It was under the scorching Italian sun that we set off on our hiking adventure. Hand in hand, we climbed up the small roads that lead us up the mountain. The beauty of the Italian countryside dazzled our eyes. But as the day progressed, the relentless heat took its toll on one of us.
The sun was making Pierre feel weak and tired. We were completely alone. I tried to think of a way to give Pierre some energy. I tried to think of things I had in my bag, but clever as we are, we came to this climb rather unprepared. No extra water and no extra food. But then there was a small bag that I found in the back pocket of my trousers.
With a smile on my face, I reached into my back pocket. I pulled out a perfectly ripe peach. It was the only thing that I could give to him. The colour came back to Pierre’s face at the taste of the sweet and refreshing fruit. Water was dripping down the side of his chin.
This ripe peach, this little fruit that I had left in my pocket as a surprise to myself, kissed Pierre’s lips. It gave him new energy. Suddenly this peach, this forgotten peach, became something more for ¨him and me. It was giving us a silent promise of just how strong our relationship was. After Pierre had eaten this peach, there was a surge of energy in his veins. Not only was he full of energy, but he was also uplifted by what this peach meant to him and to me. We continued walking, but instead of going up, we went back down. Knowing that we really had nothing left to eat or drink, we thought it would be wiser to go back to the little village rather than get stuck out there alone. But this return to the village was not a defeat. Something blossomed in both of us, just like in the Itialan landscape. A respect, a love, a friendship, something we did not have before. We had come to know how much we could achieve together. This idea overflowed our hearts and minds. And let’s not kid ourselves, it also overflowed dicks, with joy and gratitude.
Now, every time I eat a peach, I think back to that moment, to that road far away in Italy, to that moment of enormous stress, but also of celebration. All of this happened a long time before the film Call Me by Your Name turned the peach into a symbol of gay love. Before that, we had our own peach, our own symbol.
