Feels Like Summer
My phone was ringing. Too early in the morning after a late game out. Waking me from stocking a grocery cart with fresh grapes and enormous bags of frozen broccoli, Irish helping, Matt Adams standing in the aisle watching Irish sagging under the weight of the broccoli. When the ringer stopped – I didn’t know the number – I was asleep again, busy organizing a fictitious desk in my head; I don’t even own a desk. Later, I googled the number: misdirected call from Pamper Your Pets Salon in Warrenton.
On the other side of reality, Puck was already in my old rollerblades. He found them on Sunday and hadn’t stopped since. He literally wore them from the moment he woke up until we left at two-thirty in the afternoon to run errands.
While he bladed, he crafted Legos between classes, filling me in on all the back story of his creations, including his latest “stick figures.”
“All of these Legos are a family but somehow – scientifically – the alien is related to their family. By blood. I don’t know how. Somehow, I don’t know how. It’s really scientifically.”
During Quiet Hour he continued this theme, carefully scooting through the hallway to his room where he made a declaration, loudly:
“That does it! I’m going to clean up my room, and that’s final! And no one can stop me!”
Who’s stopping anyone?
We walked hand in hand to the store that afternoon. Heat wave. Over ninety now. Puck told me his thoughts as usual.
“You know sometimes you’re tempted not to believe God and just to say ‘shut up’ in your head.”
We talk these things through. What seven year-old doesn’t like saying things he’s not supposed to say?
Puck and I Lego-ed over Cardinals vs. Kansas City after dinner. A Kolten Wong grand slam. Even Puck was interested:
“IS THAT GOOD, MOM?! IS THAT GOOD?!”
This kid’s going to be a baseball player; I can feel it.
“I feel bad for that guy,” he pointed out the Royals’ pitcher.
“He’ll be okay,” I told him.
He stared two wide hazel eyes at me under freshly showered blonde hair. “What, do you have no heart?”
El Oso pulled up way late that night after an artistic visit with Magnus and friends.