Chapter Ninety-Nine
Thunk.
Puck landed on top of me…
“WAKE UP, MOM!”
“Puck?… Let me smell your breath… You’ve been eating cookies!”
Screeching giggle…
“It’s no sin, Mom!”
“Yes. Yes, it is.”
Half an hour later he was negotiating with The Bear over artifacts intended for the garbage…
“Ok, Dad. Let me get the facts. I will keep the bottle. You will keep the can. And I will keep the papers. Does that sound like a good deal?”
The fridge guy from Mid Rivers Appliance was fast and effective. Within minutes, our fridge was cold again and the water dispenser was working. He didn’t even have to change parts. Just in time, too. The Bear packed his bags. Puck opened the linen closet in the hall and pulled out a Cardinals rally towel…
“I’ve been attracted to these! I’ve been attracted to these for months, months, months! I tell ya!” He actually started chopping his syllables into a Scottish accent about there. “And I’ll keep them, keep them, I tell ya.”
We stopped at the post office to send off Hesed’s birthday gift, probably too late to arrive in Ethiopia on time. While we waited I rubbed my gimpy right knee. Either we had some weather due – which I knew was true – or kicking that soccer ball around yesterday was a bad idea. Speaking of soccer… I was very late in making a decision about buying tickets to that Chelsea vs. Manchester City match at Busch. No kidding but the entire stadium sold out in thirteen minutes. I didn’t even have a chance. I guess there’s hope for revival in what was once the “football” capital of the U.S.
The wind was up still. Skies, gray. Plants rallying. Gusts tore us around a little on the highway drive back, just starting to mess with us, hints of things to come I suppose.
“I’m gonna fry some pickles for ya, Mom.”
Carrie clattered pots and pans on the stove. I pulled her chocolate fudge red velvet truffle squares out of the fridge. Of course.
Bacon went in the pan while I caught up with Mom and Carrie. There’s always stuff to figure out. Puck was ready to build a tent. Stacks of blankets were piled on the floor already.
“Puck,” Carrie counseled him. “I didn’t get a kiss yet.”
Smack.
He avoided another belly rub though, and escaped back to the living room where he had plans to hang out with his Lila over animated dragons.
On Sunday, Puck announced that he had just finished his first major “textbook”. Everyone discussed a reward for his impressive progress. Puck could get behind this idea…
“Ok! Show of hands! Who wants to go on a cruise to celebrate me finishing my Blue Back SPELLER!”
Carrie slid the glass dish of blue cheese bacon spinach and mushroom macaroni out of the oven. Of course it was good. No one even seemed to care about the mushrooms too much. Except Puck, who explained the situation to a just-arrived Rose…
“You have to watch out for the ‘mushins’, Rose. Sun tried to trick me, too.”
Puck ran back into the kitchen with a cutie and handed it to Rose, explaining to Mom…
“This is to take the taste away. She might actually eat the mushroom. Sun’s pretty sneaky.”
We girls went shopping. We five. As we drove off leaving Dad and Puck on the porch, Puck did a little happy dance. And as much as none of us – well, at least myself, Carrie, and Rose – really like to shop, Tuesday night during a game at Chesterfield Mall is pretty close to the easiest most painless shopping experience I can imagine. Dillard’s. I don’t think I had shopped at a Dillard’s literally since the Cards were losing the 2004 World Series. But a generous gift card from my aunt sent me off with two new shirts, which included another Cardinals special. Yes.
The girls scrounged a little more…
“Fashion is dead!” Rose announced at every store.
Rose has strong… opinions… about a lot of things…
“That’s like a 1920’s burial outfit.”
“Look how frumpy I made their manikin look,” she snickered maniacally after de-robing it of a hoodie for Carrie.
“They’re all on crack!”
After five Bubble Teas, we were back for Bollywood and Rose giving Linnea lessons on how to belch properly. Waiting for lightening.