No Diamonds

Thursday was at home again. Collette was busy reading City of God, of Augustine’s opinions on twins and the order of the stars.
Rose joined them for lunch and chatted with OLeif, while she was busy playing a game on her iPhone about keeping the gremlins out of Heaven.
“They’re evil things,” she said. “But if they barge their way into Heaven, I suppose they’d be made perfect.”
“Impossible situation,” said Collette.
“Well, pearl’s not the strongest substance.”
“But Peter is.”
“Well, Peter… I don’t like pearls. I don’t like diamonds either. If I ever get a husband. No, a boyfriend, who wants to give me a ring with diamonds, I’ll be like, ‘Pah!’. I don’t like diamonds. They’re too expensive. If he gives me a rock, I’d want a moonstone.”
Rose also expressed her recent desire to become a healthier person.
“I bought a banana at school last night,” she said. “But they said I had to spend more than a dollar on my credit card there, so I bought a deck of cards too.”
In the late afternoon, the big green pulled up with Mom, Francis, and Linnea onboard. Francis had requested an exchange for the summer. He would mow their lawn for three months in exchange for ownership of OLeif’s PSP, which had been given to him by work several years ago. OLeif agreed, and Thursday was Francis’ first day in the yard.
Within half an hour he was finished. And Mom, who loved to clean, offered to wash down Collette’s windows and stove, which were ready for another scrub.
“Hey, if you can navigate my kids through college, I’m more than happy to wash your windows for you,” Mom said, laughing.
After class, OLeif returned with McDonald’s for Linnea, who was spending the night with them. They were joined later by Joe for comedy night.

“Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
— Dylan Thomas