THE ART OF PIT SPITTING

Our son Alex came out on the back deck carrying a bowl of cherries. “Look what I found in the refrigerator!” he said placing the bowl on the table between my husband Steven and I. He looked over at me. “Did you get these today?”

“I did! I picked them up at the farmer’s market, don't they look good!” I popped one in my mouth and pulled the stem off. Spitting the pit into my hand I got up and went into the house coming back out with a few napkins. “Does anyone else need a napkin?” I asked placing them on the table next to the bowl of cherries.

“For what?” Steven asked as he took another cherry from the bowl.

“The pits.” I said.

Steven and Alex looked at one another before they began to laugh. “We don't need a napkin.” Alex turned his head spitting the cherry pit over the rail and into the yard.

“Nice!” Steven said then spit his own over the rail. “But I think mine went farther!”

They both turned to me. “You want to try?” Steven asked pushing the bowl of cherries closer to me.

“I've never been very good a pit spitting.” I said popping another cherry into my mouth, taking the stem and placing it on my napkin. When I spit out the pit it tumbled unimpressively just a few feet from my chair. “Told you.” I said picking it up and tossing it into the yard. “I've never been a gifted pit spitter like you two.” I grabbed another one from the bowl to try again.

“You've got to tip up your chin up a little more...it helps you get some distance.” Alex demonstrated what he was saying as I watched another one of his pits go sailing over the railing and landing in the yard.

I tipped my chin up and spit. The cherry pit dribbled out of my mouth, down my chin and landed on my shirt leaving a red stain where it landed. “Oh, great!” I said flicking the pit with my fingers. “That's going to be a stain I'll never get out!” I complained.

Alex looked over at Steven. “She really can't do it.” he sounded almost amazed.

Steven shook his head. “Nope, she really can't.” He shot another pit out of his mouth and we all watched it sail over the railing in a perfect arch. “It must be like the tongue curling gene. You either have it or you don't.” He curled his tongue and looked over at Alex.

“Oh yeah! I can do that too!” He curled his tongue and they both turned to me.

I stuck my tongue out, of course without a curl. “Nope can't do that either.” I sighed as I took one last cherry, popped it in my mouth and spit the pit into my hand before dropping it on my napkin.

“Maybe if you practiced.” Alex tried to sound hopeful.

I looked down at the cherry stain on my shirt. “Nope, not worth it.” I shrugged my shoulders, “Besides, it's not really very ladylike.” I sat up a little straighter, brushing an invisible speck of dirt off my pants.

“Really?” Steven turned his head, spit out another pit then looked over at me. “That's what you're going with?”

I smiled as I placed another stem on my napkin. “Yup! That's exactly what I'm going with!”