The strawberries were nicely packed inside a small basket. A girl’s father bought the strawberries along with the loaf of bread at a street market in Birstonas, where the girl’s family was spending their summer vacation. These strawberries were different from the ones she saw in Alma-Ata. The strawberries from her hometown were small, they appeared in a particular season, and the girl knew that the season was over because it was no longer possible to buy them. However, the strawberries she got acquainted with in Lithuania were big and juicy, and available on a daily basis.

She remembers well that her mother forbade eating the strawberries. Her mother reasonably explained her veto by the food allergy the girl had. Therefore, the process of buying and eating strawberries became a secret. The girl’s father was her fellow conspirator. He shared the secret. She does not remember how she persuaded her father to buy the fruits, but probably after hours and hours of nagging, her father gave up and got a basket the girl wanted to try so much.

She remembers sitting on a bench. There was a huge water basin in front of her, and in her hands, she was holding the desired straw basket of tasty red fruits. During this afternoon as the day before the girl and her father ate the strawberries together while looking at how the wind created little waves on the surface of the lake.

The girl’s excitement would not last long. In a couple of days, the strawberries caused the allergy her mother was so worried about. The rest of the memory is pretty much blurred. There was a rush to the hospital in Vilnius and probably a visit to the doctor and some prescriptions. Probably there was some kind of treatment that helped the girl. There was the rest of the trip with a visit to some beautiful sites and the sea, but she does not remember much. However, there is still the lake and the strawberries in her memory.