Love & Oranges

By Emma Romick

Photo by Brooke Tang

I share my love through oranges, clementines and navels. The intentional act of peeling back the tough, speckled skin to split the fruit with a friend. There’s something gentle, almost innate, about sharing company over juicy wedges and sticky fingers. It makes time for childlike laughter and grazing hands, a moment I often find myself taking for granted. It’s a tiny piece of earth’s sweetness, her friendship bracelets and love letters, enveloped ever so gently in its tender peel. It’s almost as if mother nature took her time weaving together those little pieces, each made with the intention of splitting them with someone you love.

I offered a man a slice once. I was sitting with soft music radiating through the speakers, windows down against the blazing July heat. He got out of his car quickly, in a rush, and caught the moment of my laughter when he noticed me alone, a giant bowl of oranges nestled softly on my dash. We made quick small talk by the humor of the moment, and I offered him one of my prized, shiny treats. He said yes and we laughed, his much louder than mine. In the simplicity of the moment, the rushing man and I shared a fleeting friendship, through the company of an orange.

Soft moments come unexpectedly, dashing and leaping before you even realize they’re gone. The compassion of friendship is a gift, one that is often overlooked by a busy world. I used to excuse my softness for being a romanticist, or a hopeless romantic who searched for love in every hidden corner of the world. Maybe I do seek romanticism in unlikely things, and maybe I’m wrong, but I see love all around me. In every bend and curve. In every struggle and hardship. In every laugh and shared moment of friendship.

I’ve grown to notice the little moments everywhere, and the world has reciprocated gracefully. The way sunflowers bend towards the sun, aching for its warmth. The way the river softens the rough corners of a rock, smoothing out its harsh edges. It’s all love. It’s all around. I know it’s real because I can feel it, I can see it in the smallest little things. Affirmations of affection in the sounds of everyday life. Isn’t that heaven enough?

I love oranges. I love the company and the intentionality of the fruit. I love sharing and sitting down with a friend. Every Friday, I spend my afternoons with a close friend, cafe hopping and crocheting. She brought me an orange last week, and gosh I can’t wait to return the favor. A boy told me he’d help me peel every single orange I ate, and I like to believe mother nature smiled when she heard that. Her intentional fruit of friendship, her invitation to slow down and practice gratitude for the things all around us coming to life through the love we share for each other.

There’s a lot of things I don’t quite understand about the world, but this I know for certain: love and oranges make it all a whole lot better.