Carrie Ends the Reign of Blonde
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
(10:10am) Collette was jarred awake by a loud clap of thunder that morning, but heard no more following. The day was gray and full of rain, however, which suited her perfectly as she only felt well enough to lay on the couch with a cup of tea.
Tuesday evening had been spent at Mom’s and Dad’s while OLeif went to see “King Kong” and the English girls had all come over while Carrie-Bri dyed Eve’s hair. Although Diana ended up not coming, as she was tired. So Collette waited, watching bits of “Signs” over chips and dip with the four older girls, while Linnea and Eleda played with Polly Pockets downstairs. Carrie had also decided to dye her hair dark again, much to all of their relief. Eve and Collette especially liked the change, convinced that blond was the last color suited for Carrie. And once the job was done, her hair was a dark brown with hints of blue-black and a little red and lighter brown, but it would all even out after several washes, and it looked very good.
Meanwhile, Collette had come over earlier that same afternoon to type thirteen essays for one of Carrie’s finals, from her dictation. So many hours in front of a computer was hardly healthy on the eyes, and Collette would type for her from time to time. And when Joe picked Collette up from the apartment to head over to the house, she brought Linnea her beautiful emerald green sweater (which she had purchased the year before for five dollars) as it had shrunk to Linnea’s size in the laundry. And so Linnea wore it that night, with the turtleneck practically up to her eyes, and Carrie braided her hair into two pigtails. Even Dad thought she looked pretty cute.
[10:46am] As Wednesday morning progressed, Collette found herself feeling a little better, watching “Sense and Sensibility,” loaned from Mom. And in the fridge, as she prepared fried chicken and a glass of ginger ale for lunch, she came across the leftover pumpkin pie from the Combs’ Christmas, and the unopened package for “Boogey-Boy” (Java man) from their wedding – the family gag gift (a wedding tradition between the Combs, Snicketts, and the other high school pals). He received a package of Hershey’s chocolate kisses to fill the glass bowl, propped in his lap. Quite a frightful, comical fellow, sitting up there next to the painted horse on their bookshelf, watching over their abode.
[1:11pm] And there were other little things going on. Dad’s co-worker, Mr. Freeze, was coming to dinner (the divorced gentleman who had given his little eight year old daughter, a grand piano, two kittens, and a dirt bike for Christmas), Joe was over at Christ Presbyterian Church to record Wally, Curly, and Starr, and Carrie-Bri and Elizabeth were planning on going to the coffee shop again that evening to hopefully visit with Joseph. And Carrie thought that Louis, Unn, and Clover might tag along if they weren’t busy.
[16:48pm] Collette spend the afternoon writing two letters to Grandma Snicketts and Aunt Corliss. There was little of which to write in her log on such slow gray days. But she was happy that she had the quiet of the entire day to herself to think on things and read a little and pass the time with a peaceful film and readings from Genesis and Tabletalk…
[22:13pm] Come the evening, Collette served up a plate of fried tilapia, chicken, and stir-fry vegetables for OLeif’s dinner. And they took a spin over for groceries (where OLeif selected grapefruit for his breakfast in the morning) and to Target for a gray sweatshirt (for Collette to wear New Years’ Eve under her fluffy red robe so she could fall asleep wherever she happened to fall, (comfortably)), along with a notebook and dividers and a pair of fancy knit tights. The wind was coming in cold that night as they arrived back home, and Collette had high hopes of snow coming again soon before the new year was well underway.