12
Years Makes a Difference
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by PneumaSender
The Ice
Cream Shop
Chapter 21
Walking with her head down like
that could give her a crick in the neck.
That was the thought that Colby had immediately upon seeing his daughter. At
the sound of his footsteps, however, her head came up and a brilliant smile
replaced the expression she had been wearing. He wanted to ask her what caused
her such pain, but he already knew. Patrick is in her thoughts.
Colby
didn’t want to think about Patrick, the young man who was like a son to him
and eventually would become his son-in-law, as well. Right now, he wanted
only to look at his daughter and to enjoy her freshness and her delight in
the newness of life.
Colby
touched her head and ran his fingers over her fine hair. What had struck him
most about becoming a parent at the ripe old age of 62 was this: Kids are new
arrivals in this world, and everything they experience is happening, as far
as they know, for the first time. Then, as they grow mature, the aging
parents can remember their youth and experience it all anew through eyes that
have never gazed upon the world until now.
Colby
longed to take her to the local ice cream shop and show her a new dish. The
experience was sure to make her smile. She had never tasted its like, Colby
knew, for nobody could equal Miss Charlotte’s creativity. “Let’s go get some
frozen custard, honey, and we’ll catch up a bit.” Over the course of her
life, Christa had always been up for a visit to the ice cream shop. Today was
no different. She grabbed her tan suede jacket and they headed over to the
ice cream shop together.
Christa
was glad for her father’s arrival. He had interrupted her thoughts of
Patrick, which had not been very positive. As they walked, she thought about
her mood. Knowing that Patrick might not come at all because of her own words
made her crazy. How on Earth could I tell Patrick that I was going to be
too busy for him? He was understanding and kind, but I know he’s sad. And
now, I’m sad, too.
She
had been wondering why she had actually dared to think she’d be able to study
after talking to him. She had tried going to the library, but concentrating
had been impossible. Instead, she found herself distracted and had come home
early for her date with her dad.
Ice cream sounds like a great
pick-me-up, she realized. Her father was
wonderful, and Christa decided that today, since she had a great daddy to
hang out with, she would enjoy her time with him! With a bounce in her step,
she entered the doors of the ice cream shop.
The
little tables were full of children, as it tended to be in this small town.
Before
“Miss
Christy! Miss Christy!” Shouts from all over hailed the arrival of the
popular Sunday School assistant. “It’s so nice to see you. Thank you for the
welcome.” After a small word of greeting with each one, she sat before her
father, and then looked down at her ice cream bowl.
In a
sugar cone which had been placed into a holder Miss Charlotte had baked a
brownie, then topped it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, some chocolate
syrup, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Poking out of this confection was a
Sugar Daddy lollipop.
“What
is this, Daddy?” she asked. He laughed. He could always count on Christa’s
reaction to be the same each time he presented her with the fruits of Miss
Charlotte’s talented mind. He grinned. “It’s a Sugar Daddy Sundae.”
Miss
Miss
Charlotte had been excited to see what Christa’s answer would be, so she
didn’t leave, even though the table was now clean.
Instead, she stood there with hands on hips, listening to the exchange. Neither
of them had expected her to do otherwise, so they didn’t take offense.
“Well
now, Daddy, this is a mystery,” Christa said with a wicked grin. “Could it be
that Miss Charlotte is sweet on you?” Miss Charlotte’s chuckle rang out as
expected.
Miss
Charlotte laughed at everything. She was a fun person who always had a smile
hidden in the folds of her cheeks. This time was no different. “I know I
laugh at every joke you tell, Christa, but it’s just that everything you say
is so funny!” she hooted.
Christa
knew that wasn’t quite true, but she smiled, enjoying Miss Charlotte’s
exuberance at a time when Christa herself had been feeling a bit blue. Miss
Charlotte began to bounce her happy eyes back and forth between the two,
eager for the question that must surely follow. She wasn’t disappointed.
“Okay,
now, tell me this story,” Christa said finally. Christa had guessed the
reason, but Miss Charlotte always fell apart halfway through her stories,
laughing until she could hardly stop. It was fun to watch and Miss Charlotte
enjoyed telling the story so much – what she could get through – that Christa
wouldn’t have dreamed of depriving her of that experience.
“Well,
Christa, your dad and mom were joking back and forth in the Young Married
Couples’ class they were teaching last week. I wasn’t there, of course, since
I’m single, you know, but I heard about it.” Putting her hands into the
pockets of her wide white apron, she continued. “It seems your mother,” and
here she began dissolving into laughter. How she managed to smother it until
the end of the sentence was a mystery, but she finally croaked out, rather
incoherently, “called your father her sugar daddy!”
Charlotte
couldn’t finish the story, as Christa had known she wouldn’t be able to do.
It was odd to her to experience this simple moment of normalcy. For a second,
everything felt right again. Christa sighed.
She
watched Miss Charlotte wipe her eyes with the end of her apron and turn away.
Miss Charlotte had known that she would never finish her tale, but in this
instance, as it was with every story she told, she was just happy to have
begun a lively conversation between the people in her shop.
Colby
laughed with delight at the part of the story that
I’ve missed so much during this
time when I’ve been so distracted! I wish I could have stayed more in tune.
It wasn’t productive, since I could hardly concentrate on my studies, since I
missed Patrick so much. How would I manage if Patrick took me to live far
away during our marriage? We have hardly discussed married life. I think we
need to nail down some details and talk seriously about our future.
With
this thought still fresh in her mind, hours later, Christa arrived at the
house with her father. After ice cream, they had taken a trip to the local
barber shop to oversee Colby’s haircut. Christa had always gone with him since
she had been able to convince him to try a more modern style four years
earlier. Her mother, in spite of her ability to charm him in every other way,
had never managed to do much about his hair. She was thrilled, however, at
Christa’s success.
His
daughter, in fact, could probably convince him to wear a leather vest and
ride a Harley if she put her mind to it. Luckily, all she wanted was to trim
his sideburns and soften the edges of his hair. The updated style looked good on him, and as the townspeople said, took years off
of his appearance. Now, he really needed that extra help, he reasoned
inwardly, since snickered comments like, “There goes Mandy’s sugar daddy,” had
begun to follow him wherever he went.
******** ***************** ***************
*********
As Christa
had been crossing the threshold into the kitchen, thinking over her day and
preparing to endure another evening without Patrick, he had appeared in the
doorway. Before anyone had time to think, she had flown into his arms and was
kissing him.
“You’d
think that these two haven’t met in a year!” Christa laughed and pulled away
from her hug, for while the kiss had been brief, the hug had extended itself
until Colby made his comment.
“Oh,
Daddy,” she teased back, “you and Mom haven’t been apart since you got
married, and I believe I heard that you slept in the hospital beside her when
I was born, so I don’t think you’re one to talk.” He hid a smile and said,
“Yes, well…your mother’s gorgeous, and I’m quite handsome, as well. Now,
Patrick is just Patrick. Do you see what I mean?”
Christa
swatted at her father’s arm. Still, since she wouldn’t let go of Patrick’s
hand, she didn’t make it far enough to hit Colby very hard. He pretended to
be in pain, however. Christa sobered.
“My
poor Papa,” she crooned, “the baby!” His face had softened at the first half
of the statement, but the second half had him chasing her around Patrick’s
back. “My little girl’s gonna get it now!” She
grinned when he caught her.
As
he pulled her to his chest, she hugged him and kissed his face as a child of
three might. Her heart was apparently settled now that Patrick was nearby.
Colby was glad of that, and he gladly took his leave of them and sent them
into the living room.
12 Years Makes a Difference
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