Almost Friday
Thursday, January 5, 2012
After waking from dreams about tornados, a broken window in a basement that was Mom’s and Dad’s house, but wasn’t, unfinished wood floor in the same basement, etc… things were getting back to the usual swing of the semester… well, they would have been. But due to OLeif’s current health stasis, Luke and Leia would not be coming back at one o’clock after all, just to be safe. And OLeif would not be resuming Bible studies with the fellas: The Duke, Red Strike, and Chet Danger, because Chet was vacationing in Illinois or Texas.
Temperatures were back up to at least 65 for the next two days. On the way out, Puck expressed further thoughts…
“Mama, I’m going to Texas when I’m old.”
“To visit?”
“No. To live there, and I will bring Dad and you with me.”
“Well, I have to live here, buddy.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m a St. Louisan. But you can live in Texas if you want. You’re half-Texan.”
“Hmmm… Well, then I will come to visit you every morning.”
“That would be awesome.”
“You know why I want to move there?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s so beautiful. And Kitty lives there. She wants to live there because Relevance wants to live there. And I will live with them. I will take a plane and come to visit you every morning.”
Over at the house, Carrie and Collette discussed health and stress, licorice tea, goat cheese, etc. Dad, out on a run, had a second interview at Lindenwood. He would teach there the following Thursday. Tea all around.
Nearing noon, OLeif was feeling much better. Better enough to send a collection of beard photographs for Collette to decide amongst them. Mom started prepping fat ham and egg omelets and had plans to visit the Jewish bookstore with Grandma the next day.
“Uh. Carrie…” said Linnea, walking into the dining room. “I’m not sure how it happened. It wasn’t my fault…”
She produced a partially eaten Hershey’s bar.
“Linnea!”
The buns had apparently been in cahoots with dessert. A very hyper little black bunny was shortly produced for inspection.
“You sure it was the bunnies?” Collette asked.
“Check out those teeth marks,” Carrie nodded to the chocolate. “No wonder he’s been so crazy. You’re a little sugar baby.”
The third Fed-Ex truck of the day provided two boxes of business cards for Carrie and Lucia. The day was so mild, a sweater wasn’t even needed. Linnea pushed Puck on the swing and played her ukulele. Carrie discovered a gluten-free bakery in The Valley. Joe returned from work to open his Christmas present to himself: a fancy little yellow remote-controlled helicopter. Puck tried to take home the cardboard box that had housed the helicopter.
“Puck. No more boxes,” Collette ordered.
“But Mama… I have to save it for my wife to pack up.”
It was the attraction of the afternoon. Carrie started another Skype business meeting with Lucia. Puck made colored plastic peg forests. And Joe worked on his car, Mom took Puck to the store and library, while Collette got to the algebra with the kids. Francis’ boss was trying to convince him to join the swim team. And Collette was summoned to an all-dayer at the office on Friday, due to the secretary becoming ill. And her daughter was recovering from the croup. Some weeks…
As they departed, Mom waved from the porch swing, Joe from the front door, and Linnea from the roof, talking to Cherry on the phone.
Back home, OLeif was still feeling much better, playing some jazzy music while searing the pork steaks and washing dishes.