But he still intended to take advantage of as much free stuff on the company dollar as he could. Once he was up, he picked up his empty plate and free ice cream voucher. “Alright,” he told his coworkers, “I’m going to go take care of this.”
“Enjoy,” Erin replied as James walked away, throwing his plate in the trash as he did, with no intention to return.
James returned to the ice cream stand and got in line, grateful that it wasn't too long. As he looked over the list of flavors and toppings, he considered what he’d get, before realizing he should have asked what he could get for free with the voucher before getting in line. No matter, he thought. Once he reached the front, he put his voucher on the counter and said, “Hi, I’m here with my company, and I got one of these. What can I get for this?”
“For that, you can any size cup or cone for free, with an additional topping. Only things you can't get are sundaes, milkshakes, and cartons.”
“Oh sweet,” James exclaimed. “Then I’ll take a large chocolate peanut butter swirl, which peanut butter sauce, please.”
“Are you sure, sir?” the girl asked slowly. “A large is a lot.”
“I’m not paying for it, so yes, I’m sure.”
With a smile and a nod, the girl headed out back to prepare James’s ice cream. When she came back, he could see what she meant: in a large paper cup, the girl carried what looked like two base-ball-size scoops of the ice cream, with peanut butter sauce smothering the ice cream and nearly dripping over the rim. But it stayed inside, even as she put it down, along with five golden tokens next to it.
“What are these for?”
“Oh, your employer didn't mention? In addition to the free food and ice cream, you get some complimentary tokens to spend in our fun zone.”
“Hmm,” James ruminated, caught between the desire to milk his employer for every cent he could, and the desire to go home. For the moment, he pocketed the tokens, took his ice cream, and said, “Thank you.”
“Of course. Have a good day!”
James went around the other side of the ice cream stand, hoping to keep some distance between him and his coworkers. In the heat of the summer, the ice cream started melting as soon as he rounded the corner, even though he was in the shade. Though he was still full from lunch, he didn't want to get any of the sauce or ice cream on his hands, having forgotten to take a napkin. At the rate the ice cream was melting, he wouldn't be able to get one before it flowed out of the cup. So he did was he had to do: he started eating, quickly.
With the two scoops of ice cream sticking out twice as tall as the cup itself, James had a lot of melting ice cream to keep up with. Spooning all around the cup, he gulped down spoonful after spoonful of ice cream and sauce, occasionally sipping from the rim to stem the rising tide of chocolate and peanut butter. If it weren't for how delicious the ice cream was, it would have stressed him out just how quickly he had to eat it. But if he weren't full already, he’d probably be eating an ice cream that delicious as quickly as he was. So he figured he ought to cut himself some slack. But not so much that the ice cream caught up with him.
So James kept eating, rushing to get through the ice cream even after he ate down past the rim of the cup. Even after the ice cream was all contained within the cup and at no risk of spilling over. Even after what little remained had melted entirely, clearly at no risk of spilling, he still drank down what remained. Only when he’d finished the ice cream did he finally slow down, and was able to realize just how full he was.
It seemed to be true what they said about ice cream: no matter how full one is, there’s always room for ice cream, because it’ll melt around everything else. James’s present state seemed to confirm that, as he didn’t feel any more painfully full than he did after lunch. But he did feel fuller, as if the mound of food in his stomach had expanded to fill out every bit of available space inside of him. At the very least, he felt heavier, and found himself waddling to the nearest trash bin thanks to his shifted center of gravity.
The Fun Zone
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