The sign above the table felt like a dare rather than an invitation: Don’t cheat. Pick a candy apple to see how brutally honest you really are. Mara paused in front of it, not because she believed apples could reveal truth, but because she had spent most of her life avoiding it. The table looked ordinary—wood worn smooth by time, a linen cloth carefully laid out—but the apples gleamed with exaggerated confidence. Each one stood upright on its stick like it had something to say. Around her, the room hummed softly with other people making quick, careless choices, laughing as if honesty were a game. Mara stayed silent, hands clasped, knowing that whatever she chose would feel uncomfortably close to a confession.
Her eyes moved from apple to apple, each coated in a different promise. Caramel whispered comfort and nostalgia, the safety of choosing what everyone else liked. Classic shone red and unadorned, almost daring her to admit she wanted simplicity. Cookies and cream felt indulgent, while birthday cake radiated forced cheer, the kind that masks exhaustion. She lingered longer on the stranger options—chili with its dangerous shine, lemon sharp and unapologetic, pistachio textured and unfamiliar. These apples didn’t try to please; they challenged. Mara realized the table wasn’t asking what she enjoyed eating, but what parts of herself she was willing to acknowledge: the sweet, the bitter, the complicated, the messy.
She finally reached for the lemon apple, its bright yellow surface catching the light.
Someone nearby raised an eyebrow, as if to say bold choice. When she bit into it, the taste startled her—sharp, sour, but clean. It wasn’t unpleasant; it was honest. The lemon didn’t pretend to be dessert. It didn’t soften itself for approval. As she chewed, Mara felt something loosen inside her chest. She thought of all the times she had smoothed her words, softened her boundaries, swallowed discomfort to keep peace. The lemon apple didn’t allow that. It demanded a reaction. Her eyes watered slightly, and she laughed, not out of embarrassment, but relief.
When she stepped away from the table, the sign no longer felt like a trick. The apples hadn’t revealed some hidden truth about her personality; they had simply given her permission to stop pretending. Around her, others compared flavors, joking about what their choices “meant,” but Mara understood something quieter. Honesty wasn’t about being brutal or dramatic—it was about choosing what fit, even if it wasn’t popular or easy to explain. She tossed the apple stick into the bin and walked outside, the sour-sweet taste still lingering. For the first time in a long while, she felt clear. Not polished. Not perfect. Just real—and surprisingly, that was enough.