how to make fresh, crisp apples - by caleb

"I want some fresh, crisp apples,"  Caleb said, jumping up and down.

"Fresh, crisp apples?"  I asked while wiping my soapy dishwater hands on a towel.

"Yes! Yes!  Yes!"

I opened the refrigerator door, pulled out an apple, washed it, and begin slicing.

"No Mom!  I don't want that apple.  I want a fresh, crisp apple."  Caleb's face is upturned in severe disappointment.

"Okay, well that is what I thought I was doing."  Frustration boils.  Whatever happened to those magic words that make mom happy?

"No.  That is an apple.  I want a fresh, crisp apple."

"Well, shoot, teach me the difference."

"First you cut the apple up."

"Okay," my hands rocked back and forth on the back of the knife slicing through another apple.

"Then you put it in a bag,"  Caleb opened the cupboard to remove a zip lock.

"Okay?"

"Set it on the counter and leave it over night.  I will eat it for breakfast tomorrow."  His fingers reached for the sliced apple and stuffed the triangles of fruit into his bag.  Pushing the bag to the side of the counter, his body hopped down from the stool as he ran off to play.

Hours later, Nate walked in the door and spots the apple.  Without a second thought, he dives right in.  Among the "fresh" fruit crunching, my hands quickly cut up another apple to shove into that darn plastic bag.  Freshness varies and if Caleb is eager to eat those plastic marinated apple chunks, I will store them on the counter happily.  

As for me and myself?
I prefer my apples fresh, without the browning 24-hour plastic bag containment period of time.
Cut them and serve them is what I always say.