A Mouse on a Stick

I feel the coldness dripping down my arm. A chunk of chocolate landed right on my shirt. The disappointed groan from my mother alerted me to the fact that I would not getting another treat like this soon. I decided to savor it and let all of the flavors dance across my tonged.

Many would say that it was just ice cream. I would have to disagree. There was nothing like a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar to make a person feel alive. It may be nothing more than vanilla ice cream shaped like a mouse and dipped in chocolate, but that didn’t matter to me.

I did not get to travel much when I was younger. My family did manage to visit Disneyland every few years. It was an escape from my small-town life. I thought it was the best place in the world.

A part of me will always find Disneyland to be the best there is and the way I knew I was in paradise was that cold treat on a stick. I refused to go a day without one. One hand was always sticky and by the time we went home I never had a shirt without a stain on it. It was worth it though.

I hope my mom would agree. She would always act angry at the mess I made. She would scrub the chocolate off of me with napkins that she wet with a water bottle. She would dab at my shirt. Her face held a scowl and she would say no more.

For the day that was true. I would have no more sweet treats. That mood would change by the next day. I would see a stand and pull on her sleeve. I would beg and pout for just one more. She would smile and hand me another. That smile lasted until the first piece of chocolate would fall on my arm.

A part of me hoped she liked our little ritual as much as I did. As a grown adult I have not been able to go to Disneyland in a long time. The pandemic is making it even longer. That didn’t stop me from dreaming of the chocolate taste with the sound of it’s a small world blaring in the background.

That is why when I moved back with my parents, I told my mom that when the pandemic is over, I am going to go to Disneyland. She would ask me what I was going to do, and I would say that I am going to have a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. She would laugh and we would go along with our day.

I happened to be working during the pandemic and would come home in the middle of the night. I work in the veterinary field and found myself very sad one night after having many pets lost due to complicated health issues. Everyone had tried their best. That just wasn’t enough.

I drove home scowling when I realized that I would need gas. I pulled into the station and filled my car up. At that point I planned on going home until I had this urge to get a snack. I rarely did this especially on my way home because I didn’t want to waste money. That night I had been pushed too far and gave into my desires.

I went straight to the ice cream case. I reached for an ice cream sandwich and underneath I found a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. I almost cried tears of joy at seeing the cute treat. I noticed there was a whole section of them and I bought a few. I drove home blasting Disney music while having my mouse.

I got home to my mother who was luckily not asleep. I showed her what I had found. I hadn’t seen her smile that bright in a long time. We enjoyed one each and I couldn’t help but smirk when she wiped the chocolate off my face.