She looked down at her hot fudge sundae. Her hand paused as she noticed the rainbow sprinkles. She didn’t ask for them, yet there they were, glaringly mocking her from atop an otherwise perfect treat.
Her hand returned to her lap, spoon still in hand, as her mind drifted back to childhood. Big-top circus colors flashed through her mind; images she couldn’t ever quit; roses chewed to bits, skies filled with faces, grass filling her nostrils, a yellow t-shirt. They played over and over causing her heart to race and her breath to come fast in her throat. She was going to faint.
Her head fell back instead of into her ice cream. She bumped it against the back of the booth and awoke almost immediately from the swoon when the pain of the lump reached her brain.
She didn’t dare look down.
She laid enough money on the table to cover her meal, then left, no longer craving any sweetness.