Susan plonked the ice cream firmly on Michael Cartwright’s head.
It was the first occasion the two of them had met, or that was what Michael’s
best man claimed when Susan and Michael were married twenty-one years later.
Both
of them were three years old at the time, and when Michael burst into tears,
Susan’s mother rushed over to find out what the problem was. All Susan was
willing to say on the subject, and she repeated it several times, was, “Well,
he asked for it, didn’t he?” Susan ended up with a spanking. Not the ideal
start for any romance.
The
next recorded meeting, according to the best man, was when they both arrived at
their elementary school.
Susan
declared with a knowing air that Michael was a cry-baby, and what’s
more, a sneak. Michael told the other boys that he would share his
graham crackers with anyone who was willing to pull Susan Illingworth’s
pigtails. Few boys tried a second time.
At
the end of their first year, Susan and Michael were jointly awarded the class
prize. Their teacher considered it the best course of action if she hoped to
prevent another ice-cream incident. Susan told her friends that Michael’s mother
did his homework for him, to which Michael responded that at least it was in
his own handwriting.
