It's Almost Over

Puck woke up at 7:17 that morning sounding very much like an old woman who had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, for four decades. Didn’t bother him any.

“Can I play on the iPad, Mom?”

First question every morning since Christmas vacation.

Anyway, the rain probably contributed to the garbly throat. It fell steady, and lightly, through the morning.

By the time we joined the Silverspoon household for Costco thin crust garlic chicken alfredo pizzas as a late lunch, conversation had taken a slight spin as follow-up from discussion New Years Day.

“I guess when Dad dies, we can just load him into bullets – the ashes – and shoot them on some land in Texas.”

“Yeah, or we could do it Viking-style. You know, send them in a blaze down the river.”

“Some family floating innocently down the river in their inner-tubes. ‘AAAAH!!!’”

In all respect, of course.

In the lazy hours of the afternoon, Gloria met us downstairs with a sizable bag of Reeses cups where El Oso and Curly switched on “Cool Runnings”, a first-time viewing for Lulu. During a few moments of language hardly appropriate for 2nd graders, I handed my Cardinal-red headphones for Puck to slip on while adding to his Minecraft worlds on the iPad. Like he was paying attention anyway. Under any other other circumstance, he will hear and process every word said anywhere in the room. But not when Minecraft’s on the table. Then, he is truly in his own world.

El Oso and I concluded our evening with a first-viewing of “The Great Gatsby”, an elaborate fast-paced film of decadence, colors, and extravagance. We created our own excessiveness with cheese curds, mini churros, and cold peach Izzes. Because El Oso goes back on his diet, Monday. And you know what, the funny thing is – he’s looking forward to it.