Chapter 7
Ice Cream Sundaes
Dax sat in the science lab drumming her fingers. She had been waiting for Odo for over an hour. She was growing impatient. Dax walked over to the replicator and ordered an ice-cream sundae. It was her fourth one and she was getting a stomachache. She couldn't resist, though, she LOVED ice cream sundaes. Dax grabbed a spoon and began to eat. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"ODO?" she cried as she jumped up. But when she had leapt up, her ice cream hit the floor with a loud PLOP. The doorbell rang again but all Dax could do was stare at the floor in horror. Did this really happen? It couldn't have! It did! No! Yes! No! Yes? "NOOOOOOOOOO. . . " she fell to her knees. It really did.
O'Brien couldn't wait any longer (everyone on DS9 was very impatient). He had rung the doorbell twice already but there was still no answer. When he opened the door though, he wished he hadn't. For there was Dax crawling on her hands and knees, licking the floor where her precious ice cream had fallen.
"Dax? What are you doing?" O'Brien could plainly see what she was doing, but thought it best to ask anyway. Dax looked up and smiled. She had vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and chocolate sauce dripping from her face. Her spoon was left abandoned on the floor next to her. "Why are you. . .?" He couldn't even finish what he was going to say.
Dax sat up on her heels and pushed hair out of her face. Dax caught her reflection in a mirror that had fallen to the ground. O'Brien had expected her to cry, but instead, she cracked up. After a few minutes, Dax tried to explain.
" You see, I had been waiting here for an hour for Odo and had just ordered my fourth sundae. . "
"Your FOURTH?"
" Don't interrupt. Anyway, I ordered my fourth sundae but when I heard the doorbell, I stood up too quickly and my ice cream fell over. I couldn't let it go to waste."
O'Brien stared hard at her. He couldn't believe this, but it was really happening. O'Brien wondered if she felt stupid.
"Do you feel stupid?" he asked. Dax did, actually.
"I do, actually." O'Brien told her not to worry about it and how everyone makes mistakes. Dax said she never made mistakes, she was perfect. At first O'Brien laughed but when he looked at her face, she was serious.
O'Brien handed her a cloth to wipe her face and she did. As they started to walk off together, Dax told O'Brien that she forgot something in the lab. She ran back and dipped her finger in the melting ice cream. Dax then licked of her finger and smiled.
She still loved ice cream sundaes.
