Strawberries

It was the last day of school. Malia and Lola knew what that meant. It meant the same thing they had done every year: It meant going with their father to Ted’s Ice Cream Shop where Dad would order a strawberry ice cream just like he had done since the older sister had started school. There were other places to get ice cream; other places that were closer than Ted’s, but Dad always wanted to go to Ted’s. The girls never thought much about why drive all that way. Ted’s was in the town Dad grew up in and Dad liked driving, so it made sense that Dad would take a drive and visit his old neighborhood. Mom didn’t go. She stayed behind at home and let the girls have some time with their father.

All things considered; the girls didn’t mind. They were getting ice cream and what kid doesn’t like getting ice cream. Driving to where Dad grew up? Well, Dad does like to drive, and he likes to see what’s changed in town and in his neighborhood, so that’s also understandable. What the girls couldn’t understand is why he always got strawberry ice cream. Dad ate ice cream at the house, and he always ate different kinds. Sometimes the family would go out to eat and Dad would have ice cream for dessert. He would order a different kind of ice cream. Sometimes he would order a different dessert altogether. Dad wasn’t the type of person to always order the same thing or do the same thing except on the last day of school, when he would take the same route to the same town to the same place and order the same ice cream.

The girls climbed into Dad’s Jeep. Dad started the ignition and began the drive. It was early in the evening. Traffic wasn’t bad. It wasn’t long before they had reached their destination: Ted’s Ice Cream. The girls got out of the Jeep with their father and walked up to the window. Malia ordered a pistachio ice cream on a cone. Lola ordered rocky road on a cone. Dad ordered a strawberry ice cream in a cup. The three found a table and sat down with their ice cream.

“Dad?” Malia asked.

“Mm-hmm?” her father answered with a mouth full of ice cream.

“Lola and I were wondering why you always order the same thing when we go to Ted’s after school ends.”

Their father took another spoonful of ice cream, smiled, and nodded.

###

Ernie couldn’t wait to get his grandparent’s house. He was certain his father was driving under the speed limit. He tried to look over his father’s shoulder to see how fast, how slow he was going. He checked his father’s speed against the speed limit signs they passed.

“Settle down,” Ernie’s mother said. “Your father is going as fast as he needs to. We’ll be at Grandma and Grandpa’s soon enough.”

Ernie sat back. He didn’t believe his mother. In fact, he wasn’t sure his father was taking the fastest route. There had to be a shortcut somewhere.

Finally, finally the car turned onto the street and into the driveway. Ernie’s father had barely stopped the car before Ernie jumped out and ran to his grandfather. He gave his grandfather a big hug. Ernie wanted to know what his grandfather had been doing since they last saw each other. He wanted to know if the strawberries had been growing and if there were any that were ripe enough to be picked and eaten.

“Patience,” Ernie’s grandfather gently said to him. “Let’s see if your parents need help with anything.”

Ernie and his parents got settled into the house. Everyone sat down and caught up on everything that had happened since they last saw each other. Ernie was impatient. He wanted to see the strawberries. It was finally time for him to walk with his grandfather and see the garden. They walked out together and looked at the garden. Three rows of strawberries were laid out before them. Bright red bulbs hung at the end of the plants. Ernie was excited. Grandpa had brought a bucket with him to collect the ripened fruit. Some strawberries were pink but getting darker. Those would stay on the plants longer until they were ready.

Ernie and his grandfather filled the bucket. It was heavy when they were done picking. Ernie couldn’t wait to get back to the house and show his grandmother how many strawberries they had picked. His grandmother took the bucket and emptied the strawberries into a bowl and rinsed them.

“Are we going to have strawberries and cream for dessert?” Ernie asked.

His grandparents looked at each other. “Well,” his grandfather said, smiling, “I don’t know. We could if you’d like, but let’s wait until after we finish supper.”

The family sat down to supper. Ernie’s grandmother had cooked as if the entire town was coming over to eat. There was plenty of everything to go around: barbecued chicken, potatoes, vegetables, hot rolls. It was a wonder everything fit on the table and still had room for five people to sit around it with their plates.

“Don’t eat too much,” Grandma said to Ernie. “Don’t forget we have dessert coming.”

Ernie didn’t forget. He couldn’t forget. Grandpa’s strawberries meant strawberries and cream or strawberry shortcake. Grandma once took some cream and whipped in some strawberries for a homemade concoction that Ernie loved. He loved anything that included Grandpa’s strawberries.

“Well,” Grandpa said when dinner was finished, “That was delicious. Another superb meal, Mother.”

Grandma thanked him as she and Ernie’s parents cleared dishes from the table. Ernie’s grandfather took a toothpick from a box on the table and sat back in his chair. Dessert would be coming but Ernie knew that his grandfather liked to sit back for a moment or two and let his meal digest.

“Well, now,” Grandpa said. “How about some dessert?”

Ernie’s face lit up as his grandfather stood up and went into the kitchen. He could hear a hushed conversation between his grandparents. The next thing he heard was the door to the basement opening, footsteps trudging down the stairs and bowls being removed from the cupboard. Ernie’s parents returned to the table and too their seats and his grandmother came back to the table with bowls and spoons. Ernie was bouncing in his seat with excitement.

Grandpa came to the table with a large drum and placed it on the table. He peeled back the top. Ernie stood up to see. It was an enormous container of strawberry ice cream!

###

“We all ate strawberry ice cream that night,” Ernie said to his daughters. “We stayed overnight and had ice cream the next day.”

“And that’s why you eat strawberry ice cream?” Lola asked.

Ernie nodded. “The next time we went to Ted’s, I ordered strawberry ice cream to remind myself of that time I visited my grandparents. That visit was the last time I saw my grandfather, your great-grandfather. He died that Fall. Going to Ted’s for ice cream and getting strawberry, that was the last time my grandfather was alive. Coming here reminds me of him being alive and being able to see him and talk to him.”

Ernie, Malia, and Lola finished their ice cream. They got back in the Jeep and went home.

Their mother was watching television when they got home.

“Did you have a good time?” she asked.

Ernie said they did. He went upstairs to plug in his phone. While he was upstairs, Malia and Lola told their mother they wanted to plant strawberries in their yard. They wanted to grow strawberries, pick them, and make a dessert next summer. Maybe some strawberry ice cream with strawberry sauce poured over it.