Holiday
Friday, November 11, 2011
In which another mini-vacation is taken…
Eleven-Eleven-Eleven
It was a day to be spoiled.
- Breakfast parfait for Puck… “I didn’t eat it so perfectly,” he admitted later. “I made it a mess.”
- OLeif was off work. This meant a drive into Ladue for his class, before which a donut-coffee-apple-caramel-dippers run was not out of the question, some sort of six-police-car heist of a faded Greyhound bus on the side of the road in Wentzville, renewal of OLeif’s motorcycle permit (at which he incidentally addressed the MO Department of Revenue check to ‘Mordor’)… and some chilly basketball on the little seminary court for the boys before eleven o’clock.
- The hour and fifteen following, Puck amused himself with Calvin & Hobbes, watching several rounds of ping-pong, and employing a few conversations between himself and the properly bearded seminarians.
- A drive-about, including a shoot past Rose’s new home, which included a fine view of cemented oversized reptilians across the street and a small Irish pub which advertised Ted Drewe’s Frozen Custard in the window; Rose would be pleased. Her apartment also boasted a faded fall-out shelter sign, tacked above the underground garage. But Puck became teary-eyed upon hearing about Rose’s inevitable departure.
- Late lunch involving cheeseburgers and waffle brownie ice cream bowls… “Dad, why are the lights on in here?” “To confuse the sun.” Puck giggled.
- And a rummage at the quarter machine for ‘squishy farm animals’ or high bouncing rubber balls, the latter of which Puck chose for himself with the proffered coin. O, the decadence… He had at first wanted to use the claw toy machine… “Sorry, Puck. That’s a risk. We don’t gamble,” OLeif told him. “Game ball?” “Gamble. Means take chances.” “Make mistakes?” Magic School Bus plug…
- The library offered several additions for the weekend, including a pirate journal, the diary of a Roman girl (which were both later deemed ‘inappropriate for preschool perusal’), and the story of a rainbow-studying monk.
- UPS had also left a package on the doorstep for Puck from his Sun: three Berenstain Bears titles, of the over 300 available in 49 years of authorship by the Pennsylvanian couple.
- While Collette jogged, the boys spent time in the coolish autumn light to erect a compost pile behind the shed, while the chickens looked on.
- Dinner was not necessary. Only stove-top popcorn and Pixar while Collette reviewed Carrie’s and Lucia’s business spread.
- And movie night, (after the kids had participated at a family dinner with Martha) which included chocolate devil’s food cake donut holes covered in rainbow sprinkles and Cheez-Its.
Vacations spread in single days throughout the year was a satisfying, if not slightly debauched, occurrence.
So Carrie was absent that night. And Joe, who had joined Wally at some MMA exhibition. Magnus and Rose arrived at the usual hour. And Rose trotted out the special edition of Gone with the Wind, up until Intermission anyway. But not before Rose brought up the topic of, after selling an old camera to one of Joe’s buddies, still not having received payment… four years later…
“And yet somehow he had enough money to go to Africa… But he can’t pay me. He has two lungs, doesn’t he?”
But these troubles were set aside as the digitally remastered classic rolled across the screen…
“Hey, you can actually tell what kind of animals they are now,” Rose pointed out, impressed.
As Scarlett followed Ashley into the library…
“Oh!” OLeif mimicked. “I was just looking for a book that describes how awesome you are.”
“Look!” Rose squawked. “I found the book of looove!”
Not long later, the letter of her first husband’s ‘heroic’ demise at the hand of measles and pneumonia…
Rose laughed, as she was wont to do at inappropriate moments…
“The measles are coming!” Magnus exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. “Man your stations!”
And after the inevitable kiss between Scarlett and Ashley following his Christmas leave…
“Melanie sees them from the stairs…” Rose smirked hypothetically…
“That’s alright, Scarlett.”
“She’s just vivacious.”
“That’s my sassy friend!”
Magnus was a little astounded by the sight of Belle Watson…
“What! Aah! She looks like a blueberry! Uhgh… That’s disgusting!”
“A pink moldy blueberry,” Rose added.
“She’s so fluffy.”
At one point in the evening, Magnus received a call from Wally, with Joe cry-laughing in the background. Something about Nephilim, conspiracy theories, Nigeria, radio shows, and requests for Magnus’ talent of character voices over Thanksgiving break… goofy kids.