WHO WANTS ICE CREAM?!

So here it is! My bowl of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. No, it’s not my favorite but there is a special story behind it. It’s a humid summer in Long Island. The sky has never been so blue. It’s as if the sea air has washed all the pollution away. So many trees and an endless ocean. A hidden paradise or so I thought. I was with family far away from home. The place seemed magical. Perhaps it was the usual innocence of a child simply being somewhere new or perhaps it was my imagination trying desperately to escape a reality I didn’t quite understand.

My parents had just separated, and I was struggling to understand why. I kept my questions to myself to piece it together like a big girl. Why wouldn’t they want to hold hands anymore? Where is Daddy? Why isn’t he here? When is he coming back? Why does he live somewhere else? Why is mom quiet? She doesn’t get off the couch at home… She is tired a lot... will Daddy live with us again? I was processing it all the best I could. I was always somewhat of a clingy child, but I was trying to adjust to the change.

I was very shy and felt the most comfortable around my mother. When I didn’t have my mother I would cling to my older sister. One might imagine how traveling far away from Colorado to New York and being without her made me frequently upset. My father was unable to be with us the full summer most likely because of his military duties so we stayed with grandma for two weeks in Long Island. My grandma was one of the sweetest people you would ever meet. Yes, I know a lot of people would say that about their grandmas but believe me it’s true! She always wanted the people around her to feel wanted and loved. It was a difficult time and it was her mission to make sure my sister and I were happy the entire time.

She had been keeping a close on us and noticed my sister comforting me often. We would be off in the corner hugging when other relatives were visiting. We loved our family but didn’t have a lot of chances to be around them living so far away. It was overwhelming sometimes to be around them without our parents as we simply didn’t know them as well. Grandma did nothing wrong. We were so happy to see her, but I still wanted my mother. So in true grandma fashion she started her mission of happiness with "WHO WANTS ICE CREAM!?" Being kids we were of course thrilled. Our eyes lit up and we joyously accepted the invitation. Off we went for ice cream. Vanilla with sprinkles! Overjoyed at our happiness grandma asked the very same thing the next day. We were on cloud nine and enjoyed our second visit. It continued for days and grandma managed to do something not many people are able to achieve. She made kids sick of ice cream!

but look at her face? Could you tell her no?

We knew she was doing it out of love and out of love we reacted the same excited way even though we were so over it at that point. I think I even tried to switch it up sometimes and tried fried ice cream for the first time or chocolate the next day. What I remember most often was the sprinkles. How many days did we go? Couldn’t tell you. I’m just glad back then we still had a metabolism. We had a good time with her and thought about her even after Daddy came along to get us. The memory stuck and although she passed away June 2019 at the beautiful age of 90, my sister and I will still enjoy some vanilla and sprinkles in her honor. Thank you Grandma, your love is still felt. I'm enjoying my ice cream.