Simple Joys Gelateria

Prompt: 32 Flavors

It had been a hell of a week. Oliva strode out of her office building and looked down at her phone to check the time. It buzzed as she did so. “Deadline for the Murphy deliverables moved up to Monday” The text appeared on her screen. It was from her boss, Jack. Olivia attempted to sigh, but it came out as a groan. So much for that nice bubble bath and bottle of wine she had planned for the evening. That scene in her mind evaporated, replaced by an image of herself drinking lukewarm coffee and working from home late into the night.

She put her phone in her pocket and looked up and down the street. It was overcast, but it didn’t look like rain. She decided to walk home to clear her head before she chained herself to the desk in her loft.

It was a pleasant evening, but Olivia didn’t notice. Despite her best attempts at giving herself some mental space, her mind was on the Murphy project. As she rounded the corner onto Church Street, a neon sign caught her eye. “Simple Joys Gelateria” it said. Olivia didn’t remember there being a gelato place on Church Street. It must have just opened. It was an adorable little shop, and the aesthetic drew her in. Being a marketing professional herself, Olivia was a sucker for good branding. After a moment’s consideration, she walked across the street and went in.

A little bell chimed as she opened the door.

“Welcome to Simple Joys Gelateria!” A cheerful young woman in a pink apron, thick black glasses, and a baby blue beret called out from behind the counter. She smiled at Olivia. “I’ll be with you momentarily.” She then turned back to the elderly couple who were making their selections.

“I’ll have Coasting Downhill On A Bicycle,” the elderly man told the employee, pressing his weathered finger against the glass display case to point. “And my wife would like The Feel of Warm Socks Fresh From the Dryer.” His wife smiled and nodded to confirm.

“Coming right up!” the woman behind the counter replied as she scooped.

Olivia choked down a laugh. What a silly gimmick. She walked up to the glass and examined the flavor options. To her befuddlement, the flavor labels didn’t have any real flavors in parentheses below the name. There were things like The Feel of a Cat Purring Against Your Chest, A Long Laugh With a Good Friend, The Way the Forest Smells After a Rain. But no chocolate, no vanilla, no flavors she recognized as being something you could actually taste at all.

After the elderly couple checked out, the pink-aproned employee turned to Olivia. “What can I get for you?”

Olivia looked at her, a little miffed, but trying not to show it. “Do you have something like salted caramel?”

The employee smiled. “No, I’m afraid we’re not that kind of shop. First time?” She asked kindly.

Olivia laughed. “I’m sure that’s obvious. I didn’t know this shop was here.”

“We’re here when you need us to be.” The employee winked at Olivia.

Olivia forced a smile, not sure how to respond. “Well, I’m a little overwhelmed by the options. What do you recommend?”

“Oh gosh, they’re all great, aren’t they?” The woman behind the counter gushed. “I personally love Hearing Your Favorite Song In an Unexpected Place, Stepping on Crunchy Leaves, and Sleeping In On a Rainy Day.” She paused. “But lately my favorite has been Receiving a Hand-Written Letter.”

“Hmm…and what does one taste like?” Olivia asked.

The employee grinned. “That is what it tastes like.” She shrugged.

“That’s not helpful at all!” Olivia laughed, despite herself. “Okay, fine. I’m already committed, I guess I’ll just pick one.” She studied her options a moment longer. Her eyes slid past Watching the Sunset Over the Ocean, Dancing With a Romantic Partner, and A Refreshing Full Body Stretch. Finally, she settled on one. It was a light brownish color, so it looked like it might taste like salted caramel, or maybe coffee or peanut butter. All of those options were fine with Olivia. She looked around furtively, making sure the elderly couple had already left the shop. “I’ll take one scoop of Skinny-Dipping At Night, please.”

The employee nodded approvingly. “Excellent choice!” She said as she scooped it into an adorable little cup.

Olivia thanked her and left a tip, then headed out of the shop. She needed to get to back work. This detour hadn’t been part of her plan.

The employee called out, "Have a great day!" as the bell above the door chimed. “Don’t forget to follow us on social media!”

“Mm-hmm!” Olivia responded absent-mindedly as the door swung closed. She tasted a little spoonful of the gelato as she started walking home.

The feeling overwhelmed her as the gelato melted on her tongue. She could taste the feeling of the cool water on her warm skin, the way her hair floated all around her weightlessly, and the giddy, youthful excitement of doing something a little risqué. Laughter bubbled up in Olivia’s throat from the pure surprise of it and she stopped and spun in her tracks. “How?!” she exclaimed into the open air.

But the Simple Joys Gelateria was no longer there. Just all the normal businesses she recognized on Church Street. Olivia gasped. She walked back to where the store had been and saw no evidence it had existed at all. Not even an empty storefront. She blinked hard a few times and shook her head to clear the cobwebs. She walked back and forth on the patch of sidewalk where the shop had been, as if stepping on a particular bit of concrete would make it reappear. But no gelateria popped into existence.

She looked at the cup of gelato in her hands and held it up to the sky as if trying to look through it. She studied it for a moment, and tapped the bottom and sides a few times, waiting for it to disappear as well. A man walking down the sidewalk avoided eye contact and gave her a wide berth, and Olivia flushed as she lowered the cup.

She took another bite of the gelato and was transported once more, the simple joy of the flavor spreading out to every inch of her body. She smiled and pulled out her phone as she continued her commute, sending a text to Melanie, her therapist. “Our next session is going to be a doozy, lol”. And she savored every bite on the walk home, enjoying the pleasantness of the evening and not thinking about the Murphy project at all.