A Day Away From the World
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Bristol’s 24th birthday.
Collette had fallen ill to a bad summer cold. By the time it really hit her Sunday night, she was ready to spend all day Monday on the living room couch while Mom and Puck’s Aunt Linnea watched over the little fellow so that he would not become infected from his mom. After a rather miserable-feeling day, the following morning brought much respite.
So by the time Collette was beginning to return to the land of the living, Carrie had sent another email. She and Eve were already up in Cairns, at a balmy 75 degrees, flanked by ocean, palm trees, and mountains. This was after it had apparently taken them three days to arrive in Cairns via train due to some badly given directions.
And Carrie was, indeed, going to spend another week in New Zealand. While there, she hoped to spend time with a couple she had met while on the tour in Egypt. They had given her their information zipped up inside a plush kiwi bird.
Back on the ranch, Collette spent her day trying to keep away from Puck as much as possible until she recovered. And so Mom enjoyed another opportunity to play with Puck. There was also a run to Trader Joe’s for cantaloupe, strawberries, guacamole, orange candle tapers, etc. And the inevitable tutoring session with Rose, who was somewhat distracted with her plans for the evening which included The Muny and spending the night with Juliet Tecumseh.
Before OLeif returned to pick them up after work, Mom, Collette, and Puck spent part of the afternoon in the backyard on the picnic table over a bowl of unshelled peanuts. Everyone else was gone for the evening.
Dad was at Lindenwood beginning his masters classes (which he would conclude in eighteen months). Carrie-Bri was, of course, in Cairns, planning her New Zealand itinerary; she called that afternoon and left a message regarding it. Joe was at work and then would attend a late-night viewing of “Transformers” with friends. Rose had already left for the Tecumseh’s. Francis was at the Hobcoggin’s with friends, shooting off fireworks (after Izzy and Chester had been over earlier in the afternoon for air-softing). And Linnea was next door swimming with her two little friends’ in their tiny swimming pool. The social calendar of the family was quite full, as usual.
Meanwhile, Puck enjoyed every day as it came, as he usually did. It was not uncommon over the last several days to find him sitting, staring in great concentration at his little kicking baby feet in front of him, arms waving in excitement, licking his chops. Tuesday evening found him snuggled warmly in his crocheted blanket like a papoose, humming occasionally to himself in contentment over baby happiness and cooing at his mom.
There had also been news that day from their old friends from the Kirk – the Sparrows. Dane was expecting his first child, July 29th. And Wisteria would spend the next two semesters of college studying in France.
And the constant crack of firecrackers snazzled from one neighborhood to the next for days upon end.
Collette wondered what would happen if Carrie decided that, after traveling the world a bit, she would move to Australia or New Zealand and live there for good.