Strawberry shortcakes

Strawberry shortcakes factor into the short story “Afternoon at the Bakery”. Strawberry shortcakes are the favorite kind of birthday cake of the dead son of the Narrator. Each year, she goes to a bakery to purchase two strawberry shortcakes in honor of her son. This brings her into the bakery where the girl from the story “Fruit Juice” has gotten older.

Kiwis

Kiwis factor into the short story “Fruit Juice”. Kiwis are discovered boxed and crated in an old post office, now being used as a storage facility. While reeling from the impending death of her mother and the awkwardness of meeting her father for the first time, the unnamed girl in the story break into the office and begins eating one kiwi after another. The narrator explains she is eating through sadness. The kiwis therein symbolize sweetness, and a bountiful and full life, which...