Clementina: Taking April to the Frenzy

Thirty years after the Great Disruption:

Clementina looked down at her right hand, which was currently holding the hand of a young girl, about eight years old.

"Ooh, there it is! The Chocolate Frenzy!" said the girl, getting all excited.

"That's right, April my dear." said the mother.

"I want a big ice cream! With lots of chocolate and candy on it!"

"Well, a medium sized one. Mustn't over do it."

"Aww..."

"Now, now, you need to have some room left over for tea, you know!" said her father, currently holding April's other hand.

"I suppose so..." said April, in a voice indicating eternal suffering and existential despair.

Both parents laughed, and April dropped her look of misery and laughed along with them.

And thus they created quite a stir, as they stepped through the doors of the shop. Grandma Frenzy, sitting at a table to one side, right next to the counter, looked up and smiled.

"Hi there Clementina and Zennor! And who can forget little April!"

April bounced over and gave a big hug to Grandma.

"Ha, I know what you want!" said Grandma, as she got up from her chair and, with a certain amount of stiffness, made her way to the work counter.

She started making up April's order.

"Grandma, there's no need to make a special effort for us, you know." said Zennor, "I mean, your staff are perfectly capable..."

"Rubbish! If I don't make a move now and then, my body will completely freeze up. I like to make an effort for my old customers."

"Well, not really all that old." said Clementina

A cryptic little smile from Grandma. "Oh, I don't know about that, but, anyway, here it is April!"

April took her confection and went to the table where her parents were sitting. Grandma went back to her own table, and sat down heavily.

"Ok, I'll concede you are nowhere as near as old as I am."

The counter staff made coffees for the parents, and brought them over.

At this point, a teenage boy and a teenage girl, who had just finished their own treats, got up and, hand in hand, walked out. This was closely observed by April.

"Mum, are those two dating each other?"

"Hmm, probably, why?"

"Did you and dad date each other here, also?"

"Yes we did. That's how we have known Grandma Frenzy for so long." said Zennor.

Slurp, slurp as April got stuck into her ice cream.

"And, did you meet here?"

"Nyah, we first met in school, when we were both about ten or so." said Zennor.

"Ah, yes, I remember it well" said Clementina, as she started to drift through long ago memories, "All the kids were on a school outing, and we were lining up to buy a chocolate ice cream at a store. And then this boy accidently knocked me and my dollar coin fell out of my hand and disappeared into a water overflow drain. I was starting to cry, but that boy promptly gave me his dollar and just about forced me to buy my ice cream with it."

"Ooh, I get it, that boy was daddy!"

"That's right!"

"And he became your boyfriend right then?"

"Oh, no way. We were both far too shy and reserved to do such a thing straight away. In fact, it wasn't until we were eighteen or so that he finally screwed up enough courage to invite me out to here for our first date."

April giggled, then kept on woofing down the last of her ice cream.

"Yes, it did take us some time to get used to each other..." said Zennor.

Clementina reached over and gave Zennor a little peck on the cheek. "But we finally made!"

Grandma Frenzy, listening in on this conversation, had a smile on her face.

Eventually, the parents stood up and said their goodbyes.

"Oh, can't we stay a little longer?" begged April.

"Sorry, you mother has to write up a report on Captain Shane's decision to go ahead and set up a colony on their new planet. The topic is all the rage right now." said Zennor.

April, not having the slightest interest in such a far off distant topic, let it pass. She amused herself by swinging between her parents as they walked back to their home.