Something very significant to me is Lime vanilla ice, a symbol of enduring and pure love.

Lime vanilla ice is a type of ice cream that appears in the book Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. It represents a connection between two characters, Bill Forrester and Helen Loomis, who share a love for this unusual flavor. It also symbolizes the nostalgia and sweetness of their relationship, which transcends their age difference and the passage of time.

In chapter 28 of the book, Bill and Douglas go to a store to get some ice cream. Bill orders old-fashioned lime-vanilla, and Helen Loomis, a 95-year-old woman, overhears and commends him on his choice. She recognizes Douglas as a Spaulding, and knows Bill as a newspaper reporter. Bill mentions that he knows who she is and that he was in love with her once. They get into a conversation, and she asks him to come by for tea the next day.

The next day, Bill goes to Helen’s house and they talk over tea. She tells him how she was young and foolish and how at age 30 the only man she cared for stopped waiting for her and married someone else. So then she traveled all around the world. He likes her, and says that interesting women like her are rare. She says that is because most men do not want a woman with a brain. Many women get good at hiding their intelligence. She asks him what he wants out of life, and Bill says that he wants to see many places. Helen has been to most of those places and so she tells him all about them. He sees her every day for over two weeks, and they have a very good time together.

Then one day she asks him how he was once in love with her. When he first came to the town he saw a picture of her in the paper the day of the town ball and he did not know that the photo was from 1853 and that the town published it every year before the ball. She tells him that he reminds her of the man who courted her 70 years ago. Near the end of August she gives him a letter and tells him that when he receives it, in a few days, she will be dead. She says that love is in the mind and that they had that together, even if their bodies were years apart. She tells him that he must not live too long (he is 31 years old now) because if he does then one day he will meet a young girl who reminds him of Helen Loomis. If he dies at a moderate age perhaps everything will come into balance and sometime in the future a young man will order an unusual ice cream and a young girl will appreciate his choice and that will be their happy end.

A few days later, Bill gets the letter in the mail, and he takes Douglas back to the store, where he reads the letter and orders lime-vanilla ice.

Lime vanilla ice is a significant motif in this chapter because it shows how Bill and Helen share a common taste and interest that sets them apart from others. It also reflects their personalities: lime is sour and refreshing, while vanilla is sweet and comforting. Together they create a balanced and unique flavor that suits both of them. Lime vanilla ice also represents their memories of happier times, when they were young and in love with someone else. By ordering lime vanilla ice at the end of the chapter, Bill honors Helen’s memory and hopes for their reunion in another life.