The Ice-Cream Woman

“Ramona! Don’t forget to pick the pebbles out of the rabbit litter box!” 

“Okay, mom!” It was a balmy summer’s day, and the Montaro family was slaving away – as usual. Ramona Montaro – the 14-year-old daughter – sat outside, on the doorstep, picking pebbles out of sand. The most mind-numbingly boring task – in her opinion at least. It wasn’t like that job would get her any closer to her dream. But on the other hand – nothing really could give her life that much-needed boost, where she’d go soaring off to Paris and compete in this year’s Olympic games.

Although it had always been her dream – ever since she’d seen her grandfather, training, working hard, and pouring all his blood, sweat, and tears into competing – she knew that it was simply impossible. No matter how much she wanted it- she’d never be able to achieve something like this. The simple reason – her father. It wasn’t that he was holding her back, it was just that he had big dreams for her too. And to her – family always came first.

“Ramona. There you are!”

“Dad. Hello.” she looked up from the box of sand in her lap, to see her father looming above her. He smiled at her and settled himself down beside her on the doorstep.

“What are you doing?”

“Picking pebbles out of sand.” A task as impossible as my dreams, Ramona thought. But out loud, she only said, “Do you wish to say something to me?”

“Yes, my dear.” Suddenly, her father looked ecstatic. She hadn’t noticed it since the time he’d come up to her, but he was beaming. “I’ve got some fantastic news for you, my daughter.”

“Really Dad?”

“Yes. The time has finally come, that I hand it over to you – this.” With that, he pulled something out of his apron pocket and placed it on Ramona’s head. A cap. That was new.

“Oh wow… uh – what is this, dad?”

He smiled proudly at her, before declaring, “The future of our shop.”

Ramona froze. No no no! This was exactly what she’d feared. There was no longer any scope for her telling him about her dreams. Olympics? Bosh, he’d say. Who needs the Olympics when you’ve got the shop?

“So what do you think?”

“It is-” She had no idea what to say. “It is great, Dad. Thank you.” In response, all she got was a proud smile, a hair ruffle, and a ‘proud of you’. She hadn’t been expecting much more, but still.

As she watched her father get up and go inside again, she felt a numb kind of emptiness within – probably because she no longer had those dreams bustling inside of her, waiting to be let out…

Suddenly, she felt a ginormous, haughty shadow looming mightily above her – causing her to squint up at it, and there it was. The brilliant, simple yet strangely refreshing sight of it caused her heart to jump with joy. An ice cream truck. She didn’t know why it made her so jovial either – but perhaps it was the cool shade it provided her against the scorching sun. Or maybe it was the benign music playing that soothed her headache. But whatever it was – she suddenly felt the urge to clamber up from her spot and buy a dozen ice creams. She was so lost in thought and the new calm that had settled over her – she hadn’t even noticed someone towering above her.

“What are you doing here dear girl?”

“Huh?” she looked up so fast, she got a cramp in her neck. “This is my house. I was just doing chores.

“Chores? Doesn’t look like chores to me.” She was a middle-aged woman, with pale eyes and black hair that reached her shoulders. She wore an apron that said ‘Creme-acious Cook!’ (although Ramona didn’t understand that very much).

“Yes.” that caused the woman to sit down – uninvited – beside Ramona on the porch. “Can I ask you something?” she looked serious suddenly.

“Why do you seem so sad?”

“Um. I’m not sad.”

The woman gave her a small smile. “Darling, you don’t have to hide. I can sense your sadness. Tell me.”

There was something about the way the woman talked- that made Ramona understand that she could be trusted. 

“Well… my dad owns this shop-” she gestured to his shop behind her, “and he kind of wants me to take over from him.”

The lady nodded slowly. “But you don’t want that.”

“No. I want to be a part of the Olympics. I want to do gymnastics in Paris for this year’s games.”

“Wow. That sounds big.” the woman smiled at her. “So from what I understand, you don’t have the guts to tell your dad that you want to go to the Olympics.”

“I mean-”

“Let me tell you a story. Have you ever heard of this woman – Erika Reidell?”

Ramona perked up. “Of course I have! World-class chef of Creme de la Creme! The pastries there are to die for!”

The woman flinched at the word ‘die’, but her negative expression vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.

“Well, you probably didn’t know- but she was just like you.”

Ramona perked up a bit. “Really?”

“Indeed. Her mother was so, disapproving of her wanting to become a world-class chef. She’d always thought that women belonged at home, caring for their families and being a full-time mom or wife – and that was exactly what she wished for her daughter to become. But unfortunately for her – her daughter had other plans…”

“What happened?”

The woman beamed at her. “Well, she would sit – forlorn on her balcony, or her porch – just like you – pondering about how her dreams had been crushed. But one day, that all changed.”

“How?”

“She met someone. Someone very special. She met a renowned tailor – Karen Higgins. They shared stories, and she was so inspired by Karen that she decided that day – no matter the situation, nothing could stop her from reaching her dreams. She worked relentlessly night after night. She would sneak out in secret to masterclasses and courses – and she’d practice in the kitchen far after her parents had gone to sleep. Little by little – she reached closer to her dream, until she finally had enough money from odd jobs, to open her own food joint.”

Ramona was truly moved. “Wow. That’s inspiring. So where is Erika now?”

The woman suddenly looked so melancholy, that Ramona instantly regretted asking her that. “Unfortunately, she died soon after she established a chain of restaurants worldwide. Her children took over for her – and continued her majestic legacy.”

“Oh – I’m sorry. So she managed to convince her mom in the end?”

“Yes. Although let me tell you – it wasn’t easy. Trust me on that.” she chuckled. “But the point is – if you truly want something with your whole heart, the entire universe will conspire to bring it to you.” she turned to look at a galvanized Ramona.

“We need more people like you, people who can dream big. That’s not something everyone can achieve. We need ambition in the world because we know that every success story starts with a dream. Believe in yourself, and you’re already halfway through, isn’t that right – Ramona?”

“Yes-” Ramona froze. She didn’t recall telling the woman her name.“Wait. How do you know my-”

“I know YOU, Ramona. I know you can do it. Why do you think I chose you in the first place?”

“Choose- what – what do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter Ramona. The point is, that you need to bring out the hidden potential in you. Because a heart without dreams is like a bird without feathers! You just heard about Erika. She didn’t give up on her dreams until her last days. Now here are my last words to you. Always remember them; keep your dreams alive. Understanding to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Last of all, always, ALWAYS remember: Everything is possible, to those who believe.”

And with that, she stood up and started to walk away.

“Wait!” Ramona caught her arm just in time. “I never did catch your name.”

The woman looked back at her with a pensive smile. “My name?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Erika Reidell.”

Ramona gasped. She was so astonished, she let go of the woman’s arm and staggered back.

Erika smiled at her again. “For now, Ramona …it’s time to say Goodbye.” And those were her last words. A blast of icy fog rolled through the village and when it cleared, the woman was gone, and so was her Ice Cream truck. 

Ramona dashed back home and locked herself in a room for a long time. Could she really have been talking to a ghost? But how? Ghosts didn’t exist – right? Regardless of that, her words kept echoing in Ramona’s mind –

If you truly want something with your whole heart, the entire universe will conspire to bring it to you.

–Srinika Mukherjee, an eighth-grade student, is a budding author with two published books and a fervent passion for music.