Concert Night
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Joe had left for Philmont, New Mexico, at six o’clock that morning, with Yaotl and Summer West. It was a sort of monumental occasion for the Snicketts family: the first time any member of their household had been away for that long from St. Louis. Most college students were not even away from home for that long of a chunk of time. He would be missed.
Meanwhile, Puck was busy filling up the bathroom sink with a bath for his measuring cups, and dolling out his usual response when asked if he would like to do something he deemed unpleasant.
“Not today, sir!” he would reply with a grin, whether it was to his dad, or his to mama.
In the morning hours, after weeding and taking a walk around the neighborhood, Puck amused himself with the bicycle pump from the garage. Collette read to him while he pumped it.
After awhile, he said, “The clock says, ‘Yes, we have go inside. It says twenty o’clock on dah pump.”
So inside for Collette’s jog and grilled cheese.
In the afternoon, Puck worked at his threading cards in great concentration with the Classical station cranking out symphonies in the background.
At dinner that night, Collette told Puck that it was time to pray. Immediately, Puck folded his hands together, closed his eyes, and before Collette could even begin his prayer, Puck began his own, very first, unprompted prayer:
“Dear Jesus, dank you for my fooooood…. and… dank you for… my foooooood… Dank you for saving God… and Rose… and… Jesus!”
So much for basic Biblical facts…
That night was the annual spring choir and swing band concert. It had been a year since Collette had seen that crowd together. And this time, with no Bluebell South. It was an entertaining two and a half hours. Linnea was growing up and wearing heels. Francis was his usual straight-faced apple-cheeked self. It was amazing how so many of those kids had grown up. The Ingrid boy on trumpet, who Collette occasionally saw at Target. German and Charlie. Izzy, of course, on the double bass. The Applebutter boy, graduating. It seemed like such a short time ago that all those kids had been only three feet off the ground.
It was good. Especially the swing band, with the amazingly grown-up Plato Buckle on the drum set.
Nice evening.