An Apple for a Teacher
Chapter 3: Sharing Lunch in the Orchard
Before long, Nathan came back, Newton in tow, to the part of the orchard where he'd momentarily left Elizabeth, Allie, and Jack. The Mountie and horse pair, together with Elizabeth and the two children, then promptly traversed the short distance to where Sargent was resting. Once there, Nathan hitched Newton to a tree adjacent to the one to which Sargent was hitched, removed the two saddlebags from each of the horses, and deftly fit each bag underneath each one of his arms in preparation for transporting them to the picnic site Allie had so precisely selected. While her father was hard at work, Allie helped Jack scavenge for ladybugs as she held on protectively to her bulky basket of crimson apple acquisitions which the orchard had so graciously gifted them. Meanwhile, Elizabeth said hello to Sargent, gently massaging his ever-majestic mane, which was distinctly dark and reminded her of black coffee. She also gave him one apple from her basket as a treat.
Adept at using her peripheral vision due to the many days she had spent overseeing students in the classroom, out of the two corners of her eyes Elizabeth couldn't help but take notice of the dexterity and ease with which Nathan hoisted the saddlebags off of the horses and tucked them under his sturdy arms, whose strength and definition was still apparent in spite of the weighty coat that guarded them from the brisk autumn air. Managing to not completely lose her focus, which Elizabeth whispered a quick prayer of thanks to God for as she expeditiously directed her eyes heavenward, she then chided herself for not sticking to her central vision. Staring—albeit sideways and secretly—was not tactful behavior, and the last thing she needed to do was clumsily and distractedly spill her basket of apples, which was chock-full of the scrumptious red fruit, on the ground below!
Making her way several trees down from the horses, Elizabeth gingerly set her basket brimming with apples down on the soil next to the trunk of a relatively small, friendly-looking tree to store it in this location until it was time to go home. She wanted to make sure the horses wouldn't snack on her apples in her absence, like a comical math problem gone wrong! What would be even worse than spilling her basket of apples, Elizabeth thought to herself, would be accidentally giving the horses an apple feast so sizable they'd get stomachaches! She was a lady after all—and, as her family would remind her, a former Thatcher, though she had swapped that name for Thornton upon marrying her beloved late Jack. She vowed to herself that she would try to remain focused and not do anything foolish, a task that seemed to her, in Nathan Grant's presence, to take much more concentrated effort than it should.
Returning to her fellow orchard comrades, Elizabeth then murmured her thanks to Nathan, touched by his thoughtful gesture of help in carrying her saddlebag, and happy to give her right arm—which was now sore and somewhat numb, due to previously carrying the hefty apple basket for so long—a much-needed break from carrying anything. The two, together with each of their children, then headed to the giant apple tree that Allie had deemed worthy of them eating their lunches under.
Knowing her ultimate goal was to get her father and teacher to spend some time one-on-one after lunch, Allie brought her basket of apples with her back to the picnic site, as she and Jack would have more apple picking in their future that afternoon, if she had anything to say about it! And say she would, when the time was right.
This was Elizabeth's first time ever dining alongside Nathan, and she found, as she made herself comfortable on the picnic blanket, primed herself for her lunch and placed a linen napkin in her lap, and then finally began eating, that she rather liked sitting beside Nathan Grant. She very much liked being able to see his soulful azure blue eyes and off-center grin in closer proximity, and to hear his warm and buoyant chuckle as if it were her next-door neighbor. Her eyes periodically caught his as they munched on their food, and she smiled shyly. He continually grinned back at her, a perpetual jack o'lantern in the making.
"Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite kind of sam'wich but mama's favorite is turkey," Jack announced as he chewed heartily on his PB & J.
"Both are great choices, Jack," Nathan responded, winking at him and Elizabeth.
"Dad and I especially love ham sandwiches," Allie stated, continuing the conversation. "You may notice that we are eating them today. It's a tradition when we go on picnics to always pack ham sandwiches. But I like turkey sandwiches and PB & J sandwiches, too. Sometimes I bring those kinds of sandwiches to school. Only a couple more years until you can attend school and bring your own PB & J with you to school, Jack," Allie informed him.
"Oh dear," Elizabeth bemoaned. "How can it be that Jack will be in Kindergarten in just a few short years?" She looked at Jack, and then at Allie. Finally, her gaze fell upon Nathan as she asked, "Does time ever slow down?"
"Unfortunately, it never does. It actually seems to speed up faster the more it passes," Nathan replied thoughtfully, and his words ricocheted like a bullet off of his brain and into his heart, hitting him with the realization that he should not waste time in taking the first step with Elizabeth. He understood the need to be gentle with her, as her past made the present a delicate situation. With that said, time was continually fading, tumbling from their grasp just as leaves fall away from their branches' grip as autumn wears on and as it swiftly gives way to winter. While no one except God knew the future, Nathan knew he needed to remember that death would greet each of them eventually one day, and regardless of when exactly that day was, it wasn't very far off, in the grand scheme of things. It was a sobering truth. A deep thinker, Nathan fell quiet as he pondered the transitory nature of life and fleeting essence of time.
Before long, the foursome comprised of Mountie and daughter and mother and son were finished with their lunches.
"I know what we can have for dessert. Apples!" Nathan joked cleverly, transitioning from his pondering state to a playful, joking state, and presenting his and Allie's basket of apples with his hand dramatically as if to say, Ta-Da!
Allie groaned out loud. "You make a valid point, Dad, but how about the chocolate chip cookies we packed? Those sound even better. We can give some to Mrs. Thornton and Jack, too. I packed enough for all of us, because my eyes are bigger than my stomach! Finally, that weakness of mine came in handy for once," the witty young lady replied. Elizabeth chuckled in the background at Allie's observation.
"I guess you're right, Allie…cookies sound even better. Nothing beats a chocolate chip cookie. Would you like some?" Nathan asked Elizabeth and Jack, surrendering to his daughter's proposition.
"Cookies make my tummy smile, so my answer is yes," Jack replied, and Elizabeth, Nathan, and Allie burst into peals of laughter, their boisterous chuckles crackling like the flames and sparks of an autumn bonfire, rising forcefully and then falling rapidly as they caught their breath.
"I can never resist a good chocolate chip cookie," Elizabeth concurred, her own smile extensive, dancing with remnants of fiery leftover laughter from her son's statement that hadn't yet been extinguished.
"Here, Jack, I'm going to give you two. Give one to your mama, okay?" Nathan instructed.
"Jack can't have two cookies?" Jack retorted. He had arrived at that toddler stage where he had begun to test his limits.
"Sharing is important, Jack," Allie declared. Elizabeth was struck by how naturally Allie interacted with her son and guided him, and Elizabeth felt a warmth envelop her heart, wrapping around it like the way heat from a mug of rich cranberry tea encompasses and gives comfort to a bare hand. Truthfully, she and Jack being together with Nathan and Allie as a foursome felt very right to her, and she took a moment to let herself ponder the possibilities.
The four swiftly consumed their cookies, practically inhaling them in all their gooey chocolatey goodness. After they took their last bites, Allie knew it was time for her to strategically get her father and Elizabeth to spend some time talking together, just the two of them.