The Wailing Woman

25. I Like Cold, Sweet Things

Have you ever been awarded for doing something bad? I can finally say I have and it gives you the same feeling when you have done something good, satisfaction. On this very gloomy chilling day, I've been awarded a luscious ice cream sundae. Three ice cream scoops of a black raspberry chip, strawberry, and coffee. I chose to drizzle it with rainbow sprinkles, and hot fudge, of course, with the bright cherry on top, and the chocolate wafer on the side.

I licked my lips as I picked up the long adorned spoon and promptly, took a spoonful of the black raspberry chip ice cream I could gather from the bite-size spoon. Nonetheless, the soft sweetened frost fell into my mouth, melting away.

I turned my gaze to the rained window, watching nothing but an empty street. No cars passing and no people passing. There was no one inside the ice cream parlor either. Except for Grimm, the employee behind the counter, and me. It seemed the world had been scared off by the murky sky, but then again, no one usually comes to eat ice cream in November or at eight o'clock at night.

"I wish you were my friend when I was alive." My head snapped to Arabella's voice. She was still here, waiting by my side for Grimm to take her. Despite her chilling presence, her words brought warmth to my heart.

I slowly shook my head. "Who said we can't be friends now?"

"But I'm-"

"Dead. So what? Are ghosts not allowed to have friends?" I stuck the spoon into the ice cream and crossed my arms. "After everything, I did for you. You know I could go to jail, right?" Arabella becomes quiet, too quiet, and I immediately straighten my posture to tell her I was joking. I sometimes forget when I talk to people (which is not often), I sound a bit aggressive, but it is not my intention. Well, sometimes it is but not right now.

Arabella speaks up."I never had a friend who would go to jail for me." Then she laughs like an empty bottle that has been uncapped, it comes out like an echo with some light breeze.

My shoulders ease as I pick up the spoon and dip it into my sundae.

Grimm finally comes back from the counter with another two sundaes. He places the strawberry-flavored sundae next to me, almost breaking the glassware. He did it to get my attention, and now he has it. I keep the cool spoon in my mouth as I lift my gaze to see a mint chocolate chip sundae in front of him.

Arabella's laugh quietened.

He sits down in the booth, keeping a steady glare toward me as he shoves the spoon into his sundae. I looked back down at my sundae as I feigned innocence of his irritation.

Grimm wanted to get the jumbo sundae of ten scoops to share, which bothered me because something as fulfilling as ice cream should not be shared. But I decided to be nice until I heard him say he wanted to mint chocolate chip.

I don't like toothpaste ice cream, and I never took Grimm to have poor taste buds.

He finally spoke. "We could have spent less money."

"Yes, we could have just bought you toothpaste," I answered back.

Grimm said agitated, "It is not toothpaste. It is mint." Yes, I thought once again, mint is found in toothpaste. It's the same thing.

I kept my eyes on the sundae, "You also shouldn't be stingy with your money." My mouth twitched as I twirled the spoon around. "It's not very God-like." Arabella coughed out violently.

Grimm fumed. "I'm not being stingy. How could I be stingy when I just bought three sundaes for thirty-five dollars? It should've been twenty-five if we got the bigger sundae." He went on. "You should know I have an abundance of money, you wouldn't be able to finish counting it in a day or a week, and that's not including the jewels and antiques I have."