#1

I remember the first time I had a Wall's Magnum ice cream stick. Smooth Belgian dark chocolate crisp over a frozen vanilla centre. I saved up 2 day's worth of lunch money for it. I remembered it well.. $2.40 mind you. I ran to the nearby provision shop just outside the school's sidegate during a mid-morning recess. Encased in it's glorious golden foil, I trembled with anticipation after weeks of ruthless television marketing bombardment. The Magnum crackled as I gingerly opened the correct end of its packaging. I was greeted with a generous rounded handle with its name pyrographed proudly right in the middle.

In the hot tropical afternoon, the chocolate coating promptly began to sweat and that worried me deeply. I took a careful bite and felt the thicker than others chocolate coating break away. The reverse slab fell off completely and beyond the speed of my reflexes, met the drab concrete floor. My 13 year old heart sank. It was the singular most traumatic event that a frozen confectionery has ever inflicted upon me. Till this day, I eat Magnums with vigour and conviction.