Ice Cream for Nathan

Two

Jacob watched his mother lift Nathan out of his car seat. Nathan's legs swung violently in excitement over being held by his mother. Twisting her slender arms around his body, she held him close as he continued to wiggle.

            "Grab the diaper bag, please?" she asked Jacob. His mother was unable to free a hand for fear of Nathan jumping from her arms.

            The family quickly started their trek towards the building. Arms loaded and the sun just beginning to beat down, they were eager to reach the comfortable chairs and cool air of the doctor's office. The mother's purse sat alone on the passenger seat, forgotten. All three family members began to sweat shortly. While the day wasn't terribly warm, the multiple layers they were wearing began to cause them to overheat. Unbeknownst to her, Jacob's mother had misread the weather forecast.

            Jacob looked up in awe at the great tower before them. It stretched into the sky, almost touching the clouds he was so fond of looking at. The glass shone and glittered in the ever-rising sun. To him, it was magical. He didn't see concrete and brick, sharp and obtrusive edges, but rather a wonder that had seemingly sprouted from the pavement. Jacob's mother looked over her shoulder, taking amusement in the expression on her child's face. Nathan was more interested in a loose lock of his mother's hair. Jacob grinned as they rode the elevator, wondering if it would ever stop or just continue to the heavens. Upon reaching the correct floor, he was reluctant to disembark.

            "Nathan Diamond," the mother said upon reaching reception, "we have an appointment with Dr. Howard."

            Having been to doctors appointments with his brother before, Jacob was familiar with the procedure. He situated himself in a corner of the waiting area where he could observe all of the activity. The bottoms of his shoes brushed against the floor as he swung his legs back and forth. Nathan and their mother disappeared into the back as Jacob began to get settled in his new environment. He pulled a book out of the diaper bag. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for young Jacob to get bored of the story on the pages before him. Jacob put down his book and began to fidget. He looked around the room, trying to find something to keep him occupied. But the office was quiet.

            Jacob gazed out the window to his right. He looked down as far as his eyes could see. The sun glinted off the other buildings, making his eyes hurt and his pale skin begin to perspire. Licking his lips, he began to think of ice cream. Getting an idea, Jacob walked quickly down the hallway. He followed the distinct sound of his mothers voice to the correct room. Swinging open the door, he began to grin mischievously.

            "Can I go get ice cream?" Jacob asked his mother. He made sure he said it loud enough that his little brother could hear. You see, while it was previously mentioned that Nathan could not identify foods, he did in fact know was ice cream was. Nathan knew how it tasted, how it looked, and surprisingly what the word was. Nathan, upon hearing his favourite words, began to wiggle and shriek on the exam table. This caused Jacob to grin even bigger, knowing that his mother could not refuse now. She rolled her eyes and sent Jacob on his way.