Mothers, Mothers Everywhere
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Puck was the diligent soldier at the door that morning, passing out bulletins for half an hour while one of the mothers at church told Collette stories about the antics of her sons when they had been boys… “My oldest retired about ten guardian angels,” she laughed.
Puck loudly whispered observations regarding the David and Goliath sermon to his mama during the service…
“But those were false gods, right, Mama?” And… “He was working for Satan, wasn’t he? And his whole army?” Etc.
The vases of carnations had been reinstated at the doors after the service for departing ladies. Puck had reserved a red one for Collette in advance, and also tried to stick it through her hair right into the top of head. And Joe texted Collette…
“Happy mother’s day!”
During Sunday School, the mounted screen behind the visiting pastor randomly switched between slideshows, screensavers, etc., including revolving panels of the Little Mermaid. He turned to Mr. Bow Tie in the sound balcony…
“Is this your screensaver, Ray?”
Anneliese had drawn a fairy picture for Puck, taking two hours to color everything precisely in the lines. Puck showed it to Ivy.
“She kind of looks a little angry on this side,” said Puck.
“How do you know she looks angry?” Ivy asked coyly. “Does your mom ever get angry at you?”
“Well… sometimes…”
They laughed, as Puck continued an abbreviated exposition of his following train of logic…
“But Satan is the only enemy… God’s the only good man… No one is perfect.”
“That’s right,” Nicodemus agreed. “We all need Jesus for a Savior.”
“But it’s good to go to church,” Puck added.
“Moldy,” Carrie announced, picking up two new loaves of bakery bread from the counter.
She tossed them out onto the patio.
“Carrie,” Dad protested, “no bird’s going to eat that.”
“An eagle comes down and carries off the whole loaf,” OLeif chuckled.
“Squaw!” said Carrie.
Rose arrived with a laundry bag, and artful bundle of splotchy pink-dark-pink roses for Mom. Milk chocolate Lindor truffles for Collette…
“Here, Mom. I got you truffles too,” Rose added, tossing the red bag through the air.
It landed with a smack in the grass beside Mom.
“Served with style,” Mom laughed.
Meanwhile, Francis and Puck were returning from the other side of the house…
“Puck and me just planted an avocado seed in the backyard,” said Francis, patting his stomach for no reason as usual.
Meanwhile, Carrie was gourmeting in the kitchen… grilled muenster-cheese-crunchy-onion-avocado-bacon sandwiches, homemade tomato-orange soup, salad, and a homemade chocolate-coffee mousse for dessert.
“I’m so glad you’re my sister-in-law,” OLeif said happily.
Rose marched inside with her laundry basket…
“The kittens are starting to become trouble makers. I can’t wait,” she said gleefully.
Lunch discussions trended towards the New Madrid faultline and further possibilities of earthquakes in the city…
“We’ll get a mountain range here,” Francis suggested.
“I’ll start my next business, get the url reserved for the ski slopes,” added Carrie.
“Yeah,” Francis grinned. “Everything’ll already be in place so the ski lift rises up as the mountain’s coming out of the ground.”
“And then the Mississippi’ll be damned up,” said Rose. “White water rafting.”
Clearly they were all very concerned.
“You know what they do in the art museums in California,” Mom was saying. “Some of the pieces are in these kinds of bowls so they sway with the earthquake when it comes.”
“What if the bowl sort of dumps over all the way?” said Carrie. “Half pike. There goes the Mona Lisa!”
After Mom napped, and OLeif snored out forty-five minutes in the basement, a speakerphone call was made to Joe in New Mexico, who had requested the conference. When he picked up, they teased him with a rousing chorus of “Happy Happy Mother’s Day!” After this ridiculousness, Joe heh-heh-ed…
“I’m not a mother.”
Gifts to Mom included a manicure set and an ancient chipping copy of the old Showboat tunes songbook, which Mom and Dad immediately began singing, which may or may not have included some fingers in ears and grins from the audience…
“A little less loud, please!” Carrie declared.
Faust Park was crowded on the play grounds. However, the reinactors at the governor’s house from 1804-1825, was less so, and filled with a case of artifacts – arrow points and Indian pottery thousands of years old, ceramics, skeleton keys, etc.
They walked a short nature path towards the river – mulberry trees, purple blossoms. Francis piggy-back-ran Linnea up the hill back to the van, which then thundered over to the Spanish house in the woods and the sloping treeless hill where outdoor concerts were held in the summer. Francis and Carrie took care of the kite… or, as Carrie put it, “fixing Francis’ mess”. Rose “tanned” on the cement stage where Collette and Linnea threw a heavy foam earth ball back and forth, Francis and Puck occasionally joining in.
This was followed by Culver’s, for those who would. And a hair dye for Rose.
Back home, Collette called back to the little green room…
“Puck? Are you putting on your pajamas?”
“No! I’m just sitting here naked in your chair!”