Delphic Song

Chapter One

“Forty dollars and thirty-two cents, please,” I said, interrupting the girl’s rant about Maine lobster.

The guy fished out three twenties from his wallet and handed them to me. “Keep the change,” he said. He straightened his plaid shirt and smiled. “Have a good apple season!” They turned and staggered off to their black Cadillac, wobbling under the weight of their apples. A Cadillac. Of course.

What were they going to do with thirty-six pounds of apples? I wondered. Make an apple pie the size of their kitchen? I imagined it, an apple pie the size of a large room, and laughed quietly to myself.

A loud yelp startled me from my laughing, and I froze, sobering up immediately. As I came sprinting out of the stand, I was just in time to see Liam swaying on a ladder, one which had just moments ago been propped up again a Northern Spy tree, but was now suspended in midair. That was the Liam I was used to.

“Liam!” I yelled, just as the ladder began to fall. I stopped, not wanting to get in the way in case it fell on me. The ladder wobbled dangerously and began to lean to the side, and I cringed, hiding my face in my shoulder as it toppled to the ground. I heard a loud thump and an even louder, “Ouch! Damn it! Ouch!”

I peeked out at him from under my arm, and, after confirming that he wasn’t dead, jogged over to where he had fallen. “Are you okay?” I asked sheepishly.

He glared up at me from under the ladder. “Do I look okay?” But his scowl and bad attitude only induced a burst of laughter from me. “It’s not funny,” he grumbled, throwing the ladder off. I dodged when it came dangerously close to hitting me as it arced overhead before landing on the ground.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” I told him. He stood up, brushing off his work pants and worn Stone Mountain T-shirt I had gotten him when we had went for a concert there a couple of years ago. “I won’t tell anyone about this. Except maybe my blog…”

“Oh really?” he raised an eyebrow. “Not if I stop you first.” He tried his best to look threatening.

“Ooh, I’m feeling that burn.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d need some ice for that.”

“Ice? How original of you.”

“Why, thank you. You’re too kind.”

“You know I am.”

“Suure. How’s that blog post coming?”

“I was just actually just taking the cover photo.” To prove what I said was true, I took out my phone and snapped a picture of him covered with dirt and with leaves in his dark, mussed up hair. I cackled maliciously. “This is going to be so good. How’s this sound for a headline? Clumsy Man-child Attempts to Climb Ladder but Fails Dramat -”

I squealed as he swiped at me hand, snatching my phone away from me. I tried desperately to frown disapprovingly, but the corners of my mouth twitched. “Give it back, Liam,” I said mock-sternly, tsking at him. “It’s not nice to take things.”

He grinned. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you can… hmm…” he paused, lost in thought, then his eyes lit up as something occurred to him. “If you can do a better cartwheel than me, I’ll give back your phone – and you can keep the embarrassing picture. But if I do a better cartwheel – which I will – then I get half of whatever cash you made today.”It wasn’t a fair deal (and where the hell did cartwheels come from? Was he trying to make himself look stupid?) but my ego wouldn’t let me back down. I could do a better cartwheel then him! Hell, he couldn’t even stand on a ladder without falling over.

Tossing him a cocky smile, I said, “Fine. Deal.”

“Spit shake on it?”

“Ew, no.  Don’t be so gross.” I held out my hand and he shook it, a cocky grin of his own in place.