Of Bulgarians, Gillyweed, Dragons, and Pumpkin Juice
Friday, November 18, 2005
(7:06am) Carrie’s 19th birthday, whether she would admit it or not. And she was all a’gawk over seeing “Walk the Line” that night after work, although they had all just returned from “Harry Potter” at three that very same morning. It seemed to reek of sinister beings, however there were several light-hearted moments, of which Collette enjoyed, including the Bulgarians.
Collette found herself uncomfortable thinking of a fantasy world where Christ was not acknowledged as even ever having existed. Truly, “Harry Potter” was meant to be a children’s fable, more folklore than real life notions of any kind. Mermaid and ethereal subterranean hymns, stackable feasts of cakes and crumpets, books a mile thick in dusty library towers… But nonetheless, Collette could not fathom coping with, writing, or creating such a world without Jesus Christ. It was too stirring an idea not to pass through her mind as she watched the film.
And meanwhile, Rose had just received her permit, of which she could not be more proud. Collette also remembered the day she obtained the coveted card. It was on a hot day in July, the 9th, if she remembered correctly. And she wore a light white cotton shirt with a drawstring around the neck, lightly embroidered in two columns down the front in blue and red. Her bangs were still quite heavy then, her eyebrows thick and dark, and her teeth wore braces. After the card was obtained, Grandma and Mom had driven them to Illinois to Thunder River. Collette became exceedingly grumpy when she found out that she was obliged to swim and could not study instead. She had not even brought her swimsuit, and they ended up having to drop by a small thrift shop in Alton where she rummaged through a bin of suits and found one that fit tolerably ill in bright colors (mostly red) with images of world flags fading in and out among the colors. In the end, she did enjoy their time at Thunder River, although she felt painfully embarrassed because of the swimming suit and ashamed because of her bad attitude and the ruckus she had caused Grandma, Mom, and the kids. She was fifteen then.
Rose had also been approved to volunteer at Spencer Place Assisted Living, where she could bring her (potential) pug, read her Bible and short stories to the elderly folks, play checkers, and help the little old ladies bead their own bracelets (help in dexterity). Collette was pleased as punch that God had put her in this new place, every Thursday and Friday afternoon.
And that evening, OLeif, Joe, and Rose were headed out with the rest of the “gentlemen” youth for an evening of paint ball and good times. Rose would be the only girl, as she was unsuccessfully able to convince Molly to participate in the fun. Collette opted not to participate, but to instead spend the evening at the house with Mom, Dad, and the kids while waiting for OLeif to pick her up after the “festivities,” as Judah dubbed them. Surprisingly, Collette had been able to keep awake quite easily during the day. Instead, she enjoyed the paperwork as always, picking out pleasant golden, emerald, and ruby fall colors for the bulletin inserts, which were usually a bland white.
And true to her word, no doubt, Carrie and Elizabeth would be attending the first evening premiere of “Walk the Line” in honor of “Joaquin Phoenix Day.” Mom informed Collette on the phone that morning that she had put balloons on Carrie’s bed early that morning and had set out the special breakfast plate for her, which she refused to eat on, although she would still not get by without presents. Collette warned her that there was no way around it. She would have to open them, as some were edible.
“They’ll rot if not,” Collette told her.