For the Teacher

"Here ya go!" a student said cheerfully as she deposited a zipper plastic bag with an apple into my hand yesterday morning. "An apple for the teacher!"

"Uh, thanks?" I said.

She laughed. "You like apples don't you? Of course you do. They are very healthy!"

"You're right about that," I agreed. "Thank you very much."

Kids giving you random gifts is one of the oddest things about being a teacher. Just the day before, another student opened a re-used water bottle full of homemade horchata and offered me some. I dutifully dug out a small paper cup and he poured me a shot of the beverage. I thanked him warmly, and he happily replaced the cap on his drink and went to lunch.

As for the present yesterday, no other teacher received an apple. Not to be ungrateful, I wondered if it was part of her lunch that she didn't want. Even so, I removed the shiny red delicious apple from the bag, and placed it on my desk where it gleamed iconically all day long.

"Did you eat your apple yet?" the student inquired after lunch.

"Oh no," I said. "I'm going to take it home and bake something with it."

"Apple pie?" she asked.

"Apple bread, I think," I told her, "or maybe muffins."

She nodded with approval. "I knew you would appreciate it," she said.