Pink and Blue

It was three o'clock and the sun was brilliant. The sky was blue. Just like in those stories you read with the happy endings. Today, I felt happy. There was so much happy I could have stretched it out for the rest of this year. I ran in to school and surprised my little daughter. She didn't expect to see me at all and was momentarily confused by the time. Tinges of jealousy began showing in the eyes of the other children. "We are going out for an ice cream treat".

I looked my daughter in her eye and she saw that sparkle of magic in mine. All we could talk about in the car were the flavors of ice cream we would try. The air was filled with giggles and bubbles of excited anticipation. I think we literally sprinted from the school to the car and from the car to Cold Stone.

"Kaolin, which flavors do you want to try first?!!!" There were so many firsts? Our first bubble gum flavor. Our first keylime. Our first blueberry. We settled on "pink and blue". Black rasberry and blue bubble gum. With the brilliant day light wrapping itself around us while we sat by the big window and little spoons eating pink and blue ice cream, I knew that I had died once before and was living this very moment in heaven. This is what the American dream is about. People around the world kill each other and themselves to find a pathway through the ocean and over walls to come to this soil so that that they can have a moment like mine. Private and peaceful moments happily eating one dollar ice cream cones with the ones they love, caring for nothing else beyond the flavor, the color and the laughter all the hard work had brought.

This has become a tradition between Kaolin and me. Our secret rendevouz celebrating each victory, big or small, that we succeed to overcome. We celebrate with pink and blue ice cream.