Cumpleaños: Uno y Dos
It was my first experience working all day in the school office as “secretary for a day”. Kids passing the windows stared at me, probably wondering how the secretary could have changed so much overnight. Suddenly short dark hair became long and blonde. Seven and a half hours of phone calls, papers, and poor kids with runny, scratchy, red, pollen-infested eyeballs, and it was hard to believe it was 3:30.
I did pause around the lunch hour to join Puck in the cafeteria. Mr. V helped him up on to the birthday chair next to another boy celebrating his birthday, where about 70 kids screeched out a loud round of “Happy Birthday”, followed by slices of Cardinals-frosted cookie cake. Puck distributed plates with just enough time left over to stuff down his own wedge before recess.
On the road back to the Big House, Puck and I stopped for five large sub sandwiches.
Francis was on his back under Oxbear’s truck, as usual. “Hello? Oh, hey, Collette, I got the job at Creve Coeur Airport.”
Starting Monday. Goodbye life-guarding for good.
Grandma was already inside, waiting for early Puck-birthday festivities. Carrie and I whipped out another podcast, only briefly interrupted by the sounds of Dad munching a cookie on the other side of the doors.
“DAD! We’re recording in here!”
“I wanted to see you guys in action,” he grinned guiltily.
When Rose, Joe, and Jaya breezed through donned in Symphony garb for an eight o’clock evening performance, we gathered for sandwiches, homemade mac ‘n cheese, Fritos, and fruit salad on the backyard picnic tables. Puck hung out up in the treehouse with Snuggles, who – despite his increasing feline age – still climbs the utility ladder up and down with no aid.
Meanwhile, a mini murder had just been committed at the picnic table.
“Aw, look at that tiny inchworm,” Carrie pointed it out on the birthday balloon table arrangement.
Pinch.
“Grandma! You killed the inchworm!”
“Well, he was goin’ for my sandwich.”
Carrie retrieved the body. “Oh, he’s still alive. I think he’s just in shock.”
The resuscitation was followed by ice cream drumsticks with one candle stuck in the top of Puck’s, birthday singing, and gifts inside. Many happy screeches over Legos, Pumas, pranks, Cardinals matchbox cars, and a volcano lamp. That just about covered it.