The Icecream Van

When i was a little girl, I used to love eating 99p Flake. ( I still do but the price is a bit deviant now!)

I remember once when i was 5, my Father took me to the icecream van to buy me one. He picked me up and in a tiny voice i said "Flake icecream with 2 flake and red sauce!" and giggled.
I assume now as an adult, it meant raspberry sauce!

The man quickly whipped up a cone and handed it to me. I was rather happy and beaming with pride as i started to eat it, not sure which side to begin with! My dad wasn't impressed. With one eyebrow raised, he questioned me.

"What do you say to the man, Nadia?!"

I blushed and said thankyou with a smile. He was pleased and flashed a grin.

As an adult,each time someone does something good for me, i thank the person. And silently when i am saying thankyou, i thank my Father for teaching me how to respect other people.

And as he once said to me "Manners will cost you nothing and serve to gain you the world."

After all these years as a young woman, i now understand why. People respect me because i respect, them.