This is the 25th installment of a 100-day challenge to write a new vignette every morning.
There can never be too many cherries on an ice cream sundae. Unless there are 13. That’s too many.
A dozen is perfect, though, and that’s what I tried to explain to the teen behind the counter. He stared at the cash register and tapped his finger on the counter. His grouper mouth made it clear he hadn’t listened to me. Ring me up for 12 sundaes—I don’t care.
By the fourth minute, the line behind me began to grumble and groan. They’d exchanged furtive glances and spewed passive aggressive sighs in the moments before, but now they sought to be heard. I bit the inside of my cheek and tried to get through to the kid again. He nodded like he understood, and we all moved on with our lives—or, at least, I moved on to the pick-up counter.
I should’ve watched as they prepared my order; I should’ve repeated, again and again, that I wanted 12 cherries and one sundae. Instead, I scrolled through social media on my phone. I just nodded when the tray—two trays—materialized in front of me. Plucking each cherry, I placed them on one of the sundaes. All 11 other sundaes tumbled into the trash as I left the store.
Miles Away 