on trees but carrots grow underground. Do you know why?”

I still remember that question from the not so little girl. It was a laidback town in the middle of nowhere and we the village folk used to while away our time sitting on the front porch talking little and thinking none.

But this not so little girl was different. She asked a lot of questions. She questioned the sky and she questioned the earth and everything in-between. By the time she was 13 she had read all the books in the village library and had graduated to the town library some 50 miles away. That was how I came to meet her.

For you see, I was 18 and used to drive a truck into the city at least twice a week. In addition to farming, I sculpted wood and twice a week I used to go the town to see if I could sell my wares. As one of the few who ventured out of the village frequently, she came to persuade me to take her to the library so that she could get more books. I was mildly amused and accepted her request after talking to her father who owned the farmland adjacent to mine.

I never did like talking. But with her, it was a whirlwind of words and questions. As the farms on either side whizzed past me, so did her questions. It was annoying. But my late father was friends with her father and come Harvest season he always allowed me to use his Harvester free of cost provided I used my own fuel. I felt I owed him a debt and tolerated her questions.

And so it went for three months, but suddenly had father sent word that wouldn’t be joining me today as she was sick. I felt relieved that I needn’t hear her incessant chatter. That was the last time I saw her for over seven years. Her father moved her away to the hillside so that she could recover.

I missed her. I missed her chatter and her questions.

Then one day, she hopped onto my truck she asked me “Apples grow on trees but carrots grow underground. Do you know why?”.  It was as if no time had passed.

But now, I looked at her sitting beside me, smiled and asked her “Why?”

The suprise on her face was akin to shock. But then she quickly covered it up and started answering the question. But that was nothing compared to the shock and turmoil inside of me. I was interesed in something I didn’t know existed

And thus began a new chapter in both our lives…