Leaves crunch under my feet.

It’s late september.

I got to drive to the orchard.

Wind whipping in my hair,
I control the speed.
My jeep travels smoothly along the gravel.

At the orchard,
Children are skipping,
Holding their parents’ hands.

Crisp.
Sweet.
The scent of apples wafts to my nose.

A warm hand slips into mine.
My boyfriend of ten months smiles at me.
Our joined hands swing as we follow the crowd.

Our hands let go as I boost my cousin up.
Four year old’s tiny fingers reaching upwards,
He grasps the apple. Triumphant.

He chomps into the sweet red fruit.
“Goede?” I ask in what little dutch I know.
“Lekker!”

His one year old sister makes her way over to me.
Tiny legs wobble on the uneven ground,
Arms open gesturing to be lifted up.

I pick her up swinging her over my head,
She smiles her toothy smile,
As I secure her on my hip.

A cool breeze blows and I shiver.
Peter gives me his sweatshirt,
Enveloped in the warmth of his hoodie.

The comforting smell of his is
A whirlwind around me,
Like a hug that doesn’t end.

I look around at the people I love,
The trees adorned with apples waiting to be picked.
This moment is perfect.

This is what life is about.
I think to myself.
This is what life is about.

Leaves crunch under my feet.
This is what life is about.
I think to myself on that fall afternoon
in late September.