The Fate of the Apple

There's a scene in the sitcom, Family Ties, where Alex (Michael J. Fox) is watching his mother (Meredith Baxter) prepare a school lunch for his little brother. He watches as she places each item into the lunch box.

Alex: We don't eat that, you know.
Mom: What?
Alex: The apple. We don't eat the apple.
Mom: What do you mean?
Alex: We always go straight for the cookies, try to trade for the sandwich, save the chips for later, and the apple goes into the trash.
Mom: I know! I know! But it's my job as Mommy to put the apple in the lunch!


These past three weeks, I have been making lunches for Tyler to take to work. He worked at the track for three years, but the track was not an environment to encourage sack lunches or meals from home. At his new job, however, they're about making money and saving money towards better goals than fast food lunches. Tyler has been extremely grateful for the lunches I send him and always makes a point to tell me how much he enjoyed his sandwich/spaghetti/pork chops and other goods.

It's been kind of fun, actually. I've tried making lunches for Himself before, but he was fussy about what he liked and didn't like and I stopped trying. In all fairness, lunch in the desert in the 115 degree heat was literally no picnic. It felt good to step into a fast food joint to get out of the heat, plus the condition of whichever lunch I sent, no matter how I tried to keep it cool, was usually less than appetizing.

During Ty's stint in public school (until 3rd grade) I started out making lunches, but it became much easier (read lazier) to send some cash with him to school. Then he homeschooled for the next 9 years and there was no need to send anything.

Between Tyler's job, Kelly's job, and Glenna's crazy Wednesday where she needs to pack a lunch, I've been buying lunch supplies for the kids rather than expecting them to scavenge from leftovers or make PBJs. I try to keep to healthy items, but I've also broken down and purchased the chips, cookies, puddings, and ranch dip that make a lunch bag fun to open. Tyler comes down the stairs promptly at 7:30 a.m., oohs and aahs as he digs through his brown bag of goodies, gives me a hug and heads out the door. Like the Mom in Family Ties, I've made sure there's a sandwich, carrots with ranch dip, pudding, chips, and some kind of fruit. Usually, the fruit is a nice Granny Smith apple.

Today I was out of apples, so I stuck in a plum. At dinner he informed me that he doesn't care for plums and didn't eat it (I knew that but was hoping he'd be hungry enough to try it anyway). It was then I learned the fate of all the apples last week.

Evidently, the apples had been used for experiments at the shop. Experiments, that is, with explosives. Each experiment has been progressively dangerous and inventive, the last one involving at 1/2" drill bit, a fire cracker, and propane. He said they were unable to find any remains of the apple at all on that one.

Do I even want to know this?

Should I be thankful I was able to contribute, in some small way, to their pyrotechnical education?

Maybe I should send some canned peaches instead.