Ch. 230; Vol. 10
“I’m going to wrap string around the whole world!”
Puck gets these random ambitions sometimes. I don’t know. Maybe they’re not that random…
“That’s fine. After breakfast.”
Puck had been eyeing the dolls’ table I set on the counter for a little girl at church. Naturally, he assumed the table would meet its full potential in his own possession…
“You’re looking mighty beautiful today, table.”
I distracted him with yogurt and toast before church.
“Mom! Is tomorrow Monday?”
“It is…”
He began to sing.
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday!”
Oh… we try.
“Rose, you’d better not go outside or planes will crash.”
This was Francis’ subtle way of informing Rose that her legs were not tanned. Not even after a full day snooping around Elephant Rocks and Johnson’s Shut-Ins with Joe and Jaya on Saturday.
Rose didn’t hear Francis, or there would have been mutual insults.
While Mom sliced into homemade chicken pot pie, she and The Bear played Guess That Tune.
“Let’s not have whistling,” Carrie sighed. “Some of us have headaches already.”
“Some of us are headaches,” Rose retorted with a wrinkled nose.
“Rose! Those are my shorts!”
“No, you gave them to me.”
While the girls battled over this particular item of clothing, lunch was served.
Linnea had already shared photos from a full week of hard work in Oklahoma. She – being my fellow archaeologist in nature – had brought back a grocery sack of debris: cracked red and blue tiles, colored glass, a battered Record “Country Road”, mangled seven-year-expired student ID from the University of Oklahoma, and credit cards [she left the credit cards], silver fork, etc. Apparently no one cared because the debris had blown in on two tornadoes from who-knew-where.
Naps for the real adults.
Carrie planned to join Lucia at a park.
Rose took Linnea to Michael’s to pick up her heavy gold framed with museum glass Middle East print of sheiks on horseback.
Joe was helping Jaya’s friend move someplace.
The Bear started to read Cloud Atlas; it was pretty quiet everywhere.
Puck ramped around the street and yards with his buddy from down the street. Polite kids.
Francis wasn’t happy about his 4:45AM shift Monday morning before college officially began for the fall. He had been busy arranging cement and metal rods and electric lights at a rock quarry for his best pal’s one-year anniversary dinner with his girlfriend someplace out in the sticks. He was also feeling pretty good about that aquatic rescue Friday night…
But the four girls sat around in the living room for awhile. Lounged, chocolate cheesecake, laughing about bikinis, sea snail hatching from a boys’ knee, troubled kids from choir, Carrie scolding Rose for kicking at Mom’s expensive decorative tassel…
“What are you up to, Carrie?” Mom asked her, emerged from the nap.
I guess the make-up gave it away.
“I’m going out.”
Mom and Rose started singing I’m Coming Out.
“I’m going to the park to take a nap,” Carrie sighed.
She does a lot.
“I don’t wanna go to college,” Francis declared.
“Too late,” I sympathized.
Some of us drove Linnea, Hansel, and Gretyl to Six Flags. Fried pies.
Carrie and Lucia were back at the house: Carrie was leaving to help Grandma Combs with her Roku.
Francis and Rose walked in the door with Lion’s Choice where Rose and Lucia heckled each other as usual.
Puck mixed The Bear a “special drink” before bed.
“Is this flour and water, son?… I’m drinking glue.”
“GLUE?!” Puck’s jaw dropped floorside. “ALRIGHT! I just made GLUE!”