What Happened to That Child?

What happened to that child? Do you remember when she stood under the counter of the ice cream shop and nobody saw her there? Entirely awkward, she was somehow in her too big jeans and striped shirt just under the counter, but enough in the way of the other customers that they huffed. She wanted a giant cone of mint chocolate chip, and her dad let her go inside by herself. He waited in their tiny car, the motor humming while he hummed along…there was no money for a radio, so the family always made their own music. That little girl was short and shy. She often felt invisible when she was alone. But when she was with her dad, she was bossy and loud. Do you remember how every Friday night her family went out for Chinese food? They walked, Mom and Son, Dad and Daughter, each hand in hand. The girl liked to play a trick. The dad knew, but the joke was always repeated. The girl would have her dad cross the street over and over. Even though the restaurant was on one side, the little blonde girl felt a thrill of conquest when she easily coxed her dad to the other side of the street, just to cox him back. The mother and son laughed, the daughter bossed in her bossy way, and the dad went along. They had rosy cheeks by the time they sat in the sticky booth, together for their favorite time of the week. Steamed buns, pan fried raviolis and mounds of mooshi pork…they filled their bellies with all of it. The little girl chattered a chattery storm. In this tiny booth, in this tiny place, she knew she mattered. She knew her entire world was encapsulated in that moment – like one of the little raviolis she slurped down, she knew everything that mattered was tucked inside. She was a pro at chopsticks by age 7, and she dipped and sloshed in the soy sauce. But in the ice cream shop – she was cold and alone. Her voice froze and she forgot why she was there. She felt her hot face grow red. She didn’t even know what she felt, but her little body was hot with it, whatever it was. Do you remember watching her grip the edge of the counter and lift her eyes over to shout? She was crazy, that one. She yelled her order out: “One small cone of mint chocolate chip with extra jimmies. PLEASE!” Everyone stared. What happened to that child? Do you remember?