Learning the Lingo

We had a new addition to the living room. Joe and Jaya brought back gifts from Mahogany Bay, Honduras: a small polished mahogany jar for each family. And black coral earrings for Rose.

“Nice handwriting, bud. Try not to smudge the letters though.”

Puck inspected his latest word, holding pen poised over paper. “But it looks like it’s shining in the sun with all it’s glory. See?”

Always a reason to keep something the way it is.

Blink. We were at Target, buying notebooks. Puck had already finished school. Mailed a photocopy of a cheeseburger to Francis; always looking for cheeseburgers for his Uncle Fran. Collecting groceries he did everything without me asking: pushed the cart, restocked fallen merchandise, transferred bags to the cart, carried the heaviest ones to the car for me.

Back home, he raced for Anna’s and Eddie’s, pounding pavement under orange-laced tennies, looking older and older day by day. When I saw him several minutes later, Anna and Eddie were running right behind him, figuring out what to do first. I heard them conspire together to pick up friends down the street. Puck donned batting cage helmet and picked up Grandma Snicketts’ old cane as a prop. Down the street again. When they returned, the smell of the living room was slightly altered:

“I’m sweatier than an old man does outside in wrestling!” Anna volunteered.

While the boys beat the heat – we were in the 90’s – with Mario in a cold basement, Anna found me folding laundry in my room. She clutched an ice cream drumstick in one hand. She likes to chat. So we talked about Heaven – not sure how that came up – and what we want to do there. Anna, dripping ice cream on the bed cover, emphatically believes that she will not only fly, but may also possibly act as tooth fairy.

When Puck and Eddie finally closed things down for the evening, there was a lot of:

“See ya, bro.”

“See ya, bro.”

“Up top!”

“Oh yeah.”

After 7:30, Puck tucked in bed, I heard him practice saying “’sup,” over and over again.