Four
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Aunt Petunia’s birthday.
Junior High girls could be monsters… even unintentionally. That was Collette’s conclusion after the games for their party that Wednesday night, which she had pretty much known already. Ivy quickly backed out of the game circle (the ring of chaos) involving the time pressure of opening a tightly-taped multi-layered papered package with a Santa Clause hat on the head, before the next person who rolled a one or a six on the die came over and snatched it out of their hands. The girls and Marcus Bee started almost immediately screaming during the whole event. The game was so competitive, that everyone seemed to have forgotten about the barbecued chicken, ravioli, cheese dip and chips, chocolate cake, and other snacks in the kitchen. And Marcus continued to scream like a girl from start to finish even more than the girls. Frances finally took the prize at the last – a $25 gift card to Applebee’s. (OLeif had won a $25 gift card to Picasso’s during the senior high gathering.)
By this time it had become incredibly warm and Collette could only manage to stick her head outside the front door in the dark rain to relieve the heat. She passed out candy canes (courtesy of Ivy) to all the kids as they left. And the evening ended somewhere after 8:30.
Meanwhile, it was Thursday. And Carrie-Bri, Lucia, and Eve were scheduled to attempt their first three-hour hike in preparation for the summer. Collette thought that it might be predicted to rain again. Rosemary had plans to visit the Zoo with Sasha for her class field trip (which had previously been canceled after the ice storm). Collette was glad to stay at a warm office and fix up bulletins for the Christmas break.
Collette had also been informed the afternoon before by Rosie Hatch, that the oranges the staff had received in their mail were not acceptably flavored. Therefore, the company had decided to reship thirty oranges to each staff member again in January. Collette wondered what in the world she would do with sixty oranges. OLeif said that the guys at work had already volunteered to eat some of them. Collette decided to try one before the first box vanished, to compare the taste with the second box when it arrived.
It was almost strange, being with Idlewild at the youth Christmas party the night before. It was only back in 1999 that they had talked long at the Sunrock’s house as a high school sophomore and freshman, where all the youth had gathered for snacks at another white elephant exchange Christmas party. And here they were six years later as adult supervisors and expectant moms. It was a little eerie.
It was also Ivy’s last day in the office for the year. Rosemary’s had been the day before (they would also be gone for Christmas in Wheaton). And Collette’s last day would be the next day, Friday. There was something a tiny bit sad, closing up the office until the new year. But nice to have the break.
And Collette now hoped that she had finally passed the possibility of being infected with strep throat.
Come five-twenty that Thursday evening, Ivy had been gone for awhile to get to Christmas preparations for the weekend back at home. And OLeif had just arrived to pick up Collette for her last doctor’s appointment of the year.
Meanwhile, Rose’s cookie decorating party had begun back at the house.