Carrie's Last Paper
Sunday, November 18, 2007
It was a Sunday morning at senior high Sunday School. Ben-Hur was back for the fall break.
“So…” OLeif was saying, “what would you say if a Jewish person said to you, ‘Christians believe in three gods. Jews believe in one.'”
Augustus yelled quickly, “We do not! We believe in one God, the Trinity! You’re wrong! Boom!”
“I would leave out the ‘boom’,” Ben-Hur laughed, shaking his head.
It was a usual high school Sunday School class. And Rose had her traditional caffeine, this time in the form of Coca-Cola. Later, there was a brief mingling reunion after the service for Tennessee, Joe, Ben-Hur, Wally, Rose, Mollie, and Samantha.
At the house, Mom had set out a burrito buffet while Carrie-Bri punched out her final paper. She was officially finished with her masters classes on her 21st “non-birthday”, precisely a year after she had finished her bachelors. In celebration, Dad picked up a large ice cream cake. Slices were distributed while Puck napped a long winter’s nap. Rose had gone out to lunch with Ben-Hur, Mollie, and Samantha. Joe, after writing a paper for his class the following morning, left to meet with friends.
“So how much is your library fine this time?” Collette asked Rose.
It was the afternoon, and everyone was sitting around the living room. Rose had just announced that she had paid down five dollars of her library fine.
“I still have twenty-one dollars left.”
“How does this happen, Rose?”
“All you have to do it put the books back,” said Linnea.
They laughed. Sensible as usual.
“I’m going to Spain next summer,” said Rose, changing the subject.
The hills were purple at sunset. Skeletons of white trees. Gold sunlight on white cliffs. Everyone but Carrie-Bri and Joe had taken a drive out to Klondike Park to visit the cabins near the site where the Boy Scouts would be camping in the spring. Rose had a few more senior photos taken. They returned by dusk for more ice cream cake and “Ratatouille” shortly before Rose left for the Thanksgiving Dinner at church. Meanwhile, Carrie was enjoying, between typing pages, episodes of her favorite new craze: “Top Gear”.