The sun was high overhead, baking to a scalding temperature the few pieces of playground equipment unfortunate enough not to fall under the shade of the surrounding trees. The line at the refreshment stand snaked out as far as the water fountain, a fact which – given the warm drizzle the fountain managed to grudgingly produce – actually helped sales.
"They have strawberry today!" A young boy standing almost exactly in the middle of the line hopped in excitement. "It's on the sign! They have strawberry!"
His older sister grinned at him. "I told you good things happen on your birthday!"
A hint of a frown crinkled his forehead for an instant before he blinked and smiled back, his dark eyes sparkling mischievously. "It's my favorite! Happy Birthday to me!" His neck arched as he stepped to the side and continued to read. "Ewww, they have that vanilla mango you like, too. That's gross."
She sniffed audibly and tucked behind her ear a lock of dark hair that had escaped from the long, messy braid that hung down her back. "Your taste buds mature as you get older, Zach," she said with all the authority a nine-year old could muster. Behind them a young mother pushing a stroller in which twin toddlers snoozed smothered a chuckle. The little girl caught her brother's gaze.
Immediately, he hopped again. "Can I get two scoops, Chrissy? Chocolate and strawberry? Can I? Did you bring enough money?"
She laughed indulgently. "I have enough."
"What about three?" he asked, his eyes wide and innocent. "Can I get three scoops?"
"Don't push it," she responded, a note of warning in her voice.
Unabashed he grinned and continued to extol the delights of the double scoop of strawberry and chocolate ice cream he intended to enjoy. Finally, they reached the front of the line.
"I want two scoops!" Zach said to the clerk behind the window, going on tiptoe to peer over the counter. "Two scoops! One strawberry and one chocolate and I want really really big scoops! It's my birthday!"
The clerk smiled, dished out the ice cream and passed it through the window. Chrissy, meanwhile, pulled a handful of change from a pocket over the knee of her cargo shorts and began counting it carefully.
"Oh," she murmured in disappointment, looking at the sign in the window. "It costs more than I thought."
Zach was slurping at his cone, melted ice cream oozing in brown and pink streams down his chin. "Do you have enough money?" he asked, his eyes crinkling with worry. "I already licked mine!"
"That'll be $3.50," the clerk said, bending over to peer at her through the window. "Unless you want some?"
"No." She sighed loudly and added a brave smile for good measure. "I'm not having ice cream today." With a clatter, she dropped all of the change onto the metal counter and began counting it again. Out loud.
Behind her the twin's mom looked on sympathetically for a moment and then caught the clerk's attention. "I'll get their ice cream," she offered, smiling at the little girl who looked over her shoulder with a wary expression. "It's okay, honey," she added. "I heard your brother say it was his birthday so this will be my treat. Why don't you tell the man what flavor you want?"
Chrissy shook her head. "We're not supposed to take anything from strangers . . ."
"And that's very smart of you to remember that," the mother said. "But you're not taking anything from me, you're getting it from the ice cream man. I'm just giving him money." She smiled gently. "It's okay."
Bright blue eyes peeped out from a dark web of lashes as the little girl considered the offer. Finally, her freckle-dusted nose wrinkled. "I really did want ice cream today," she said shyly.
"Vanilla mango, right?" the woman laughed. "Give her a double scoop, too," she told the clerk. Chrissy was sliding the stack of coins over the counter toward the register when the woman stopped her. "You keep your money, sweetheart. I'll take care of this."
The dark head dipped. "Thank you, ma'am," she responded politely and stuck the coins back into the deep pocket.
A few minutes later, the woman watched the two children walk away, both of them happily licking away on their ice cream cones. "Cute kids," she said with a smile.
The clerk agreed and passed over the bottle of water she asked for.
.
.
Christine looked over her shoulder once to watch the woman push the stroller in the opposite direction, headed out of the playground toward the parking lot. With a nod of her head, she indicated the benches next to the merry-go-round and led her brother over. When they neared the silver-haired man seated there, she reached in the back pocket of her shorts, withdrew the ten dollar bill he'd given her earlier and waved it triumphantly.
Max beamed with pride.
"You got double scoops?" He gave her a high five. "Way to go, slick!"
"Because it's my birthday!" Zach piped as he climbed up beside his grandfather, licking around the top of the cone.
"Ahhh, now that's called thinking on your feet," Max nodded, ruffling the boy's hair. "You can never have too many birthdays."
Christine snorted. "It was my idea," she announced as she settled on the old man's other side. "He wanted three scoops!"
Max shook his head and tsked. "Now that's just greedy, Zach, and what did I teach you about greed?"
"Greed will get you caught," Zach repeated dutifully, the tip of his nose covered with strawberry ice cream. "Can I have another birthday next Saturday?"
Max considered for a moment. "No, let's try something different next week." He held out his hand toward Christine, palm up. "Ahem?"
She looked at the money in her hand and then at him, one brow arched in an uncanny imitation of her mother. Calmly licking a swirl around her rapidly melting cone, she sat back against the bench, folded the bill and stuck it in the cargo pocket with the clinking change.
"It costs you $10 for me not to tell Dad."
Max burst out laughing. "That's my girl," he nodded, stretching his arm behind her back. "That's my girl."