Pessimist, Optimist and Realist went to buy an ice cream. Pessimist was sceptical about the chances of their finding an ice cream parlour while Optimist was busy deciding the flavour he wanted. On the way Realist was robbed and Pessimist thought Realist had been stabbed once in the chest and twice in his buttocks and called for an ambulance. Optimist asked for directions from the robber. Once the ambulance arrived Pessimist made sure that Realist had been checked for all sort of injuries including slipped disc, internal bleeding and HIV infection. Optimist tried to console Realist and told him that he had already taken the money out of his wallet in the morning and had spent it on the party they had in the afternoon which had now become a surprise party according to Optimist. Realist was pleased to come to know that the surprise part of the party which he had not tried to guess in the afternoon and had also not been trying to guess since the last week when the first mention of this particular party had been made because he did not then know that it was a surprise party was that he was the one who had paid for it. Pessimist quickly checked his wallet for any further surprises but could not find it.
Meanwhile police arrived and before they could start their interrogation Pessimist spoke to his lawyer and talked about anticipatory bail fearing his arrest because the robber was of around the same height as him. Optimist finished deciding the flavour he wanted and thought about starting in the direction of the ice cream parlour. Realist reminded him that he owed a lot of people a lot of money which then was enough to upset Optimist as he had hoped that the head injury Pessimist was sure of Realist had suffered would make Realist forget all his credit history. Pessimist was relieved when he was off the list of suspects after one or two questions. Optimist was further upset when he was asked three more questions in addition to the standard questions that the police had asked as soon as they had arrived there which included his name as well. Pessimist was happy that he had only one name and he could not identify the robber and hence could not say what the robber’s name was but what troubled him was that he still had a name which he had to speak at so many different places and frequently too and feared that if someday he forgets his name and then speaks some different name instead he will then have two names.
Optimist reached the ice cream parlour and asked for the flavour of ice cream he wanted. Pessimist too had reached the place with Realist and asked if they sold ice creams and whether they were cold enough and would not melt in their hands. Finally satisfied realist took the butterscotch he had asked for and ran without paying, speaking again to his lawyer just in case he gets caught.
