Cherries

Today I did an important rite of summer. I ate way way too many cherries while sitting on my deck.

It was actually not blast furnace hot after a massive storm that killed the electricity for a while today. I grabbed my bowl of cherries and sat in my favorite lawn chair and kicked back. I’d snag a cherry out of the bowl by the stem, grasp the delicate fruit between my teeth and hold on while I pull loose the stem.

Then, ever so slightly, I’d roll my tongue around the red flesh of the cherry; feeling the dents and imperfections on the soft skin of the fruit before slowly sliding it between my back teeth. Next, I bite down softly while my tongue scoops out the hard pit in the middle of the burgundy soft tissue. Holding the meat of the fruit in my teeth, I let the pit roll onto the middle of my tongue, take in a deep breath and spit that puppy as far as I can. Finally, I greedily dig my teeth into the giving orb and savor the sweetness.

I must’ve repeated this procedure a hundred times today. Each cherry had it’s own texture and sweetness. Some were so sweet they made my mouth water, while others made my lips pucker with sour. So the eating of the fruit is always awesome, but here comes the rite of summer. My stomach is killing me. Way way too much fruit all at one time. It’s just like when I get oranges in November.

And, I’m really hoping there weren’t any worms in the cherries. That’s always unfortunate.