Half Baked

The mall I work at has designated employee parking areas on the fringes of the mall property. In these areas, there are a couple of prime spaces that aren't completely exposed to the elements. On Monday and Thursday when I open the Customer Service desk I can usually nab one of them. Wednesday and Thursday I start my shift after lunch, and have to grab whatever space is available. Today all the prime spaces were long gone. I parked the car, checked to make sure I had everything I needed, and locked the door behind me as I went into the building.

In the afternoon I always get hungry, and I've learned to bring a piece of fruit with me and leave it on the passenger seat of my car to eat on the way home. That way I'm not ravenous when I walk in the door and eat everything in sight. Today the fruit was a nice juice Gala apple. I've been eating a lot of berries and stone fruits, and was looking forward to a change of pace.

At the end of the day I walked out to my car, got in, and grabbed the fruit as I started the ignition. The apple smelled extra fruity, and was hot (almost too hot to hold). The skin had lost its sheen, and instead of bright red it was almost brown. When I bit into it I was surprised that the color and texture of the fruit had changed, too, almost as if it was partially baked! It was different, but good. By the time I got on the highway nothing was left but a small core, which I threw into a plastic container that had held my lunch.

I started this job a year ago, so why haven't I had this problem before? I don't know, but I suspect it has to do with my work schedule. Last summer I worked more evening shifts, so my car spent less time in the direct sun. For the rest of this year's hot weather I'll either have to start taking my snack in with me, or get used to hot fruit.