June 2024 Flash Lit 10.2 - Pineapple

“It’s a symbol of welcome,” Aunt Phyllis said.

Ford looked dubious.  “Sure.  Everyone wants to be welcomed by a fruit that looks like a giant prickly grenade on the outside and has enough acid to dissolve your tongue if you’re foolish enough to eat it.”

 

Aunt Phyllis looked at him over her glasses.  “Symbol, child,” she said.  “It’s not literal.”

 

“Is that why you kept it?” Ford gestured toward the object in her hand.  “Because it’s a symbol of welcome?”

 

“Of course not,” Aunt Phyllis said.

 

They both regarded the semi-pineapple-shaped trivet with the patchy stain and the bumpy upholstery nails hammered into it.

 

“I kept it because you made it.”