I was much better, Paul was very relieved and with two happy parents, Baby Jeanne flourished. She was bright and beautiful and learned very quickly. We knew she would be walking and talking in no time (and she did.) We took her everywhere and she never became cranky unless it was naptime.
One day we took her to Southgate shopping center and Paul and I both felt a sudden longing for a chocolate milk shake. Woolworth still existed and had a soda fountain! Exciting stuff. Drugstores and Five and Tens always had soda fountains in the Olden Days. (It was at a soda fountain in Badger's downtown that a young, lean Elvis Presley kissed my pretty friend, Rosie, after his 1956 concert at the Florida Theatre. I did not go and have regretted it for over 60 years.) As Paul and I were slurping our milk shakes, Jeanne became very curious and was touching the icy glasses.
Paul took his spoon, filled it with a taste of chocolate shake and offered it to Jeanne. She tasted this ambrosia; her eyes lighted up and her smile was rapturous. What was this wonderful drink--she wanted more! Paul gave her a few more spoonfuls of this miracle shake and at about nine months old, our baby became a chocolate addict. Unfortunately, the rich shake immediately gave the poor baby diarrhea, but Jeanne didn't care. No flavor since has produced the bliss that chocolate gave her that long ago day in Woolworth's.
We have offered her vanilla, mocha, strawberry, butter pecan and a multitude of other flavors, but Jeanne has spurned them all and has remained ever faithful to her first love--
CHOCOLATE!
