19 Joe
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Joe’s birthday had been hot and blue. Not a cloud crossed the horizon from Collette’s point of view.
After a walk around half of the neighborhood late that morning, Collette and Puck returned in time to join OLeif on a drive to the Silverspoon’s for fajitas and a little music. Then it was over to the house where only Mom remained. Dad, Louis and Juliet, Carrie, Joe, Rose, Frances, Linnea, Wally and Starr, and Lolli were all at the air show – Blue Angles and funnel cakes.
Puck was slobbering all over his overalls and pulling on his ears. His baby teething was still underway. But he smiled for everyone as usual.
“Your son’s flirting in there with the ladies,” Carrie informed OLeif.
Puck was giggling very hard at both Lolli and Starr.
Meanwhile OLeif was out at the grill over marinated pork steaks which had temporarily burst into flame.
“Ooops,” said OLeif. “Wonder what happened there.”
The pork steaks were salvaged despite the freak grease fire, and dinner was served over various discussion and Puck whined over his rice cereal, which he hardly preferred to his sweet potatoes.
In the living room, Dad, Louis, and Frances were discussing planes. Dad was attending a conference in October on how to construct an aluminum airplane, if Collette heard correctly. And then the plan would be that he, Joe, and Frances would build it.
“I’ll help,” said Louis.
“And we’ll bring bombs with us when we fly it,” Frances laughed.
“We’re not at war, Frances,” Dad told him.
“I know. But we could still bring them.”
Later, while Mom, Rose, and Lolli chatted on the front porch, Carrie let Puck pull on her hair and Rose made him giggle hysterically.
“That’s his tired laugh,” Collette said. “He gets slaphappy sometimes.”
As Puck pulled on Carrie’s locks, Carrie explained that her hair had taken on a new form of impossibility.
“Yesterday, a roly poly and a spider fell out of my hair.”
“They must have thought it was a nest.”
“Well, I was hiking, but still…”
The dreadlocks weren’t getting any better either.
Soon, everyone had dispersed, except for the new arrival of Curly who was to accompany Joe in returning Wally to school for another week.