in a pig's butt. . .

love will go anywhere.

In CHERRY, a young male prostitute loves a self-destructing, self-centered pig. Eventually, the pig loves the prostitute back.

How the hell does that happen?

Grandma used to say, "Love will go anywhere, even in a pig's butt." Sometimes, without rhyme or reason, people find love. Despite themselves. Despite everything.

When I first thought of the story for CHERRY, I knew the type of asshole my mc Dave was going to be. He admits early on he doesn't give a crap about people, least of all himself. He hates himself. He's self-destructing. He's one seriously lonely fuck. He has no friends, no one on earth loves him and no wonder: he treats people like shit.

Then he meets this kid who, for some unfathomable reason, cares about him. Makes no sense why, makes even less sense that he's incredibly turned on by this kid. He isn't gay--he's been married twice, for Christ's sake. Dave tries everything to push Cherry away, even as he's fucking him two, three times a week. He uses and abuses the kid. Taunts him. Hurts him emotionally. Physically. Doesn't matter--Cherry loves Dave unconditionally and forgives his trespasses, including an act of betrayal so devastating that he's heartbroken. And Dave nearly blows his own brains out. 

But the more Dave gets to know Cherry, the more he realizes that this kid is different. Special. He's an enigma: uncommonly sweet, incredibly naive and yet he sucks cock for a living. And he's as nutty as a fruitcake--Cherry believes his mom came to him in a vision when he was twelve. He's going to kill himself before he turns nineteen because he believes his mother told him to do it. His one goal in life is to be with his dead mother and he's planning for it, practicing by strangling himself and playing chicken with oncoming traffic.  

 

The closer Cherry gets to D-Day--Death Day--the more panicked Dave becomes. He  tries everything he can think of to change Cherry's mind. Dave's feelings are all over the place: one minute he want to fuck the kid, the next, he's seriously considering adopting him. He resorts to threats: he'll kill himself if Cherry doesn't listen to reason. But despite his best efforts, Cherry remains steadfast, determined to go through with his plan. No amount of begging, cajoling, or bullying by Dave is going to change his mind. 

At some point Dave stops thinking about himself. At some point, he accepts responsibility for Cherry, realizing that only he can stop the kid, except he can't; and when Cherry disappears, Dave finally admits the truth: he loves that kid, loves him more than he's ever loved another human being. It's not about sex anymore, not about himself anymore, it's about this other person who saw something in Dave he didn't see, couldn't see; loved him despite everything. . .

What possessed Cherry to love Dave? Sometimes there's no logical explanation for loving a person. Love doesn't care if a person is saint or sinner, alive or dead. Love doesn't care why, doesn't need to know why.  And sometimes, when you're hopelessly lost, love will find you. Even if you can't believe you deserve it.

Even when you don't.