Little Meg
Friday, April 21, 2006
And at work there were thoughts on Judah’s invitation to speak to a posse of Cub Scouts (primarily from the Catholic church) on “God and Country”. And there was a prayer request for the bulletin regarding the Cross’ son, Qarqar Pastureland, who was learning Turkish while training to be an Air Force liaison. Judah and Evangeline would be at Wash-U all weekend during Evangeline’s orientation for her graduate studies. And Collette shuffled papers all day long, randomly thinking about the Kickapoo Indians sometime before lunch.
Later, Collette found herself in deep conversations with Meg Saint, who was visiting Jimmy that day and was most interested in finding some lunch.
“But I want bread!” She said, walking around, her bright eyes looking up to Collette expectantly.
“Well, maybe your mommy’s coming to pick you up for lunch.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“I bet she’s coming to pick you up for lunch.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“I think she may.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Are you sure?”
“No, I’m not sure.”
Then Jimmy came out and put Meg on his lap and tried to get her to put her shoes back on.
“I’m hungry!” Meg announced once again.
“She was just asking for bread for lunch,” Collette informed Jimmy.
“Bready bready bready!” Meg yelled by his ear.
“Pretty bread?” Jimmy said, not quite hearing.
“I eat paper towels.” Meg said, grinning.
“You eat paper towels?… Now… you’re just being silly.”
“I’m going to tell Pastor Dan that.” Meg said, as though it were quite an ingenious thought.
“You’re going to tell Pastor Dan?… I don’t know if he’d be too… impressed with that.”
“I’m going to eat Collette all up!” Meg changed her tone.
“You’re going to eat Collette all up?” Jimmy chuckled. “Why don’t you go tell her that. Are you a lion, Meg?”
“Yes!” And Meg began to roar and scratch her paws on the chair.
“Don’t do that, Meg… Do lions eat spiders?”
“Yes!”
“For some reason she thinks they do,” Jimmy said, heading back to his office with Meg. “I have something to show you, Meg.”
Meg returned shortly later with a scant roll of duct tape with some sort of purple cloth bag covered in pink flowers stuffed inside the roll. She set it on Collette’s chair.
“I will be right back and I will get something else,” Meg said, holding her finger up.
She did this a good number of times, bringing in several books, hand sanitizer, and a purple and yellow football, saying the same thing to Collette after every delivery.
Meanwhile, Diana had a mere fifteen days till graduation (still thrilled, of course, that she was graduating a month before Carrie – they still managed to compete over things a full state apart). And Collette received a note from her that afternoon before she was off to lunch with Shechem:
Thank you so much for the brownies–I did receive them and devour them before I came home for Easter. Some of my History of Christianity classmates also enjoyed them. They were quite tasty!
In Collette’s estimation (if Diana’s experience anywhere near paralleled her own), she and Shechem would have more serious ideas about their future together within the next month. But then again everyone’s experience was different. Collette did, however, find it humorous that the apple of Diana’s eye was the youngest of the four: OLeif, Diana, Collette, and then Schehem. But he was only two months younger than Diana, although born in a different year.
And that evening there were plans for the youth to head down to the City Museum, although Joe and Curly would be at an OA event over the weekend, Augustus was in Kansas City for a track meet, and Ben-Hur opted out as he needed to be up at six the following morning. Collette hadn’t been to the City Museum for years. The last time she had visited with Diana, Carrie, and Eve, where Diana had nudged the bumper of her car underneath another car without even realizing it, while trying to park in the congested parking lot that particular evening. Collette recalled checking out the antique doorknob display upstairs, watching the girls careen down the roller-slide, and the glass-blower shop, the bizarre network of tunnels, colors, acrobats, and sculptures. Apparently they had added an aquarium and some sort of eatable place since she had last visited.