Driving home from D's parents, passed a scruffy, rusty white panel van, with minimal signage indicating the sale of ice cream.
"I wonder if he'll sell me a dime bag." D wonders.
"If not, he's in the wrong business." Says I.
Seriously, I would not buy confections from that guy. Well, not drugs either, but if I were looking for dodgy illegal pharmaceuticals, I would assume he'd have an assortment. Apparently, that's a fairly common cover for dealers these days.
When I was quite small, we used to get a very nice ice cream truck, sold freshly made soft serve - in chocolate and vanilla. Used to think I only liked vanilla, until a neighbor bought a bunch of us little kids a cone, giving me chocolate without asking. Dubious, I could hardly say 'no, thanks.' Good thing, found out chocolate was my favorite.
Not that I ever really loved ice cream. But it was cold and sweet, and AC was nowhere in my early childhood, no matter how sweltering the summer night.
When those soft serve trucks stopped coming around, I never cared much about the ones that only sold pre-wrapped bars.
Today, someone left a mixer out for salvage down the street. Considered that I've never had a mixer. My mother considered hers essential. In part because birthday cakes were mandatory. I've come to realize that cake is not a favorite of mine, either. More a delivery system for frosting, if chocolate, preferably fudge. We've bought the odd cake over the years, but mostly we don't do dessert.
As for the family, largely a matter of bringing three (of five) sons, with spouses and two new grandsons, together. One six months, one three months old. Both in remarkably calm moods, given they don't have a year between them. The older fascinated with my watch, and later with my shoe.
I like to think I'm a safe person for a child to be interested in. Won't push, or expect, or grab. Treat them like a cat, I'm here if they feel like investigating me, or ignoring me if they prefer.
Much preferred adults who never pushed or grabbed, but let me approach quietly and curiously.
3 comments:
Wonderful approach to children - let them do it!
In the UK there are always ice cream vans, even in quite remote spots where people go out and walk and stuff. They play jingly tunes and sell soft ice cream in cones and lollies (popsicles, I think). There are not really any such things here, perhaps because everything's too far apart to make it worthwhile, or because business regs make it more difficult, or because eating between meals has always been a bit frowned upon, or just because no one's thought of it. I quite miss them, though not too much, I'm not a fiend for ice cream either.
RR,
Certainly how I would have liked to be treated. Got way too much "Go kiss Aunt Whomever!" In trouble for not being able to form a "thank you" for a gift from a cousin I met the first time. Meaning I was always wary of them after.
Lucy,
Growing up, it felt like something that would always happen. But I suspect it's really a fragile sort of business, though perennial.
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