“Wow, it’s like we’re so in sync.” She grinned playfully. “That’s exactly what I meant.”
“But you’re such a tough chick. I can’t believe you don’t climb trees.”
She looked up at me with her big doe eyes and shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, would you let me know when you plan on being tough? I can’t wait to witness it.”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
My empty stomach grumbled in protest. At some point during the night I wished I’d taken my dad’s advice and come into the game with a tolerance to hunger because that extra plate of spaghetti my mom had crammed down my throat was definitely not doing me any favors today.
I sighed. Dammit. Now I had to scale the tree. I was no acrobat and didn’t particularly like heights, but nothing was going to stop me from ascending to the highest of elevations to secure my breakfast. I was just that damn hungry.
Kenzie had to hoist me up to the first foothold, but once there, I managed to maneuver myself from branch to branch until I was unsteadily perched on a limb jutting out from the sturdy trunk. I reached for the dark object. It had the coloring of a ripe avocado but was shaped more like a pinecone. I broke it off and reached for another.
“Is it edible?” Kenzie called up to me, squinting as she shielded her eyes from the morning sun.
“How would I know?”
“Well, is it hard or soft?”
Oh, man, she was just asking for it with that question. “Let me just be clear – you’re talking about the fruit, right?”
Kenzie shook her head, grinning. “Yes, the fruit.”
I made a big show of feeling the produce. “Ooh, wow… yes, uh-huh… this little fella is downrightrigid… so firm and plump. I think you’re really going to like this one, Kenzie.”
“You’re a nutcase,” she laughed. “Just pick some and get back down before you fall on your head.”
I filled my pockets with as many guacamole fruits as I could reach and then scooted myself back down the tree in a less than elegant fashion, actually tumbling down the final four feet, spilling the fruit out of my pockets. Kenzie scrambled to gather them, entirely indifferent to my unceremonious decent. She was gingerly picking up the crop and dusting off the dirt as I unfurled my crumpled body and sat up.
“I’m okay, in case you were wondering.”
Kenzie wasn’t paying any attention to me. Focused solely on our breakfast, her face had suddenly taken on a ravenous appearance. “How do you think we eat these?”
I propped myself up against the tree and Kenzie took her place beside me, our precious bounty gathered lovingly between her outstretched legs. I picked up one of the cones closest to me and turned it over, trying to figure out how to eat it. First I tried biting into it, but the skin was too thick. Then I tried sawing it open on the tree, to no avail. Finally, impatient and starving, I went all caveman on its little purple ass and smashed the unforgiving fruit against a rock until the rind split open and revealed its treasures within. Both Kenzie and I cheered our good fortune.
I sniffed the insides and recoiled at the funky smell.
“You should lick it and see,” Kenzie offered up helpfully.
“And see what? If I die?”
“No. If it tastes good.”
“Smell it. I’m pretty sure it isn’t going to taste much better.”
She took a sniff and her nose crinkled in protest.
“What do you think?” I asked her. “Should we eat it?”
“I don’t know. Was this on our ‘Do not eat or you will die a long and painful death’ list?”
“Honestly, I didn’t even look at that information,” I admitted.
“Why?”
“I figured someone else would take care of it.” I shrugged.
