Hours Go Fast

My dreams these days … enjoying a conversation with the very bald Justin Masterson at some open-house-type party. Then he introduced me to his work of art in progress under glass entitled: “Star Warts.” He was requesting all his guests to sign it. Then Allen Craig walked by with a piece of framed art for Matt Holliday. Who knows, really…

My first Tuesday in the school office lasted about an hour and a half: phone calls, Excel, one P.A. announcement, classical music from the radio by the coffee station. Puck walked by once on a bathroom break.

“Hi, Mom,” he waved at me with a grin, quiet for once, walking past the door.

Not too cool for this mom yet.

I do feel a little young there, I guess. Most of the parents probably average closer in to their late 30s, early 40s.

Then Puck’s art teacher walked in with a box of raspberries to munch on. By that time, it was a day.

I hit the Big House where Carrie and I warmed up baked spaghetti for lunch. Snuggles meowed for scraps. So while he cleaned the dishes: peppers, onion, even pieces of Provel, the weirdo, Carrie and I left to run errands and pick up Puck.

When we returned, Puck in tow, Linnea-Irish was waiting at the door, two band-aids on her left arm. Immunizations. She started work at Dairy Queen on Wednesday. Second Snicketts kid to work fast food. Rose had been first, at Subway.

While Carrie made broccoli-carrot-cream soup from scratch, she taught me how to spit sunflower seeds. About this time I start hearing the song, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan in my head. Also, in fact, the only Disney “princess” movie I ever cared for. Dump me in the weirdo box with Snuggles.

So, Parent Orientation. I even missed a game for this. But I’d do anything for my Puck, so while the boys toted themselves home in the truck, I returned to school for a third time that day, arriving home under the last slit of pale orange sunset.