365: You

You – yes, you – are walking along Lygon Street. The weather’s not just good, it’s bloody amazing. Took its damn time. Things were a bit scary for quite a few months, what with the accelerated global warming event somehow stopping all the plants from flowering but somehow, it all sorted itself out.

Because you’re in such a good mood, you decide to treat yourself. It’s too warm for a coffee and too early for lunch. Oooh, what’s this? Pagoto’s Ice Creamery… oh wait, this place was shut for ages! You’d walked past it heaps of times, telling yourself that you’d try it ‘one day’, then you regretted it when it seemingly went dark for good. There’s a guy standing there, behind the serving counter. Oh, he’s seen you... and now, he’s waving. Well, guess you have to go in now.

There’s a cheerful tinkle of a bell, just like the shops in the olden days when you open the door. How quaint!

“Welcome to Pagoto’s,” the guy behind the counter says. You’re taken by his smile. It’s well practiced, but there seems to be some mystery behind it, almost like he knows something you don’t. Very Mona Lisa meets shaggy dog. Stop staring at him! “Anything you would like to try today?”

You step up and down the display, checking out the ice creams, then the sorbets. Eventually, you settle on…

“Mango sorbet, please.”

“Cup or cone?”

“Give me… a cone.”

You shuffle back, shifting the weight between your feet. The guy is humming along to a pop tune on the radio. You can’t help but tap your feet either. Looking out the window to your right, your attention is drawn to the only notable thing: a hand made pot with an absolutely gorgeous white rose growing out of it. It almost looks magical.

“I’m going to deliver it to a big crocodile next week.”

You look at... Ever? – is that what his name badge says? What sort of name was that? And was he talking to you? Must have been, there’s no one else in here. Unless he could see ghosts or something. A shiver runs down your spine.

“S-sorry?”

“My girlfriend,” Ever says. “Well, ex-girlfriend, she became a goddess. She told a crocodile that she’d show him what a rose was one day. I’m going to help her do that.”

Uhhhh… OK? Of course, you don’t say that. You just think that. You don’t want to make things awkward, after all. Well, he made things awkward. Would it be a bad look if you were just to leave right now?

“Here’s your mango sorbet,” he says. “Six dollars, thanks.”

You pay and take your cone. Should you stay here and eat it, or go to the park? The park sounds nice, but you don’t want it to melt too quickly, so you decide to stay.

You take a seat at one of the tables in the corner. Nope, this one’s got a dodgy leg. You swap. OK, better. You roll the mango sorbet over your tongue: sweet, but not too sweet and pretty natural tasting. Very nice. Your hand finds your phone and you begin scrolling.

“Do you mind if I sit here and have some ice cream with you?”

You look up from your phone. When did he even come out from behind the counter? The guy’s starting to unnerve you a bit now, but you manage a tight smile and a nod. It’s not like you can say no, he’s the one working here. He sits there, eating rainbow ice cream out of a cup. While he’s doing that, he stares out the window, lost in thought.

“I’m going to pick up my dog after work,” Ever says out of the blue. He’s got a warm smile on his face again. “Mimi’s going to be so happy to see me.”

You mumble, “that’s great,” and start crunching into your cone. You can’t help but notice that the guy’s wearing a black bracelet that you’re pretty sure you saw at Myer in the Women’s Accessories section. You’re as open-minded as the next person, but this just adds to the guy’s overall weirdness.

You stand up and push the metal chair in with a squeak along the floor.

“Heading off?” The guy asks. You nod. “Thanks for coming, hope to see you again soon!”

You fake-smile once more. The bell tinkles once as you exit, closing the door behind you. Against your better judgement, you turn back. Ever’s watering the plant by the window. He catches you looking and waves goodbye. You half-wave and walk away. Weird guy, but the ice cream was good enough that you’d probably be back again soon.