I work at an ice cream shop, I spend my summer days hurled over ice cream chests with one massively toned right scooping-arm, while my left arm can barely hold up the weight of a pencil. My job at this ice cream store is my life. It’s all I do, and I have fun doing it. I see new faces everyday, some more familiar than others. And when the old man comes in every Thursday and tells us, “I want a medium in a waffle cone, you choose the flavors,” I shake my head and get to work on his ice cream, scooping vigorously trying to conceal my tired face with a mask of smiles. Once I finish his ice cream I hand it to him.
“Want a lick?”
“No but thank you, have a great day.” He nods and with that he is out the door, maneuvering through a body of people patiently waiting in line to get some ice cream.
My days at the ice cream shop are long and tiring, but we are all here to earn some money and eat some ice cream, so I can’t complain. After getting through the line out the door and politely declining all the customers that tried to come in after ten o’clock, we have to clean the shop. And that takes longer than you will ever imagine. With three employees who are drained from a long day's work and just want to go home, we don’t leave the ice cream shop till at least ten thirty, sometimes eleven. The hard work pays off in the end, and I shouldn't be complaining. I love meeting the new people everyday and hearing their stories. My favorite storyteller of all is the old man who lets me pick his flavors, who is one of my favorite customers.
Mr. Medium in a Waffle Cone has dementia but there are two things he never forgets, his love of ice cream, and his wife. Now I have never met his wife, but he talks about her like she's a goddess, their love story is the perfect tale of two high school sweethearts who fall in love and get married and have kids, or at least that's what he tells me. We always thought his wife wasn’t real, she never came around to get ice cream, and his kids never talked to us about her. But she came into the shop one day and blew us all out of the water.
When Mr. Medium in a Waffle Cone walked into the shop with a small old lady on his arm I was shocked. He held the door open for her and she said “Thank you darlin,” as she hobbled into the store. They held onto each other for support just as a little old couple would do. He just nodded at us as I started to scoop his medium in a waffle cone and said “Make that two, I need one for the wifey,” I smiled and laughed and picked the flavors as I scooped. It’s funny to think they were just kids my age in love, and here they are 50 years later standing in front of me still smiling. I could only hope for someone to gaze at me like he looked at his wife. That couple is one of the main reasons I love my job, because I get to see the reality of what my future could look like.

I apologize in advance for my dumb nicknames for these customers I have no clue what their names are. Just what they order.  I make it a fun little game, when customers walk in I guess what flavor they are going to get, I’m usually wrong, but by the time they walk out, they have a nickname.
A hooded figure always walks through the door with his earbuds in. He patiently waits in line while he jams to his music, sooner or later he gets up to the front of the line and takes out his earbuds and whips off his hood and smiles.
“The regular?” I ask. He nods in response and I smile as I walk over to the ice cream chests and start to scoop his Large Coffee Oreo ice cream in a cup. He takes his ice cream to go with a lid on top and a bag, he goes to the boarding school near the ice cream shop.
“I am preparing to play the country's best player in 7 weeks,” he says to me with a grin, “ I am practicing almost everyday in preparation for his arrival!”
“Wow that is incredible!” I look up from the ice cream chest and smiled, “I’ve never played chess before,” I say as I hand him his ice cream.
“Always time to learn,” he winks at me then turns around, “Thanks have a great day!”
“You too.”
The mystery chess god whose name I still don't know always  puts a smile on my face before he leaves , I watched him as he walked up the road. “Hm, Maybe I should learn how to play chess,”I say to myself. Coffee Oreo.
Chapter III: A fantasy
I went to bed last night and I pictured him  in my dreams. I woke up this morning with a smile on my face but it faded as I remembered that it was not reality. Why can’t I see you everyday Coffee Oreo?
As the weather started to get warmer the ice cream shop started to get really busy, there was no time for me to recognize any regulars or chat with the customers. It was all work no play, and I mean, I’m pretty bad at that. All the old men blurred into the same old customers. When someone came in and ordered a medium in a waffle cone I had no time to think of the old man that always orders it. And when he came in we were too rushed to talk, I would smile and decline his offer for me to lick his ice cream as he walked out the door. 
To my disappointment, the summer time brought no signs of Coffee Oreo. He was obviously not coming back to school until the fall, so my time was long. I thought of him every time I scooped a coffee oreo ice cream or heard the word chess. I was caught up in the chaotic summer, so busy that by the end of the night my brain was fried and I had no energy left to go out and socialize. I missed Mr. Medium in a Waffle Cone and Coffee oreo when I went to work every day, I missed the slow paced shop and the interaction with the customers. I just couldn’t wait till fall.

If I am being completely honest, most people annoy me. Like a lot. But I am pretty good at putting a smile on my face and pretending to be nice to everyone who comes in, and there are a handful of people who are actually nice.
When he walked into the shop I waved. His blonde hair was sticking out of a hat that sat backwards upon his head. I smiled and walked to the front table. I had never seen him come in before, he was wearing a bright blue shirt that matched his blue eyes. He had a few friends with him too,  “Hi how are you?” I asked with a grin,
“Good thanks, could I have a small reeses in a cup please?” As my co-worker Kaylee scooped his ice cream I stood at the counter and crossed out his order that was written down on the pad of paper.
I talk out loud a lot, and it is quite embarrassing.....I should probably learn to control that.
“I honestly don’t know how to spell reeses, I always have to sing the song.” I said with a laugh
“What song?” Asked one of the boys who was standing with Reeses
“You know, the reeses puffs song?
“Oh ya! Reeses puffs reeses puffs, peanut butter chocolate flavor. R. Double E. S. E.S”
I laughed as they sang the song. “Exactly!”
Kaylee handed Reeses his ice cream and he said thank you as he left.
I never tend to forgot the funny little things people do when they come in, especially when the put a smile on my face like the boys did singing a song about a breakfast cereal.
Chapter V: In Love
I sadly admit, I am a hopeless romantic. I yearn for the fairytale love life where I hope everyday fate brings me my prince charming. But let’s be real, what love life do I actually have.  I read about love in my favorite books when the girls falls in love as the guy turns her world from nothing into everything. Well that’s definitely not how my life is going right now, although I wish it was. I am hardly in love with anything besides ice cream or someone whose name I don’t know so I’m still technically in love...with an ice cream flavor. The rich flavor of the coffee ice cream mixed with the best crushed candy around. You can guess the ice cream flavor.

I slightly dreaded going back to school. My summer was uneventful, no summer flings, no days off. The crisp autumn air was a relief. It brought a refreshing breeze into my lungs and the scent was unlike any other. I was more excited for work to slow down and for Coffee Oreo  to come back. I wanted to hear about his summer, and tell him how boring mine was. I went into work on a thursday, dragging my feet behind me as I walked through the door after a long day of school. I sat behind the counter and enjoyed the world in front of me, the peace and quite, the rush of the summer had gone down. I sipped on my water and looked out the window, the sight put a smile on my face.
“Hi! How are you? Long time no see!” I exclaimed as he walked into the door.
“In need of some ice cream and a friend,” he said.
“Well I’m here! Let me start your ice cream,”
I handed him his medium in a waffle cone, I went with 4 chocolate scoops today.  He sighed and took a seat at the bench.
“So how have you been!?” I asked.
“Well,” he said, “My wife, she passed away last week,”
I looked into his eyes, with the little light that was left in them. It scared me how quickly someone could change a person's life.
“Oh I am so sorry!”
“It is okay, there comes a time for everyone, may I give you something?”  He withdrew a necklace from his pocket.
“This was my wife's, I would like you to keep it,” I gawked but didn’t feel comfortable accepting it.
“I would feel horrible taking this away from you!”
“No please, I insist,” I smiled and took the necklace in my hand.
“I will put it on after work, wouldn’t want to get it dirty.”
“Well I’ll be going, I hope you enjoy the necklace as much as my wife did,” And with that Mr. Medium in a Waffle Cone walked out the door.
I stared at the silver necklace sitting in my hand. I was humbled but also overwhelmed with sadness. Even in such a time of loss Mr. Medium in a Waffle Cone was able to be so nice. I grasped the glowing piece of jewelry as it reflected off the light. It had two arrows strung onto two different silver chains. I flipped over the arrows and read the words “Follows your arrows” engraved onto the back of the longer arrow. I wrapped the necklace around my neck and held it close to my chest.

That was the last time I ever saw him? come into the shop. The last time I ever picked the flavors for a medium in a waffle cone. The last time a customer ever asked me if I wanted a lick of their ice cream. I met no one as kind hearted as the old man that loved his ice cream. For the years after that day and I have still yet to see him come in. I wish I would have known that was my last time I ever saw him, I would have asked him more about his wife, and about what he does. I was upset by the fact that I was wearing something he gave to me and I will never see him again. And at that moment I thought he would be back in another week, back to the old man who asked me if I wanted a lick of his ice cream. I wish I could have seen his face again.

The work week was depressing without Mr. Medium in a Waffle Cone and I have still not yet seen Coffee Oreo. It has been months. Like way too long. He finally came into the shop, and I have never been more excited in my life. I looked up from my phone as I heard the door open, he pulled off his hood as his eyes met mine. I could have stayed like this forever. Even from seven feet away his eyes were piercing big and brown. I smiled as wide as I ever have all I could murmur were the words”Hi,” He just laughed, “Haven’t seen you in ages! How are you!”
“I doing alright, better now.” I laughed and felt my cheeks go flush. “Wow I really need to get better at looking cute a flirting,” I thought
“The usual? Or are you sick of coffee oreo?”
“I can’t get sick of many things, and I assure you coffee oreo will never be one.”
I handed him his ice cream, and smiled. “God, how many times have I smiled in the last ten minutes! I hope I don’t look like a fool!”
“So how is chess going?” I had to ask him something I didn't want him to leave! Better than talking about the weather!
“It has been incredible! I traveled around the world this summer playing against some of the best players in the world,” He acted like it was no big deal but my jaw was on the floor!
“That is so neat! I spent my summer here,” I chuckled for like the millionth time since he has stepped in the room.
“Well that’s not a bad place to be, I love it here,”
“Ya I guess so, any chance you want to teach my how to play chess one day?” I said, I was dying to ask.
“Of course I would! You will love it.”
“I’m sure of it,” I handed him my phone and we exchanged phone numbers.
“Well I wouldn’t want my ice cream to melt, I’ll talk to you later?” He said and grinned as he stepped out of the door.  “My name’s Arthur by the way.”
“I’m Marie.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. When he left I could feel my cheeks red and rosy. My fairytale ending better come true one day I am so done with this sad life of not knowing and always wishing for something I could never have.

I told myself I would not seek  after the impossible in fear of a broken heart or a torn mind set. I was told to dream big but not too big, to flee the nest but also stay home. I could never have guessed in my lifetime that fate would have brought a chess playing, coffee oreo-loving boy into my life Life is just a contradicting world full of ups and downs. There are some people you find to ride these waves with you and I had only hoped to find someone who would ride with me forever. Someone that brought the life into a 78 year old man and someone that can but a smile on my face when I hear one word. Someone who can bring life to what I thought what was the most boring board game ever. Thank you Coffee Oreo.