The Ice Cream Truck Chronicles: The Curious Case of Kevin and the Elusive Frozen Treat
There are neighborhood legends, and then there’s Kevin—the boy whose siren call for “ICE CREAM!” could be heard echoing long before you spotted the pastel blur of the truck itself. Most suburban kids have a sixth sense for the ice cream truck’s jingle, but Kevin? He had the lungs of an opera singer and the tracking skills of a broken compass.
Before I moved to my current house, I didn’t know Kevin personally, but I knew his voice. Everyone did. Whenever the familiar, slightly off-key strains of “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” drifted down my street, you’d hear Kevin’s war cry: “ICCCCE CREAAAAAM!” It was a rallying call that summoned kids from living rooms, backyards, and, occasionally, the neighbor’s trampoline. Yet, as much as Kevin craved the sweet taste of frozen joy, fate—and sometimes his own baffling choices—kept him from ever landing the treat.