The Ice Cream Girl

[3]- Maneater

[ c h a p t e r 3 ]

Tomorrow we can eat broccoli but today is for ice cream

-unknown

🍨🍧🍦

"That's the last of them" announced Donny, as the last customer of the shop left.

It was almost quarter to nine and I was beat from everything that happened today. I just wanted to go home and hibernate like Pooh bear in winter with a tub of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream, Dylan O'Brien and the rest of the cast of Teen Wolf.

More importantly, I wanted to forget that whole debacle with Caleb earlier in the shop.

Mr. Orland came into the kitchen followed by Ms. Val, the shop owner. Ms. Valerie Jacobs was quite a character she was a forty-eight year old, loud and proud African American lady. She looked like a walking plus size fifties pin up cover girl. Her long dyed light purple hair was pinned up to her head in curls. Her lips were covered in lipstick the color of maraschino cherries. Today her green eyes were covered with eye shadow matching that of a peacock feather to go with her beautiful light green 50's retro dress she was wearing. To say the least Ms. Val was gorgeous and she knew it. People often commented on the pairing between Mr. Orland, who was five years, her junior. They just didn't get it but we, at the shop did. The two loved each other and no matter what anyone said they didn't care. We were all happy for it.

Mr. O wrapped his arm around Ms. Val's waist while they softly discussed something between each other, I guess waiting for us to finish.

Donny and I were at the middle of the kitchen closing all the ice cream containers that were from the front display refrigerator and transferring them into the big freezer. Zane, the twenty-three year old lanky Chinese store manager, had on his earphones and was at the far corner wiping down counters while singing a rather horrid off-tone rendition of Nelly Furtado's Maneater.

Sha-sha-she's a maneater, make you work hard

Make you spend hard

Make you want all, of her love

I watched in horror as Zane finished the verse while using the rag he had in his left hand and swatted his oh-so-none existent ass, all the while shimmying his hips. Donny beside me turned away, trying to contain his laughter. Mr. Orland who was now staring at the poor boy was shaking his head and not even bothering containing the hysterics. Ms. Val, I had now noticed, had taken out her iPhone which was in cased in a case that I had given her for her birthday that resembled a melting ice cream bar-I had the same except mine was shocking pink and blue herswas neon green and pink- was now recording Zane's probable future So You Think You Can Dance dance audition video.

"Zane, honey!" said Ms. Val, loudly trying to get the attention of our resident William Hung.

"Son! Please...ple-please stop!" laughed Mr. Orland. He was losing his grip on Ms. Val's waist and I wondered if they would topple over.

Donny decided to be the brave one and walked over to where Zane was giving us his top performance and plucked out one of his earbuds. He clapped Zane on the shoulder still laughing.

"Du-dude you gotta stop, man. I think I just busted my bladder from all the laughing. " he breathed out, trying to catch his breath between laughs.

Zane stopped and looked over at us, we all watched as his pale face turned red as a tomato as he blushed from embarrassment. He smiled sheepishly over at Ms. Val who was tucking in her phone into her apron pocket.