Exposition (Initial Situation)

Rub-a-dub-dub, Missie May in the Tub

The story opens with a wide-angle lens on an all black town (Eatonville), but it quickly changes scenes to the bedroom, where Missie May is bathing herself. When she hears men's voices outside, she rushes to put on her clothes before her hubby, Joe, comes home from working the nightshift. They play their Saturday game of cat and mouse, wash up and eat dinner together. From what we can tell so far, these two make a darn cute couple and their marriage seems picture perfect.

Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Joe announces that he wants to take Missie out to the new ice cream parlor in town. This might not seem ominous…but we're sure Joe will come to regret this decision one day soon. The joint is run by Otis D. Slemmons, a cool northern cat with a lot of gold. Joe, for lack of a better word, is smitten and wants to impress the guy. While Missie doesn't get the appeal of Slemmons, she's happy to dress up and have a sugar cone. Complications start to arise when Slemmons takes too much notice of Missie. Who would have known ice cream could be the root of so many problems.

Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)

Much Worse Than a Toothache

So it probably wasn't the best idea for Joe to bring his cute, perky, young wife around a guy with a big ego and a big mouth. That's just asking for trouble. One day, Joe gets out of work early and comes home to find a bumbling Slemmons with his pants down and Missie in a corner crying. Slemmons begs for his life and offers Joe money. Joe punches Slemmons and tells him to get out of his house. Talk about ice-cream cold.

Falling Action

Yesterday, Love Was Such an Easy Game to Play

Alas, there are no more games in Missie and Joe's household, no more silver dollars, and no more molasses kisses. Missie spends her time feeling sad and explains to Joe that, "[…] [Slemmons] said he wuz gointer give me dat gold money and he jes' kept on after me—." (81) Of course, claiming she did it for the money is certainly not the best excuse and Joe keeps his distance until he finds out that Missie is pregnant. The question remains—who is the father?

Resolution (Denouement)

Are you my Daddy?

Lucky for Joe (and Missie) the baby is his. Relieved, Joe goes to Orlando to buy food and treats for his wife and son. By the end of the story, we know everything is going to be all right. How do we know that? Well, not only does Joe buy a ton of candy kisses, he comes home and throws silver dollars at the door for Missie to collect and keep. All's well that ends well, we guess. Who doesn't love a happy ending?