Grapefruit
Karen WeHunt-Harden, Contributing Writer |wharden1950@gmail.com
Thelma Ellen (Smith) Bell of Dillon, South Carolina and I were freshmen roommates at Limestone College when the Gaffney Strangler/Cherokee Choker was afoot. We were aware of the danger, stayed together and alert.
April Swofford from Florida was a sophomore on our hall. She and I became breakfast buddies because Ellen was no early bird. April religiously enjoyed half a grapefruit before her breakfast, and I usually had grits and bacon or pancakes.
The Hong Kong Flu struck, and April was the first victim on our floor. Stupidly, I ran down to the infirmary to take some books and to check on April. The next thing I knew, I was in a bed next to her downing four ounces of fresh Florida orange juice every hour. Mother came as soon as she could. I do not remember Christmas. I had to take my exams in January. Guardian Angels protected us from dying of the Hong Kong Flu or at the hands of the “Choker”.
In the winter, grapefruits seem most fragrant in the grocery stores and I am always reminded of sweet April and our breakfasts together in the fall of 1968. Do you have any grapefruit stories or fruity memories to share? Enter them at The Woodruff Times Recipe Challenge.
Author: Tracy Sanders
