Ramona and the Red Shoes - 5

Note: Please be advised that at this point, the story gets kind of gushy. I can't help that, it's just how things went.

The first thing that Ramona did when she left the department store was to head for the nearest ice cream stand.

"On a day like this -" said Ramona, with deep conviction, "The only food one needs is ice cream."

There was a line about a block long for the ice cream stand, but at the appearance of Ramona with her Red Shoes, the customers, awe-struck, stood back.

"Who is this Amazonian beauty who visits mine humble ice cream stand?" said the little ice cream man.

"I am Ramona of the Red Shoes!" said Ramona. "The click of my heels is as the thunder of the gods!"

The crowd murmured with admiration.

"She must be from The Movies ..." they said.

"What will you have, Oh Red-Shoe'd Ramona?" asked the ice cream man, his scoop poised expertly over the buckets.

"A triple-decker! Moose-tracks on the bottom! Strawberry in the middle! And hot tin roof on the top!"

The ice-cream man set to scooping with great vigor.

Ramona reached for her purse to pay.

"Allow me." said a voice behind her.

Ramona turned and found herself looking up at an incredibly tall and famous man. Parenthetically, he was also severely attractive, with kind and slightly tortured brown eyes, and a drooping, extensive nose. One hand was in his pocket, and one hand held a smoldering cigarette stub.

It was Adrien Grody.