36 : Peppers & Mosquitos

Puck sat on the front porch at the Silverspoon house. A library copy of “The Hardy Boys” lay in his lap. A little light summer reading. Puck wasn’t so enthused about it.

“This is the worst day, ever.”

His misery was compounded by the fact that he had several itchy spots on his person due to a certain unknown ravenous mosquito, presumably in the night.

Gloria popped her head out the front door. “Well, I just saw a mosquito in the bathroom, so…”

Puck’s face wrinkled into a frown. “I’m gonna GET that mosquito! He had BRUNCH on my BUTT!”

Later, when he went inside to have the bite doctored, I made the final kill near the bathroom doorknob. It was an easy squish. I guess he was a little lethargic from all that “brunch”.

It was about mid-morning when Puck opened the fridge for a snack. Always up for a little veg, he opened the crisper and removed what appeared to him like a harmless green pepper. Crunch.

Gloria looked over at him. “Is that a jalapeño?”

Puck’s face was already several shades of red.

“WAAAATERRRR!”

He was offered milk instead.

“AAAAAAH!”

We tried to slow him down before he chugged the whole thing. Like father, like son. Oxbear had tried the same thing as a tot, and definitely got a chuckle out of his offspring landing in similar waters.

Late afternoon. Another speech therapy. Six house viewings done according to the paperwork inside the door; two more scheduled. Back to the Silverspoon’s.

“Are they good to stay another night, Theodore?” Gloria teased. “Or do they need to get out of Dodge?”

“’Course they can stay,” Theodore said. “Who would serenade us if Yali wasn’t here?”

Speaking of all that “serenading”, I sent both bellowing boys back out to the slip ‘n slide before dinner.

“SMOOCHES TO MY FAVORITE ONE!” Puck declared, hugging his chubby brown brother around his plump middle. “This is indeed the best day ever!”