She smelled like Orange Glo...

With childlike wonder she came home from an outdoor market and described her rediscovered love of fruit. She rattled off what she had eaten with the excitement of Eve in the Garden, seeing the variety of colors dangling off trees for the first time. The produce section became a veritable Utopia while grocery shopping that afternoon. She emphatically tore off plastic bags from the dispenser, filling them carefully with her newfound loves. After placing the final bag in the cart she stood, hands on waist, and let out a satisfied sigh. Trying to help, he looked around, pointing out the few items she missed. "You forgot the grapefruit." "Yeah, that was purposeful", she said, "It's disgusting." He laughed at this. "Oh, hmm. Well, what about strawberries?" At this she looked like a disappointed child. "You know I am allergic", she said sadly, "Why did you have to bring it up?" He knew she was allergic, of course he knew, but filling the cart with fruit had become a game in his mind.

That night, bending over rifling through the drawers of the refrigerator, he asked her if she would like something from their produce adventure. She paused and thought, pursing her lips together. She wanted an orange. "Are you sure?", he asked, laughing and watching her eyes dart back and forth as she sifted through the choices in her head. As he watched her, he felt his eyes soften. A slow smile turned up the left side of his mouth. He knew, if she had looked up right then, she could have seen it. The change in his expression. She was adorable and he was in love.

"Yes, yes...an orange. I want an orange." He stood in the kitchen and helped her peel the orange and they placed it delicately on a paper towel. He grabbed an apple for himself, which she informed him was a Gala, and they headed back to the sofa. She sat at the end, one leg curled underneath her and, as she took the first bite of orange, they talked about the pattern of her socks. Argyle. Always argyle. As orange met her mouth, she closed her eyes and savored it. He took a bite of his apple and continued to watch her marvel over this seemingly ordinary find as if she was the first to ever discover citrus. She lifted one hand to her face and breathed in. He looked at her with a curious grin and asked, "What are you doing?" "Smell", she said, "What does it remind you of?" She waved her hand in front of his face and he grabbed it gently to hold it in place underneath his nose. A flash of recognition. "Orange Glo?", he asked. She smiled and said, "Exactly. Orange Glo." A cleaning product used in their apartment from time to time. They laughed and he said, "Well, maybe you could have achieved this very same excitement by cleaning. There's a novel idea. Yes, maybe you should have done that." She laughed and rolled her eyes, slapping his thigh while eating another slice of orange.

She watched him eat the apple. "Would you like a slice of my orange?", she offered. He looked at her, not wanting to take something that brought her so much joy. "Well, okay. You want to trade?" She knew he would ask. So he gave her his apple and she handed him the paper towel with her last remaining slice of orange. They passed the apple back and forth, both taking bites, until it was gone. He never knew fruit could be so intimate. In that moment, he understood her love.