Ice cream truck.

[icarus]

For weeks a tantalizing sound has wafted up from the street, every afternoon. That calliope tinkle of an ice cream truck.

There's a park nearby, with swings to lure small children. Pushed by parents carrying those all-important wallets.

We're on the third floor, a block away. We see the children mill about followed by their lumbering reluctant parents. And then the truck pulls away.

There's no way we could make it.

Every day, the boyfriend has given me that look of hopeful lust you see on every 8-year-old's face at that magical sound, his blue eyes bright and round. I see that look when I dangle a kitty treat over fuzzhead's nose.

Today I said, "Okay," grabbed money and launched. I'm the sprinter.

Not even waiting to pull on shoes, I spiralled down floors of loud wooden steps, through the cool basement, out the back, flung the door wide --

-- gritty pavement painful but familiar on bare feet. I remember this. Though I grew up on dirt road and used to eat dust as my friends fell behind.

I beat the truck, gasping, leaning on my knees, and flagged it down.

The popsicles were terrible. But it's the hunt that matters.

Comments

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

I *love* the way you wrote this. For some reason, it just makes my day (which is good because I'm not having the best one;).

I'm so glad you caught the truck!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

So long as I leave instantly and he's not going 30 mph, I'll catch him. That's what I used to do for my friends. I'd say that I was fast, but mostly I was determined.

I hope you're having a better day now. I'd offer you some of my popsicle, but you'll have to use the magical power of the internet to make it taste better. Mango was a baaad decision. *laughs*

Icarus

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

Yay for your determination!

And yeah, it's better. Thanks for the popsicle offer! Mango is an interesting choice;)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Mango is an interesting choice ;)

Downright strange in a Chinese candy sort of way. But your version can taste like Haagen Dazs.

Icarus

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

But your version can taste like Haagen Dazs.


Awwww, you're sweet;)

[arclevel.livejournal.com]

LOL! That's great! I grew up on a main road, unlike the 99% of families in our town who lived in subdivisions. On the very rare occasions an ice-cream truck was in the neighborhood at all, they weren't selling on my street. Until I was 10 or so, I didn't realize ice-cream trucks actually existed anymore; I thought they were some thing from past decades and in books and movies.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

The early years of my life I was in this tiny gated community known to have very few kids, so I thought ice cream trucks belonged on Leave It To Beaver.

Then we moved to the less pricey but kid-infested neighborhood and -- hey! No regular schedule, but the ice cream truck came by often enough. Usually he'd be going pretty fast through our part, so I'd be sprinting after a truck going 15 mph on a rutted, pebble-filled road.

Icarus

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

YEAH!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You want some of my popsicle? It's, um, mango.

I'm fairly sure this is a throwback to our spear-chucking days. We do like to hunt our own food, don't we?

Icarus

[whimseywisp.livejournal.com]

Awwww :D. I just got really, really nostalgic.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too.


Icarus

[whimseywisp.livejournal.com]

P.S. A friend of mine just got into Stargate and wanted some fic recs, and I told her to look into your stuff, and someone commented to my comment and swooned over you. Just so you know ;).

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

No shit, really? That just makes my night.

Icarus

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

our ice cream truck would play turkey in the straw. and when i was younger, i absolutely hated that song. so no matter what i was doing, if i heard it, i'd start cursing up a storm cause i hated it. it's like the song triggered momentary tourette's.
it was either that awful song, or a bell. the bell was annoying, but it was preferred.
the ice cream man comes to my college campus. last year, he sat at the junction of two dorms. and funnily enough, not very many students followed. i thought that woulda been a genius idea.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's easier to get a variety of ice cream than it used to be. I remember back in 70s you had to buy a whole box of a dozen fudgsicles at the store.

The ice cream truck had a dozen flavors and treats that weren't available anywhere else.

Icarus

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

they have a monopoly on some of those varieties... *dun dun dun*

[rike-tikki-tavi.livejournal.com]

This reminded me of growing up in my parents house before they paved the road. Not so much the chasing after ice cream trucks, but the running barefoot on grit roads. And in the evening my dad growling about my brother and I dragging our blackened feet over the good carpet.

[sileas.livejournal.com]

Heee. Ice cream trucks! I never ran after it, but I always bought ice cream without shoes on.

[jaig.livejournal.com]

*cheers*