The Ice Cream Truck

I can still hear the sound in my memory.
It was the sound of summer.
It was heard in the distance, and any child knew they had to hurry.
There was only a little bit of time to run and tell anyone within earshot, it’s coming!

The music I heard was tinny.
It was played through some sort of antiquated speaker that cut in and out on a whim.
You could hear the music blocks away, which was the intent.
The same song, played on a loop, was Pied Piper-ish as it called neighborhood children.

The music came from the ice cream truck.
The ice cream truck had its available options printed on the side,
The option list was unnecessary, since every child knew exactly what they wanted.
What they wanted, and what they were allowed to get, were two different things.

The driver knew which street corners were the most profitable.
Anyone who was allowed to ride their bikes farther than their own street, came to that corner.
They came with their money in their pockets.
They came with summer night anticipation.

I liked the Dixie cups with the little wooden spoon.
I remember ice cream, contained in a cardboard tube, that you somehow pushed to the top.
Ice cream sandwiches and soft serve ice cream cones were always a favorite as well.
The driver of the truck also scooped the ice cream and got your selection from the freezer.

Many of us were only allowed to get ice cream once in a while.
That didn’t stop the ice cream truck from coming into the neighborhood anyway.
The music was torture to hear when you knew you were not allowed to get ice cream that night.
No one could afford to get ice cream all the time, so it was a treat when the answer was, yes.

Last spring, my little granddaughter played preschool soccer.
It was a fun way to get the children outside and playing together.
When we went to see her little scrimmage, I heard it.
The same song, with the tinny sound, coming closer and closer.

I could hear the audible groans of the parents as the truck came nearer and nearer.
It actually stopped in the parking lot right next to where the children were playing.
Smart marketing.
A total distraction for the children.

All this came to mind when I saw a recent picture and read the caption.
Ice cream van driver hailed as ‘legend’ as he serves stranded drivers stuck waiting in a motorway queue.
The word, queue, and driving on the other side of the road, led me to believe this happened in England.
I cannot find the story, since selling ice cream on a highway is not permitted.

The few snippets I did read said that no police officer gave the driver a citation.
Possibly because it was during an intense heat wave.
Apparently, drivers were stranded on that highway for quite a while.
It only took one person to approach the ice cream truck and the rest was history.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deuteronomy 8:10-14)

What a wonderful surprise it must have been for those weary drivers stuck in traffic.
Someone fulfilled a need that people didn’t even know existed.
Ice cream was just sitting in the truck, while people were just sitting in their cars.
Can you imagine the conversations that were had as total strangers met on the side of the road?

God sprinkles little things in our day that are there for our delight.
I imagine Him smiling as we enjoy His serendipity.
Every good gift is from Him. (James 1:17)
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.