Jonny Do Good

Once upon a more wholesome time in a more wholesome world there was a small town and in the farthest corner on the farthest part of town (which wasn't very far at all) there was a small house.  In this house lived a woman named Crimson and her son Jonny.

Now Jonny was the most wholesome boy of all in this wholesome little town because Crimson grew him on apples and if anyone would she would say 'My Jonny here is an apple baby, I grew him in stomach with an apple seed and love' but the people in town weren't convinced.  They would joke 'Yea he's an apple alright, a rotten apple' and because of this Jonny learned to be faster than the towns folks comments so that they couldn't hurt him.

It was one such morning that Jonny was using his super apple speed that our story begins...

It’s about 7:45am and young Jonny is climbing aboard the school bus.  Jonny rides this bus every morning and as a result he is a professional at dodging spit balls, paper air planes, legs jutting out egger to trip some unsuspecting  first grader and other undistinguishable things tossed around along the course of the ride.  Oh yes Jonny was so good at avoiding all of this that he was considered some what of a legend.  He could hear the children as he passed whispering about how they’d get him one day or if so-and-so had the surprise ready.  He took his seat in the rear of the bus he had the whole back row to himself and that was the way that Jonny liked it.  He propped one leg up and the seat and dusted off his red high top converse, readjusted the bow and pulled the tongue down.  He did this every morning on purpose with a slowness that seemed to invite all the other kids to watch and plot.  Jonny had to be the poorest kid on this bus, but his bright red high top Converse were always clean no matter the weather or circumstance.  Maybe it was this that pissed off all the other kids or maybe it was his invincible attitude but whatever the case these kids were always out to get Jonny.  They were always looking fore his weakness. 

Little Jonny had one weakness and one only.  A flash of orange caught his eye and he cringed. Yes Jonny was deathly allergic to the color orange!  His mother used to explain to him as a small child how special. He was an apple baby because she grew him herself, just like and apple in a garden, but she also planted caution in his young mind because she was certain that oranges and apples don’t mix.  He took a gulp and recomposed himself, though he wanted to twitch every time the girl dug her teeth into that carrot the bus was almost at school and he would be fine. 

The bus was only a block away from the school and as it rounded the corner in a sharp turn, a flash of orange jumped into the air and flew right towards Jonny.  It was carrot girl's dry, ridged half eaten carrot and it had smacked Jonny right in the forearm.  Jonny jumped to his feet and clutched his arm scanning the crowded bus to make sure that nobody had seen.  He wanted to scream, to cry, but he bit his lip instead and covered his arm as the bus lurched to a stop and he ran down the steps and through to open doors to the school ground.  Jonny was head right straight for the boys bathroom, its blue sign with the white stick figure gleaming like a signal beacon.

He slid to a stop in front of the bathroom door leaving black streaks and the smell of burnt rubber.  With the hand that wasn't injured he pushed through the door and locked himself in the nearest stall.  With a big gulp Jonny pulled his hand slowly away from his injured fore arm to reveal an orange rash spiraling around in a circle where the carrot must have hit.  Jonny quickly shrugged off his back pack and fished through its contents: An apple, apple juice, a red pencil, a small red pouch for his lunch money and finally a small tin canister which he pulled out with such force the top popped off.  Inside the canister was filled with apple balm which his mother had made for him incase of just such an emergency.

Jonny stuck two fingers in the balm and took a healthy scoop which he applied to the rash that had now spread over a majority of his free arm.  As he applied the balm it began to bubble as if it were boiling! The rash liquefied and slid off of his arm and onto the floor.  Jonny let out a sigh and side stepped the bubbling mess.  Shouldering his bag Jonny lifted each foot and brushed off his red high top Converse in turn.

Now that he had taken care of the rash he was ready to proceed with his usual morning ritual.  Adoring the school beauty Tapuz, the only problem is she adores the color orange.  Jonny made his way to the school yard dodging rubber balls aimed at his head and jump ropes that accidently strayed too close to his legs and found himself at the far end of the play ground where the swing sets stood.  There she was sitting on the good swing which seemed to be reserved for her because that was where she always sat and no one dared to lay one cheek on her swing.  She rocked back and fourth leisurely as the girls crowded around her laughing and giggling about the boys who were playing four square only a few paces away from them. 

Jonny would have liked to go over to the other boys and show off in a game of four square but 5 years of elementary school had taught him its better just not to ask.  Instead he took a seat on a near by bench and pulled the apple out of his bag. 

This was a daily ritual for Jonny and had been ever since the first grade...

It was the beginning of a new school year and a smaller more infant like Jonny had begged his mother not to send him to school and more.  He had suggested going to work in an Orchard where they grow apples-his people, but she quickly rejected that idea and sent him on his way.  With his red low top Converse and red lunch pail Jonny skipped to school at a speed that was unusually fast for a 5 year old.  He had learned to be faster than the other children or else the bus would leave him.  On this morning he was running late because of the conversation he had been having with his mother and wasn't feeling very hopeful that he would make it.   He skipped around the corner and the bus came into view reviving up its engines in anticipation of take off.  Jonny pumped his little legs as fast as possible but the bus was already pulling away from the curb.  Then something happened, a little girl with long black hair

The little girl walked right up to the bus door and started banging on its windows.  As Jonny got closer she turned her head and glanced at him the look on her face, had she been older would have been fierce.  Her big eyes were in slits, her thick brows were knitted together and her small lips were pursed.  She nodded at Jonny and though this may have been a small gesture to her is was the first time someone had ever shown him any sense of camaraderie.

All of a sudden he seemed to have the strength to catch up with the stalled bus.  Just as Jonny reached the girl the door opened and she took his hand as they clambered on...

Jonny took the last bite of his apple as he relished the memory of his meeting with Tapuz.  Sadly the first day of school was all it took for her charm to sky rocket her to popularity and his apple bred backgrounds to put him at the bottom of the social food chain.  This was the least of our Jonny's troubles...the straw that broke the camel's back was...Orange! Tapuz favorite color was orange and everything she owned was covered in it!  He sighed as he finished the apple and tossed it to the side because if there's one thing that his 9 years of life had taught him it’s that apples and oranges don't mix.

Jonny stood up and caught Tapuz' eye.  Watched as a smile spread across her face and immediately returned it.  Then he used the surge of joy he felt to sprint to the class room his feet making dust as they hit the gravel.

In class Jonny found his seat in the far left corner which used to be the Dunce table.  The teacher sat him there almost everyday for one reason or another so one day when he came into class he found that it had been converted into his own personal desk.  He would have been insulted if it weren't for the fact that he would rather sit alone instead of deal with one of his classmates. Jonny was getting out his pens and papers as the other kids came tromping into the classroom.  With only minutes before the bell rings the children have made quick work of turning the classroom into a circus.  The kids are screaming and running around.  The boys are pulling the girls hair, the girls are showing off their new lunch boxes and the class clowns are throwing paper and spit balls. 

Jonny would have loved to join in, but if the teacher caught him that would mean a trip to the principal’s off which always ended in a paddling.  Instead he pulled out his color crayons, all of which were red, and began drawing all things which reminded him of or related to apples.  As Jonny is drawing an Orange flash comes sailing across the room and smacks him right in the head.  Unconsciously Jonny picks it up and looks down to his horror it was an orange paper airplane!  He dropped the plane, but it was too late, his hands were already breaking out.  He lifted his hands to his face and felt bumps where the plane had touched him. 

With the speed that made him legendary he grabbed his back pack and began shuffling around for his Apple Balm.  Sadly he had another stroke of bad luck in that his backpack made a loud noise as he slammed it on the table and he now had the attention of everyone in the classroom.  He could hear the girls gasping and the boys asking what was wrong with his face.  One kid cried out look it’s on his arms too! At this point Jonny was panicking.  Finally he felt his hand close around the balm canister as he looked into the disgusted faces of his classmates.  He slowed his breathing a bit as he slowly pulled the balm out of his bag.  He was so nervous it was hard to remind him self to keep breathing. 

Placing both hands on the canister he began to twist the top off, but as he was looking down there was another flash of orange and the class gasped as Tapuz rushed to embrace Jonny.  This he thought would have been the happiest moment of his life if she wasn’t wearing an orange sweater.  His body felt like it was burning and as the bell rang he dropped the canister to the floor and lost consciousness.  The last thing he remembered was the smell of citrus coming from Tapuz’ long Black hair.

Jonny woke up to white, which quite a shock because he always imagined that Heaven would be filled with all the luxurious furnishings that his mother’s house lacked.  He took a deep breath and prepared himself for his new life, or death, in a world of white.  Then he heard his mother’s voice.  She sounded shocked.

“YOU’RE AWAKE!!” she screamed and he was certain that he could feel her weight against his small frame. Against his better judgment he looked down.

“Mama? What are you doing in heaven?”  He asked as a quizzical look sprawled his mother’s face.

“Heaven? Candy Apple! You’re in the hospital!” tears began to stream down her face and relief washed over his. 

He was alive he couldn’t believe it!! Jonny let a sigh escape his lips and returned his mother’s embrace. 

“You had citrus poisoning, but the doctors got to you in time…” she paused for a breath and pulled a sheet of paper out of her apron “.and to think it was all caused by this little note.

She held out to him and orange sheet of paper with creases over it and on the paper in red writing was ‘do you like me?’ with yes or no boxes underneath.  He let a smile spread across his lips.

“Yea...to think”