Maggio went out walking with her blind husband, Gennaio, in the garden with the pear tree where she had arranged to meet her lover, Damiano.
As they approached the pear tree, she expressed a desire to eat a piece of fruit. “What I wouldn’t give for a nice pear now!”
“Tesoro, do let me climb the tree and pluck a pear,” she said. Then recalling her husband’s innate jealousy, she added, “You can hold your arms around the tree to make sure I am alone.”
Not wanting to deny her innocent request, Gennaio stooped over and let her step onto his back. Taking hold of branch, she pulled herself up into the tree and into the arms of Damiano, who wasted no time.
The pear tree began to shake under their passion. As it did, a pear fell and dropped into the mouth of the blind Gennaio.
Gennaio bit into the pear and opened his eyes. By some magic of the fruit, he was no longer blind.
“Zoccola!” he cried out, when he saw his wife in Damiano’s arms. “What are you up to?”
In his fury Gennaio shook the tree. “Zoccola! Come down from there!”
The branch the two lovers were clinging to broke; his wife fell on top of him.
Maggio gave a shriek.
Her jealous husband had bitten into her own ripe pear. “Zoccola!” he cried, whereupon he passed out.
Meanwhile, Damiano made good his escape.
When he came to, Gennaio could not remember what had happened.
“Where am I?” he said.
“Tesoro,” said his wife. “You have had an accident. This pear hit you on the head.”
She helped him up and they went home.
Nine months later a child was born to them named Damiano.
*
“Three turtle doves
Two French hens
And a partridge in a pear -”
“Maude, it’s good six months off Christmas, whichever way you look at it. Please can you sing something else?”
“I can’t. I’m reading about the pear tree.”
“What happens to the pear tree?”
“It’s not what happens to the pear tree, but more what happens in the pear tree that makes it interesting…”