Brain Freeze

April 2004

Vacation. A driving trip to visit my brother and his family in Globe, Arizona.

Team Klem, with our boy of almost three years at the time, went for a walk. We wanted to supplement the walk with an ice cream or milk shake, if such wares could be located. Our confidence was high.

A bustling metropolis Globe is not, but we did locate a frozen yogurt merchant and bought two smoothies, chocolate for Wife Klem and dark cherry for me.

Receiving the first smoothie I passed it down to the boy for the first pulls off the straw. Passing the second to Wife Klem then paying for the purchase, I noticed the boy was flopped on the ground. He was on his knees with his forehead to the floor.

“Brain freeze,” we explained to him. “Too much cold stuff consumed too quickly.”

“Brain freeze,” he repeated.

I retrieved the guy’s smoothie, he regained his motor skills, and we exited the shop. Shortly after, he flopped down again, this time on the sidewalk. Same ailment. Once his brain caught up with the cold stuff, he got back up and we continued to walk. With some urging he engaged the smoothies again, albeit with some reservation and restraint.

The boy preferred Wife Klem’s chocolate smoothie.
-klem