Freedom Fruit

A Non-Fiction Story by Evie Groch

In "Freedom Fruit" by Evie Groch, the symbolic naval orange becomes a gateway to the author's past, revealing the challenges, sacrifices, and ultimate freedom experienced through migration and cultural celebrations.

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A simple naval orange, right here in front of me, bright, juicy, and a main ingredient for what I’m about to make to celebrate the Festival of Purim, something my parents had to do in secret in Eastern Europe. When I slice the orange open, I’m transported to the infirmary I was in during a sixteen-day voyage on a freighter from Bremen, Germany, to New Orleans, USA, my entry point. An infirmary like a cell. I had the measles. Couldn’t eat. Forlorn, isolated, and only three years old. What were they thinking? Anger rises in me yet. My father, my hero, sneaked in to my cell in the evenings with sweet, juicy oranges, something I could easily swallow.