Giggles, Apples, & Dreams
Saturday was a girls’ world for Puck. He suddenly found himself whisked into the screaming giggles, apples crisps, and the piles of packages of Mercy’s bridal shower. He was not set down until the two hours had passed, during most of which he smiled widely. His chubby baby cheeks must have been sore by the end of the afternoon. Catalina was there. By March 1st she hoped to be in the Sudan at last – a missionary and nurse to the Sudanese.
Soon, Puck and Collette returned to the Silverspoon’s where Kitts pushed him around in a laundry basket propped up with couch pillows, examining his toes. Later he took a deep nap while everyone else had Denae’s fried chicken over “The Office”.
Sunday brought more activity, as usual, which included conversation at the house around the lunch table:
“Yeah, Egypt hadn’t been bombed in years and then the two places I picked out to live in were both bombed.” Carrie was saying. “But now I found a new place to visit.”
She showed them places in the UAE of a man-made palm tree shaped island.
Youth commenced later as the sun set.
Sunday night’s dreams were unusual – OLeif launching her into outer space via a somewhat small helium balloon, onto which she held by its one string. The first balloon was unsuccessful and she wandered through the trees.
“Hold on, we’ll try it again,” OLeif said.
Collette was not happy about it.
“What if the string breaks?” She thought.
The next launch she broke through the atmosphere into the darkness of the universe. It seemed to her that then, the string broke. What happened next, she did not know. But she found herself in green-yellow forests, on paths, at the shell of an old stone house. Behind it lay a field. All so familiar.
Monday was over to the house again. Dad was preparing for his second cluster of masters classes. And his new contract interview would take place the following morning.
“Let me pick out your clothes for you, Dad,” Carrie told him. “And grow a goatee.”
“I’ll just pull out my CIA make-up kit,” Dad said. “They’ll never know the difference.”
“While you’re at it, you might want to draw a few more hairs up there,” Carrie pointed to his head.
“No, I’ll just use a toupee for that,” Dad chuckled.
Meanwhile, Carrie and Rose were preparing to leave for catering at Whitmoor. Rose was walking Puck on her feet through the kitchen.
“It’s his first walking lesson,” she said. “He’ll be the fastest walking baby ever.”
Then she dished herself a bowl of vanilla ice cream for lunch.
Puck spent the rest of his morning pulling on the cat’s tail, playing tug-of-war with Linnea over long green leaves on the front porch, and crooning to tunes with Dad over Peter, Paul, & Mary. Carrie was still in the kitchen making pumpkin bread an hour before leaving. This, they spread with pumpkin butter cream cheese spread.
Finally, Collette managed to catch Frances, who was busy building bombs of flour, saran wrap, and toilet paper rolls.
“Get your math book, Frances,” Collette told him.
“Oh, sorry, Collette. I burnt it yesterday,” Frances giggled.