Scoops of Ice Cream
And now for something different. It's not fanfiction, it's not sad or depressing or dark in any way, and it's complete.
Title: Scoops of Ice Cream
Author: dauthi
Rating: G
Summary: Life is a scoop of ice cream.
Word Count: 548
“Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium…”
Theresa recites the Periodic Table of Elements to help her fall asleep. Natalie thinks that it’s a strange habit, but upon further reflection, counting sheep is just as strange, and a lot less useful.
Theresa is a computer programmer. Natalie asked Theresa once why she didn’t become a chemist instead.
“I don’t know,” Theresa said, “I loved everything far too much to decide on what to do, so I just picked something I could switch out of easily if I wanted to.”
Natalie is an assistant manager at an ice cream store. She smiles at customers and agrees with whatever they comment on, nodding her head saying, “And yes I said yes I will yes.” She collects chocolate stains on her arms and does speed math in her head. She recently answered an ad on the store’s bulletin board for "a mild-tempered roommate who loves ice cream."
Theresa is from China. She doesn’t have a Chinese accent, but she eats rice every day and there is a magnanimous Buddha on the third tier of her massive bookshelf. She is overly fond of ice cream and peanut butter, and tends to combine them together. She put up the ad.
---
“Did you know bromine is the only halogen that is a liquid at room temperature?”
Theresa looks up from her book. “Huh?”
“Fluorine and chlorine are gases, and iodine and astatine are solids.”
“How’d you know that?” Theresa asks.
Natalie grins. “Merck index from the library at the University of Chicago,” she says. “I stop by there on my way back from work. I aim to beat you in chemistry trivia at one point.”
“Huh.” Theresa thinks for a moment. “Lithium is a red color in a flame test.”
“It’s used to treat bipolar disorder,” Natalie replies.
“Displaces those potassium and sodium ions,” Theresa agrees.
Natalie scowls. She picks up the wooden doll sitting on the tabletop and speaks through it, her mouth completely still: “You’re going to lose one day.”
“Wow,” Theresa says in awe. “I can’t do that.”
Natalie smirks.
---
Theresa is shaking Natalie awake.
“Let’s go out,” she says.
“Huh?” Natalie murmurs,
“I quit my job,” Theresa says. “Let’s go celebrate.”
Natalie sits up and rolls out of bed. “Okay.”
They go to the Art Institute of Chicago and Theresa examines the myriad of pointillism paintings with wonder. There is a special exhibition on Seurat at this time, and Natalie thinks idly to herself that it looks like a coloring book filled in with thousands of tiny dots instead of clumsy crayons.
“Can you imagine how much time this would have taken?” Theresa breathes. “They must have used linseed oil for this, or else the paints would have bled together.”
Natalie is sure that somewhere in the brochure she’s holding there is a phrase that will confirm what Theresa just said, but Natalie is inclined to believe Theresa.
“Also known as flaxseed oil, and high in Omega-threes,” Natalie says, grinning as Theresa blinks at her.
Theresa then smiles. “Especially high in alpha linolenic acid,” she says, “also known as ALA, formula C-eighteen-H-twenty-O-two.”
“A carboxylic acid with three cis-bonds,” Natalie says.
Theresa could probably say something to that, but she just folds her brochure into a paper airplane and throws it at Natalie instead.
Title: Scoops of Ice Cream
Author: dauthi
Rating: G
Summary: Life is a scoop of ice cream.
Word Count: 548
“Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium…”
Theresa recites the Periodic Table of Elements to help her fall asleep. Natalie thinks that it’s a strange habit, but upon further reflection, counting sheep is just as strange, and a lot less useful.
Theresa is a computer programmer. Natalie asked Theresa once why she didn’t become a chemist instead.
“I don’t know,” Theresa said, “I loved everything far too much to decide on what to do, so I just picked something I could switch out of easily if I wanted to.”
Natalie is an assistant manager at an ice cream store. She smiles at customers and agrees with whatever they comment on, nodding her head saying, “And yes I said yes I will yes.” She collects chocolate stains on her arms and does speed math in her head. She recently answered an ad on the store’s bulletin board for "a mild-tempered roommate who loves ice cream."
Theresa is from China. She doesn’t have a Chinese accent, but she eats rice every day and there is a magnanimous Buddha on the third tier of her massive bookshelf. She is overly fond of ice cream and peanut butter, and tends to combine them together. She put up the ad.
---
“Did you know bromine is the only halogen that is a liquid at room temperature?”
Theresa looks up from her book. “Huh?”
“Fluorine and chlorine are gases, and iodine and astatine are solids.”
“How’d you know that?” Theresa asks.
Natalie grins. “Merck index from the library at the University of Chicago,” she says. “I stop by there on my way back from work. I aim to beat you in chemistry trivia at one point.”
“Huh.” Theresa thinks for a moment. “Lithium is a red color in a flame test.”
“It’s used to treat bipolar disorder,” Natalie replies.
“Displaces those potassium and sodium ions,” Theresa agrees.
Natalie scowls. She picks up the wooden doll sitting on the tabletop and speaks through it, her mouth completely still: “You’re going to lose one day.”
“Wow,” Theresa says in awe. “I can’t do that.”
Natalie smirks.
---
Theresa is shaking Natalie awake.
“Let’s go out,” she says.
“Huh?” Natalie murmurs,
“I quit my job,” Theresa says. “Let’s go celebrate.”
Natalie sits up and rolls out of bed. “Okay.”
They go to the Art Institute of Chicago and Theresa examines the myriad of pointillism paintings with wonder. There is a special exhibition on Seurat at this time, and Natalie thinks idly to herself that it looks like a coloring book filled in with thousands of tiny dots instead of clumsy crayons.
“Can you imagine how much time this would have taken?” Theresa breathes. “They must have used linseed oil for this, or else the paints would have bled together.”
Natalie is sure that somewhere in the brochure she’s holding there is a phrase that will confirm what Theresa just said, but Natalie is inclined to believe Theresa.
“Also known as flaxseed oil, and high in Omega-threes,” Natalie says, grinning as Theresa blinks at her.
Theresa then smiles. “Especially high in alpha linolenic acid,” she says, “also known as ALA, formula C-eighteen-H-twenty-O-two.”
“A carboxylic acid with three cis-bonds,” Natalie says.
Theresa could probably say something to that, but she just folds her brochure into a paper airplane and throws it at Natalie instead.