Apples & Oranges (Central Florida)

It was gray in Michigan. The snow on the ground was turning brown and the Best kids hadn’t seen the sun in weeks.

“Beep, beep, beep.”

Frederick’s alarm clock went off bright and early. He peeled back his grey woolen blanket and jumped out of bed. Today was the day they were going to Florida.

“Get up, get up!” Frederick yelled throughout the house. Edith yawned and Hugo popped his head above the top bar of his crib.

Downstairs, their mom and dad were packing lunches and putting bags into the car. Each of the kids had their own backpack filled with toys and art supplies for the journey ahead.

Once they arrived at the airport, the kids got really excited. This was their first time flying on an airplane. From the window at the gate, they could see the plane being filled up with luggage. It was huge! It had big, green letters across the side, huge wings with engines underneath, and a picture of a bright orange fox printed on the tail.

“Wow!” said Edith.

“Whoa!” said Hugo.

The kids boarded the plane, buckled their seatbelts and immediately asked their parents for a snack. Their mom reached in her bag and handed them each a small tin filled with apple slices. They were the crispy kind. They tasted like home.

After waiting for nearly an hour, the plane began to move and finally took off into the air. The jolt pushed Frederick against the back of the seat. He laughed at the feeling. The tilt of the airplane flying upward caused Edith to open her eyes very wide. She was a little nervous. Hugo was perched on his dad’s lap, trying not to squirm.

The airplane landed in the city of Orlando in North-central Florida. Everything was instantly different. Instead of gray and brown, plants were green. 

“Look!” said Frederick. “A palm tree!” 

Everyone turned and gazed with wonder. “Look!” said their dad, “orange trees!”

The view out the left side of the car was lush. The trees were lined perfectly row by row, and speckled with orange dots. The air was warm and smelled fresh.

Frederick, Edith, and Hugo settled in and unpacked their things when they arrived at the resort – another first for the Bests. It was evening now, and after popping out for some groceries, their dad returned with a bundle of local Florida oranges. It was hard to wait until after dinner to slice open the juicy citrus fruit. 

When it was finally time to cut into the oranges, the family migrated to their balcony on the fifth floor and looked out across the southern woods. The sky was full of color. Vibrant tangerine and violet light was making the clouds glow in front of their eyes. As orange juice dripped off their chins, the winter blues began to fade away. And they all wondered if this was the official taste of sunshine.

Previous
Previous

Cousins With Cannons (Central Florida)