Downfall
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Collette was holding her breath a little that morning. 9:00 spelled the start of Argentina-Germany. But she would let Carrie-Bri watch the game in her stead. Carrie was the one who had predicted that Argentina would make it to the quarterfinals with her favorite footballer, Messi, leading the way. So she had received a 40% discount off her Argentina FIFA scarf that had just arrived in the mail on Friday.
Meanwhile, to the Silverspoon’s where Puck immediately tried on several pairs of headphones, including a pair of enormous aviator headphones. Then Theodore laid out a couple of patches of bubble wrap for Puck to stomp on. And Gloria showed OLeif and Collette some of her mother’s old journals from Texas.
It was a sad, sad day for Argentina.
Collette vowed never to visit Germany after she heard the final score. Not that she ever wanted to in the first place… This was her usual form of retaliation and should not necessarily be taken seriously…
Meanwhile, it was burgers on the barbie before Theodore and Gloria left to work the Boy Scout parking lot at the festival in St. Charles. And OLeif got the oil changed at the Honda dealership while Collette worked, unsuccessfully, to get Puck to take a nap.
And of course Spain took it against Paraguay in the afternoon later on when Collette checked the scores. Thanks to David Villa. Vee-yah… it sort of had a villainous ring, that name, when said in a particular way…
When OLeif returned with two dozen eggs (Collette had to make deviled eggs for Sunday), he played with Puck on his jungle-gym in the living room.
“Come scare me, Daddy!” Puck called.
And after OLeif did so, which produced just as many giggles as usual, he helped him down from the upper level.
“Thank you for helping me down, Daddy,” said Puck cheerfully, similarly as he had the previous morning at the park when an older girl had lifted him off the platform. “Thank you for saving my life!” he said seriously to her.
After three-thirty, they picked up sparklers and morning glories. Two dollars’ worth. The boys lit a few on the deck before Theodore and OLeif got out their pipes. And Puck worked on devouring strawberries and watermelon.
On the way home, Puck had questions.
“Where do the rains come from?”
“The sky,” said Collette.
“They come from the clouds though,” said Puck.
Then later…
“Where does honey come from?”
“Bees.”
“Bees don’t carry honey though.”
“What do they carry?” OLeif asked him.
“They carry tomatoes,” said Puck with a grin.
That night, OLeif and Collette appalled themselves with Clean House: Search for the Messiest Home in the Country. Suddenly, Collette felt not as bad about that corner of junk in the basement and the coat closet.
“His mother has a tattoo that reads, ‘Son’.”
~ “The Most Interesting Man in the World”