The Ice Cream Stand
	When I was young there was the cutest little ice cream stand on Nebraska Avenue, not too far away from our neighborhood. The ice cream and milkshakes and everything they served were wonderful. It should've been the most pleasant place in the world to go but it wasn't. The man at the little square window was really unpleasant and had a pungent personality. If you wanted any of these delicious treats, you had to bravely step up to the window and place your order as if you were ordering soup from the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. I never understood what would make him be that way. When I was little I used to think "If I could work in a place like this when I grow up, I'd be so happy...for two reasons." One night my best friend, Sharon and I were out and about and I suggested that we go by the ice cream stand for some sort of frozen delight. I said "Except you know how he is." I'll never forget, she said "Oh, except for his looks and his personality he's alright." Sharon waited for me on a nearby bench while I placed our order. Mine was a cone with two different flavored scoops. I asked the man if he would put my favorite of the two on top. "I don't like soft ice cream and I'd like to eat my favorite one while it's still kind of frozen, please." He replied "We don't do it that way here." Back then, that did bother me. Now I'd just try to pretend he's talking to a duck's back. I don't know, maybe the hard one needed to be on the bottom. I then went over to the bench under the tree where Sharon was waiting whilst the man dispensed his abrasive response to my request. It was an unusually balmy summer night. We and the little parking lot were bathed in the beautiful, soft colors of the neon lights that bordered the top edge of the little building. As we sat and enjoyed our ice cream and each other's company a brand spanking new white Cadillac about twenty feet long pulled up and parked. There was a black lady driving and she had her two small children with her. She got out and she was dressed to the nines, full figured and classy. She stopped at the passenger's side of the car and the little boy and girl lowered the window. We couldn't help but watch. She was so impressive. She asked what they wanted and they told her. It was obvious that's what was being said even though we couldn't hear them. She walked over to the window, gliding as if she were carrying an invisible dictionary on top of her head. "It was kind of mesmerizing." Sharon said "It almost looks like her feet aren't touching the ground." The long canary yellow dress came almost to the pavement. The woman stepped up to the window. She placed her order with the man. She asked for a large strawberry milkshake. We were at an angle where we could see them both very well although we couldn't hear what they were saying. He handed her the milkshake and she was holding it in her diamond decorated, well manicured hand as she was explaining what the children wanted. I was certain that the man was being his usual unpleasant self by the expression on his face and his body language. I whispered "she's not going to take this,". All of a sudden the lady just threw that milkshake right in that guy's face! It went from the top of his paper cap, covering his face and all the way down the front to the bottom of his white apron. Man! It was something! That was an unexpected treat. That's how we knew she had ordered strawberry. She then walked back to her car, slowly backed out and drove away. Sharon and I had said earlier "I wonder what interesting thing will happen to us tonight." and we certainly found out. Lash Out Loud