Kirkwood
Thursday, November 15, 2007
It was the birthday week. Collette knew someone born on every day between November 13thth. Today was Shepherd’s 26th. and November 20
Kirkwood. Where all the houses had quirky balconies (the real kind without the fake doors behind them), doors at hobbit-like angles, and fishing village windows. Where the wealthy people lived. Where Dad had spent several of his years growing up as a kid.
This time, Mom, Collette, Carrie-Bri, Frances, and Puck met Grandma Combs at a corner by the train tracks. First on the list that afternoon was Mike Duffy’s Grill. Puck, who was enjoying everything as usual, (including the gifts Grandma had brought for him: a baby guitar and two rhythm shakers), woofed down his meal in his high chair and stared at other customers. Then he sat between Carrie and Frances and chewed on a closed package of crackers while Collette got to her turkey club and hot homemade potato chips. While they ate, they reminisced on Carrie’s travels and Frances’ wild days.
“Frances has made me sick three times,” Carrie said. “Once, when he fell down the stairs when he was a baby. The second time was when we thought he was kidnapped. And the third, when his heart was racing so fast, they almost stopped it at the hospital. I just passed out that time.”
And they thought Carrie had been accident-prone. Frances certainly had a history of incidents in his lifetime.
Following the shops, they visited the primary destination of the day – McArthur’s Bakery – where a fat turkey gobbler cake sat smugly in the display case. They all agreed it was a Rose cake. After the boxes had been filled with cookies, cream puffs, caramel-iced cinnamon rolls, and cannolis, they headed down to one of Mom’s favorite shops, Christopher’s. Grandma bought the Puck, (who was by this time, sleeping soundly in his stroller bundled up in his poncho, ear-flap hat, and mittens), a wind-up penguin toy.
They saw many Rose “things” that day, including a silver magnet set – one of a frog prince and the other a conversation bubble which read – Kiss me.
Outside on the sidewalk, they waited for Mom across from the train tracks.
“I wonder if I lived by the train tracks, if I would still go out to watch the trains, or if I’d just get used to them,” said Grandma, (who, as they all knew, couldn’t let a train pass without waving to everyone aboard).
“I don’t know, Grandma,” said Carrie. “You’re pretty hard core. I think you’d still be out there when the Midnight Express comes through, swinging a lantern. ‘Yoo hoo!'”
“That’s right!” Grandma laughed.
On the way to drop off Grandma at her car, a man hopped out of the front door of a shop.
“Ma’am?” He addressed Carrie. “I just have to tell you that you have amazing hair.”
Carrie was blown away, imagining the frazzled blond bush of dreads, colored threads, and bells piled into a clip on her head.
“What?” She laughed, after he had returned inside. “I think that was a joke.”
“Who told you that?” Collette asked, who had walked ahead and not seen the event take place.
“A guy – he just came out of the store and went back in.”
“Wait,” Collette said, looking back down the sidewalk. “Was that the hair salon?”
“Oh no!” Carrie laughed, her face red. “I think it was.”
Instead of retracing their steps to the mini van past the hair salon, Carrie had them take the shortcut.
They returned to find the house a bomb shell of a mess. Apparently, Rose and Linnea had taken it upon themselves to create cupcakes and a large cake, which was tucked in the fridge, fully iced and covered with sprinkles. Unfortunately, Rose had left for school before the house could be remedied of its disaster zone. In the kitchen, the dishes lay stacked (at least most of them were in the sink), cabinets open, sprinkles on the counter, etc. Mom always feared the thought of any of the girls concocting anything in the kitchen. And it was one of those days.
That night, OLeif headed out to the movies with Joe, Magnus, and Rose, and returned sometime around midnight.