One of Five

“Eat your oatmeal, son.” El Oso called across the house to Puck in the kitchen.

He was a little distracted with Vacation Bible School about two hours away, and a full breakfast still waiting on the table:

“OKAY, DAD! BUT YOU DON’T COOK OATMEAL AS GOOD AS MOM DOES!”

A compliment. Sort of.

Two minutes later, he switched streams:

“I TAKE IT BACK, DAD! YOU MAKE GREAT OATMEAL! JUST AS GOOD AS MOM!”

Vacation Bible School. Old Church. Balmy, almost cool. Registration in the foyer required a sweater. Ivy and I had teamed up again, just like the old days. Our partnership dates back twelve years now, I realize; my senior year in high school.

What can I say about three hours on a Monday morning at VBS? Counting pennies for school kids in Ethiopia, declining the styrofoam bowls of fruit cocktail, making sure no one kidnaps any kids. Success.

Lunch over about an hour late, Mom called me just back from Branson. After catching up on everything, Quiet Hour concluded. Maybe just a little too quiet… I probably should have checked sooner, but when I finally went back there to see what was going on, I discovered the young snap deep asleep wrapped up in his comforter.

Two minutes later he was running down the driveway in his fancy new orange-laced shoes to play with Anna and Eddie.

It was a wet, green world that night as Puck took a hot shower before bed after concluding another viewing of Wall-E. Surprise, surprise.

El Oso drove up in the rain to help tuck Puck in for the night before taking a sandwich and potato chips into the basement to watch “Gravity.” Five minutes later, I heard Puck yelling from the top of the stairs:

“Sorry I turned on the light. I was just examining my toes.”

“Don’t worry about it, bud,” El Oso told him. “Go back to bed now.”

“Okay. Love ya!”

“Love ya!”

Puck’s Weekly What-do-You-Want-to-be-When-You-Grow-Up Status:

“Uh, I don’t know … a scientist?”

Conviction waining…