Ice Cream Truck

Note: The wonderful Danielle interviewed me! Go check it out!

HUGE Note: Remember that time Kiersten White FREAKING HIT THE NYT BESTSELLERS LIST? Yeah, that was awesome.

When I was little, summer days were measured in how soon the ice cream truck was coming. He'd come everyday at about the same time in the afternoon, and as the hour drew nigh we'd sit on the curb and wait, planning what to buy with our meager allowance.

Crunch Bars, Choco Tacos, Big Sticks, Rocket Pops, Twin Pops, Push Pops...lots of Pops.

The wait seemed eternal each day, though we knew the tinkling sound of "Do Your Ears Hang Low" would eventually fill the air. Then his truck would appear and we'd cheer, our mouths watering.

But before that glorious moving sugar buffet arrived, it was always the same:

"When is he coming?"

"What if he doesn't come?"

"I'm going to DIE if this takes much longer!"

To pass the time we'd throw rocks into the street, color with chalk on the sidewalk. If we really wanted a rush, someone would strap on their roller blades, we'd all pile in the back of a wagon, and they'd pull us down the hill and around the corner as fast as they could.

That's how I got the scar on my chin—I can blame it on boredom waiting for the ice cream truck.

But looking back now, I wonder if that ice cream man waited as much for us as we did for him. We were serious regular customers, well-versed in ice cream truck delicacies and probably a much-needed part of his paycheck. Perhaps he never came early for fear that we wouldn't be there. Perhaps as he approached our street, his music blaring so loud he probably couldn't hear, it was always the same:

"Will they be there?"

"What if they're not there?"

"I will DIE if this takes much longer!"

Then we'd see each other and smile. My friends and I would wave to him, our quarters at ready. He'd wave back, relieved that we were still there, waiting.

I think sometimes we forget that the "other side" is waiting too, that agents or editors or readers hope we're ready on that curb, can't wait to see how much we have for them today. Just like we're standing on the curb, hoping they haven't run out of Rocket Pops yet.