An Impudent Beast
Monday, March 7, 2005
It had, indeed, been a beautiful wedding, and Collette had difficulty deciding if it was her favorite or not. Each wedding she had been to the past nine months had been so very different from each other – from very traditional to very… unique, all six of them. But Idlewild had never been so glowing and radiant before in her life. And Collette decided to take down the event in a separate account.
Sunday had been a lazy afternoon at home over a good book and she finally fell asleep on the couch while OLeif was away helping lead youth group. And then there were five and a half hours at the Silverspoon’s, looking through Michelangelo plates while Denae played solitaire and OLeif and Theodore talked theology.
In the night, a strange wind came up. Collette had never heard such a wind and it was an evil wind. It had the most unusual sound to it, and she shuddered and went back to sleep.
And while Collette wished to take a drive over to the Art Museum where artifacts of the Native Americans of the Midwest were displayed, she was happy to see that there were other prospects for the day. It was another Monday at Grandma Combs’. Although it seemed that the skies should be gray and darkening while the sun came up to dry the night’s rain.
Under eerie skies that afternoon, a mottled kitten was brought across Collette’s path. And, just as in the dream, he was the shade of chocolate peanut butter – just sitting there in the cold windswept afternoon, on the top of her stairs, waiting to be let in out of the cold. Collette wasn’t exactly happy about the whole situation. They couldn’t possibly keep a cat, and she turned in her information to the office. Joe brought over cat food and the cat snuggled down for some winks shortly after.
But before had been nice, visiting at Grandma’s during school. There had been a glass of cranberry juice for Collette. And Carrie-Bri was all snuggled in the couch with her Arabic in Bahama blue buckled sandals, jeans, and a comfy gray sweat shirt over blue and yellow tanks.
They had discussed languages and the Secret Service and Grandma’s buy in Maui of a jade bracelet, normally priced at four hundred dollars… and St. Kitts’ lack of decision over her future.
And of Uncle Mo who had received surgery on his neck the previous week and was quite lethargic after the whole experience, naturally. Grandma had taken him to the hospital and brought him a breakfast of a warm biscuit, fresh slice of ham, and a bowl of balled watermelon and honeydew. Although it was an odd image – thinking of Uncle Mo as being a little tipsy from the anesthesia. After all, he was the one who had thought all along that they couldn’t possibly put him under for the operation. And there he was, not even able to stand up straight once the whole procedure was ended.
After lunch and lessons, there had been a trip to Nagle’s. Rose had to babysit that afternoon so they found her a lovely sky-blue beaded bracelet. And for Dad there was a Zero bar. Collette settled on a small package of blue peeps for OLeif and a pair of brightest green shamrock earrings for her favorite holiday. Then there was a package of twelve brightly shaded markers – excellent for studies.
It had been a pleasant afternoon, until the cat came. Collette was quite beside herself what to do with it. Perhaps after a week went by, if no one had claimed it, they might send it to Shepherd’s girlfriend, as she was looking for another cat. Some buster it was – sitting there, hardly waiting for an invitation to come inside. The impudence!