Why doesn't the grocery store sell food like this?" Cynthia asked her father.
2 Mr. Larson's gray hair dangled near his shoulders while he examined a pile of Monterrey pears. "I don't know, but I'm glad this farmers' market sells fresh produce," he replied. "I'm also glad that this place is on the way to Grandma Larson's house."
3 "Does Grandma Larson shop here, too?" Cynthia asked.
4 Mr. Larson shrugged his shoulders and shuffled his sandaled feet toward a large bucket of Fuji apples that was on display. "I don't know, but we can ask her when we see her later this afternoon."
5 Cynthia was not looking forward to visiting her grandmother. Grandma Larson was a wonderful person, but she was a little bit boring. Anytime Cynthia would say anything, Grandma Larson would smile and say, "That's nice." Cynthia usually did not have fun at Grandma Larson's house and would usually become drowsy and go to bed immediately after dinner.
6 However, here at the farmers' market, Cynthia was surrounded by excitement. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath so that she could sniff the scents that swirled around her. She could smell the pears, apples, oranges, and tangerines at the produce stand that she visited with her father. She could also smell the sausages, sandwiches, and tacos that people were selling in food trucks across the street. The sounds of the farmers' market also spun around her like pinwheels. Plastic bags rustled. Shoes of passersby scraped in the dirt. Bells on cash registers rang loudly.
7 Then Cynthia opened her eyes and saw a suntanned woman wearing a baseball cap. She smiled while she pointed to a large bucket of pears. Cynthia assumed the woman was the owner of the produce stand.
8 "Those are pineapple pears," the woman said with a smile. "They look like pears on the outside, but when you eat them, they taste like pineapples."
9 Cynthia looked at the light-green fruit and almost said, "That's nice," like her grandmother would. Then Cynthia thought about Grandma Larson. She wondered if Grandma Larson actually had the same type of qualities that a pineapple pear did—appearing one way on the outside but being completely different on the inside. Cynthia wondered if maybe there was more to Grandma Larson than she could see on the outside.
10 Mr. Larson motioned with his hand toward the pineapple pears and said, "Those look good." Then he asked Cynthia, "How about if we buy some of them?"
11 Cynthia smiled and replied, "Sure. We can try them together at Grandma Larson's house."
12 Mr. Larson's blue eyes glistened warmly while he grinned. "You sound excited."
13 Cynthia shrugged her shoulders and declared, "We could probably have an exciting time at Grandma Larson's house."
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