A Lone Stale Sugar Cone

Ice cream in the freezer...purple cow. My favorite. Black raspberry frozen yogurt with white and milk chocolate chips. A whole gallon of it. I take off the lid. The ice cream lay smooth like our front yard when it's covered in snow snow before my brother and I run through it.

But what to put it in? I look in the cupboard to see if there are any sugar cones. I love the experience of eating ice cream on a sugar cone. It's so much more enjoyable than ice cream in a bowl. Just as I start to think I'm out of luck, I spot it: the purple and white Stop & Shop box. Standing on tiptoes, I grab the box and bring it back to the counter. One lone sugar cone from last summer. Stale.

Sugar cones are best stale, though. Otherwise they crack and the melted ice cream leaks out the bottom like a funnel. Some things in life are best when they're left to sit awhile. Like Oreos. Stale Oreos are better than regular Oreos. Dip them in peanut butter like the Parent Trap and let them float in a glass of milk like a raft. Some things are best burnt. Like sweet potato fries. Or veggies on the grill. Or a marshmallow. Most fruits are best ripe.

I scoop the ice cream and balance it as I go back upstairs in my room to enjoy it in peace. I hold my ice cream cone at arm's length, and hey, my purple nails look fantastic holding that cone with the purple ice cream. It drips down my hands and I lick the sides and my hands are sticky sweet.