cream to flop onto the table。
Before my dad could stop him; David picked up the ice cream and tried to cram it back onto
the cone。 But the cone was shattered and the ice
cream fell over again; only this time it landed on the floor。
My dad said; “Leave it; David。 Ill get you a new one;” but David didnt listen。 His chair shot
back and he dove after it。
“No; David! Let me get you a new one。” My dad pulled him by the arm; but David wouldnt
budge。 He grabbed the ice cream and crammed it
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back onto what was left of his cone; and when the bottom part of his cone crumbled
pletely away; he started screaming。
It was awful。 He was like a two…hundred…pound infant; throwing a tantrum on the floor。 He
was yelling words I couldnt understand; and after a
minute of trying to calm him down; my father said; “Julianna; can you get him another cone?”
The man behind the counter scooped as fast as he could; but in that short time David
knocked over a table and two chairs with his flailing and
managed to smear chocolate everywhere。 The checkers and customers at the registers
seemed frozen with terror—like David was some sort of
monster out to destroy the world。
I gave the new cone to my father; who handed it to David; right there on the floor。 And while
David sat there eating it; my father and I worked
around him; putting everything back in order and wiping up the mess。
On the walk back to Greenhaven; David acted like nothing had happened。 He spurted into
his pinwheel and cried; “Oange!” from time to
time; but when my dad held open the front door; I could tell that David was tired。
Down in his room David placed the pinwheel on his bed and picked up the puzzle box。 “Why
dont you take a rest before you get started on it?”
my dad asked。
David shook his head。 “Naaow。”
“Okay; then。 Let me help you set it up。”
My father pulled a card table from beneath the bed; then swung the legs out and snapped
them into place。 After he had it shoved up against the
wall near the bed; he moved a chair close to it and said; “There you are。 All set up。”
David had the box open and was already sifting through the pieces。 “Aaaas a gou one;
Wobbad。”