A light mist was falling as Grace stepped through the front door of the corner deli.  Heading over to the drink cooler to fetch herself her usual morning orange juice she heard, 'Good morning Ms Grace, how are you this day?'

It was Kevin, the deli manager, giving his same routine greeting, sounding more like a broken record each time she heard it. She knew he meant well, so she just gave him her same routine answer: 'Fine, Kevin, and you?' She'd pay for her OJ and headed back out onto the city sidewalks, slowly strolling towards the bus stop.

Catching the bus five days a week had been a normal requirement for Grace. Since she lost her husband Mike in a car accident the year before, she was left to take care of herself. She and Mike had been struggling financially and their only car was not insured, leaving her with no wheels and no income. Though she was in grief over the loss of her husband, immediate employment was a must!  If not, she would lose her little one bedroom apartment and the memories inside.

As Grace reached the bus stop corner, she leaned back against the red brick wall of the open front produce market. As she sipped her OJ and collected her thoughts, her eyes looked up to the sky. Thankfully, a light rain was beginning to fall and most likely would hide the tears that were starting to run from her eyes. Depression had become a common occurrence for Grace. Though she tried to subdue it, she knew she was fighting a losing battle. She couldn't afford to see a doctor for medication to relieve her sadness, so she began eating a lot of fruit daily, trying to heal her body naturally. With another twenty minutes before her bus would arrive, she walked over to purchase an apple for her morning snack.

And there he was... Jim, the produce market owner. This man scared her more than any man alive. Not because he was mean or anything like that, just because of how her body reacted each and every time he spoke to her. Jim was six feet tall and well built, with brown unruly hair, sky-blue eyes and a deep voice that would melt a popsicle in January. Every time he spoke to her, her body would begin to tingle. Though she tried to ignore his cute little suggestive comments, she knew she was defenseless. He had this charm and suaveness about him, so she dodged all possible eye contact with him.

He greeted her with a smile. 'Good morning Grace! You know, they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away?' 

Her body reacted instantly, yet she tried to ignore further conversation, for fear her desire for him would show. She simply replied, 'Good morning Jim', handed him a dollar for the apple, which he pushed away. Her heart skipped a beat as he spoke.

'No... this one's on me Grace, the next time it's on you'. She could feel the heat from his eyes on her, as she walked away. She nearly stumbled when he called out to her: