A Friendly Neighborhood

Jacob had been drawn outside to the tinny sound of the ice cream van, along with a gaggle of other youth ranging from his mid-teen age to a couple kids barely past the toddler stage, clutching their mothers’ hands and pointing out what they wanted from the colorful menu splashed on the side of the van. His mom was out, so she couldn’t even try to discourage him from indulging in something for himself.

They were on vacation; weren’t they supposed to be treating themselves a little?

It was the first road trip he’d been able to take with family in a long time. His mother didn’t like to drive long distances too often, and she had trouble getting the time off work to make a trip in the first place. That, coupled with the fact that Jacob was only 14 and thus not permitted to drive, meant that this trip took a lot more planning ahead than many road trips tended to.

Jacob made sure to wait towards the back of the group crowded around the van. The smiling ice cream vendor took orders from the younger kids, patiently waiting for them to make up their minds and taking their piles of change with a good-natured laugh. By the time the rest had been served, Jacob had been standing there with his hands in his gray hoodie pocket for nearly ten minutes.

“Oh, I didn’t forget ya, kiddo, I might just have something left for you,” the man greeted as Jacob finally approached him. “What’ll ya have?”

Jacob smiled back, put at ease by the man’s cheerful nature. He was willing to bet that attitude sold more ice cream than the bored looks of some vendors. “I’ll just have an ice cream sandwich, dude,” he replied, already digging into his jeans pocket for his  money.

“That’ll be two-fifty,” the vendor replied, before turning to rummage in one of his freezers. Jacob found two crumpled ones in his pocket, and sorted out enough coins to make up the rest. These he placed in the man’s hand just as he turned back with Jacob’s purchase ready. “Thanks bud, enjoy it!”

“You bet,” Jacob replied, stepping back from the curb so the van could pull away and find another neighborhood to entice.

Jacob unwrapped his prize on the way back to the motel room. The breeze carried the scents of the nearby fields mixed with the pungent odor of asphalt from the parking lot. The wide dome of the Kansas sky was already tinting in yellow and pink, signalling a coming sunset. Jacob’s mom had headed out to get some food and supplies (all their planning and she’d forgotten her toothbrush).

He paused at the door of their room to glance back out over the parking lot. The motel wasn’t very busy, with most of its parking stalls empty. A flickering Vacancy! sign desperately called for more guests, right underneath the big moniker of the motel itself: Trails West.

After watching the sky a few minutes, Jacob wandered back into the room. He locked the door not out of paranoia, but out of respect for his mom’s wishes; she didn’t want someone to barge in at any point.

Facing the room, Jacob almost swore he saw a small shape darting under the dresser. He paused with his eyebrows raised, before shrugging and ambling into the room without concern. They were only there for the night, and the mice probably wouldn’t do any harm. Just don’t let mom spot you, little guys, he warned them in his head.

He flopped onto his bed with the remainder of his ice cream and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV. He absently unclasped his necklace, a twine choker with a single green bead, to set it safely on the nightstand. After that, he settled in, already thinking with excitement of the day ahead of them.

Jacob was nearly done with his treat when a knock came at the door. He tilted his head and glanced at the clock, wondering if his mom was back already. Then, with a shrug, he stood to answer the door. The wrapper from the ice cream was tossed into the bin on the way, and he unlocked the door to open it and see who’d come knocking.