Minions and Frills
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Another gray-shrouded Wednesday morning, Collette thought to herself that uneventful dawn. The evening before had been pleasant as well, which just seemed to be the word describing home.
She had been picked up at around three that sun-filled afternoon, and as usual, Carrie was hyper from the events surrounding choir and all the escapades therein. Every rehearsal she sat flanked by Eve and Stacie, ready for any set of mischief she might be capable of causing before her final tenth year in choir had ended.
“So what’d the guys think of your rockin’ sweater? It kind of seems to have a Mr. Rogers look.”
Collette latched her seat belt over as she noted Joe’s latest find, courtesy of Carrie-Bri. It was a golden tweed-like piece, discovered at the Scholar Shop sale those two Sundays ago, and Carrie had insisted he get it.
“It’s what all the latest rock bands wear,” she said eagerly. “It’s so cool, Joe; you’ve got to get it.”
And he had relented, on the promise that he could have his Brazilian tree t-shirt, which hit the top ten favorite shirts in his closet for a good long time. But there he was sitting shotgun in his newest fifties sneakers, black cargoes, a Hell’s Kitchen t-shirt from New York, and his baggy sweater.
They all laughed after Collette inquired to his buddies’ reactions.
“I went up to them,” Joe turned around in his seat a bit, “and held it together like this.” He pulled the two sides together to cover his t-shirt. “And I started singing, ‘It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…’”
“Yeah, the hood,” Carrie laughed as she swerved back onto Spencer Road.
Andy’s eyes got big with laughter.
“And then I ripped it back open…”
“And he’s got “Hell’s Kitchen” written on the front,” Carrie finished, laughing.
It was a comical sight. “Mr. Rogers” gone bad, Shepherd later described it over dinner. And they all commenced to transform the lovely land of make-believe into a Club Laine at the Merry-go-Round, hover-lights under Trolley, King Friday’s gang of graphitians… it was an interesting subject, although they were all laughing so hard, it turned into more of a chaotic episode.
Meanwhile, Carrie showed her the latest bit of mischief, displaying a rather elaborate pen and ink tattoo on the top of her right hand – a heart with scrolls and “Stacie and Unn” written across the top.
“And,” she went on, “it was really hot in choir today. So I started fanning myself with the music, and then Stacie did too. Finally I told Stacie that we shouldn’t be selfish. So I started fanning all the altos, saying ‘Share the wealth, share the wealth, share the wealth.’ And then Stacie started doing it until I stopped. I looked at her really funny and I’m like, ‘Stacie, what are you doing?’”
Carrie laughed the famous Combs laugh once again.
The trouble she caused! Collette died from laughter all too often from the retelling of her escapades. And meanwhile, Joe, who had been Carrie’s minion in hooking up Stacie and Unn for a good many weeks, was prompted to drop more hints. However, there seemed to be a mishap somewhere along the line.
“And then Joe….” Carrie swung onto Mid-Rivers, “messed everything up. Unn asked him, ‘Where’s your sister?’ And Joe’s like, ‘Why? Do you want to take her to the prom?’ So he was totally confused. I said, ‘Joe, you got the wrong one!’”
Poor Joe…
And so at the house Carrie whipped up another batch of melting buttery pretzels while Rose complained through her entire typing class. Math was better though, and she refrained from whining over degrees and angles. And Joe researched his Eagle project – a climbing wall to be built inside a silo at the church property. There was one such wall in Munich already and one across the river in Illinois.
“So what is this? The latest fashion?” Collette indicated the short dark blue plaid apron Carrie was wearing while her pretzel dough was rising.
“Yeah – get a load of these babies,” Carrie prepared to walk the runway. “Boom-jah-boom-jah-boom.”
She made her own music as she stomped down the kitchen as Collette described it, “The latest fashion from Paris – flour-stained aprons. Half-minis.”
And then they proceeded to force Joe and Rose into the madrigal dinner costumes. Upon having Joe in his full uniform complete with awesome cape, they had him walk forward in front of them, the wonderful golden cloth rippling majestically behind him. It was too perfect – he looked just like a prince. And Rose was looking most elegant herself.
The class had also gone well that evening after a good many laughs around the table with many steaming bowls of Midwest chili with cheese and Fritos and then more bowls of ice cream for dessert and the plate of Carrie’s pretzels was wiped clean. Dad looked very professional with his white board, notes, and books.
And the evening was soon over after a dash by Target (for her t-shirts and dye) and another pass by Beauty World. Collette was convinced it was an undercover operation – at least twenty cars on the lot all times of the day and night – the only shop on the lot, a bank to its front in a separate lot and a power station far to the right of the plaza once the empty shops were ended. Very suspicious. And then there was a private viewing of “Vanity Fair” at home and Collette hit the feathers just before midnight.