The Ice Cream Man

Chapter One

Jeremiah

"Ice cream! Ice cream!" shouted a man wearing a white outfit with a red and black bowtie.

My brother dashed toward the blaring ice cream truck music.

"Jaquan! You better stop right there!" I shouted.

"He only gives away ten free ice creams and I don't have any money!" shouted my brother with a panicked look on his face.

My heart sank a little in my chest. We never have any money.

"Jeremiah, please let me run! I really want an ice cream!" he pleaded.

My face broke into a smile. I could never say no to my little brother. "Go on then."

He took off toward the man in the old school uniform with a huge smile on his face.

I shook my head and grinned. The ice cream man was on point. He stopped by our neighborhood and gave out free ice cream to the kids every Friday. It was the only time most of them ever got ice cream. The people in our neighborhood didn't have money for ice cream. We weren't the middle class type. The type that didn't have extra cash for ice cream.

Jaquan got in line, standing on his tiptoes trying to read the signs on the side of the truck. "Whatcha want, Jer?" he shouted over his shoulder.

I held my hands up. "I'm good. I had ice cream at lunch today," I lied. He wasn't old enough to know I had just lied to him. I hoped it would stay that way forever.

Jaquan made his way to the front. The man handed him an ice cream sandwich.

"THANK YOU!" my little brother's voice rang.

Good, I thought to myself. I taught that boy to be polite.

"Jeremiah! Jeremiah! I got an ice cream sandwich," he yelled as he jogged back to me. "Think I should save Aunt Felicia a bite?"

"I think she's working late again," I said throwing my hand over his shoulders. "You better eat it now or it will be a puddle by the time she gets home."

Jaquan took a big bite, chocolate from the cookie smudging his little eight-year-old face.

"What do you say we head back home and play some video games before bed?" I asked him.

"YAY!" Jaquan cheered.

"JAAAAQUAAAAN!" called a familiar voice.

"What's up, Darius?" Jaquan responded.

They grabbed hands and bumped chests. They think they're grown, I thought to myself with a chuckle.

"You getting' some ice cream?" asked Jaquan.

"Yeah," responded Darius.

Jaquan arched an eyebrow. "You better hurry, he's almost done!"

"See ya," Darius said before racing to the truck.

We slowly made our way back toward the massive brick apartment complex.

"I love ice cream night," said Jaquan with a mouth full of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sandwich.

"Me too, little man, me too," I said rubbing his head.

***

The next morning I woke to my Aunt Felicia's phone ringing. A few moments later, there was a soft knock on my door.

"Jeremiah, Darius' mom just called. He never came home last night."

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "She's just noticing now?"

She sighed. "I know. I know. But she's real worried and is gettin' ready to call the police." 

"He's eight. She should have called last night," I snapped.

"I know, Jeremiah. But you know how she is when she's been drinking."

My breath hitched in my chest. When a little kid didn't come home and an entire night passed, it usually didn't turn out well.

"Did you or Jaquan see him last night?" she asked, her voice a little softer.

I hung my head. I should have waited for him and walked him home. This is all my fault.

"Jer, did you see him last night?"

"Yeah," I admitted, hanging my head. "Last I saw him, he was running toward the ice cream man. We left when he was still in line."

My Aunt Felicia reached over and embraced me. "It's going to be okay, Jer. I bet he's just at a friend's house."

She walked out of the room and pressed her ear again the phone. "Yeah, they saw him last night." She paused. "He was on his way to get ice cream."

******

Hey, Lovelies!

Uh oh! What do you think happened to little Darius? Leave a comment below with your theory!

Stay tuned for another entry soon!

Hearts and Drumsticks,

Kelly Anne Blount xoxo

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