Past Embarkation
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
It was precisely five years ago that Diana and Collette had left for Hungary. Collette remembered leaving with Diana and all their pounds of luggage in the great green slug. Mom and Collette had met Mrs. English and Diana at the old Schnucks to trade off Diana’s luggage into the other van, and they all headed off to the airport. Little Linnea tagged along as well, only 3 at the time, as did baby Lonnie.
Before they left, (back in the good old days when one could see loved ones to their gate), Mrs. English cried a few tears over Diana leaving for the first time on her own. And there were hugs goodbye. Perhaps such things could be considered a trifle traumatic for mothers, sending their daughters half-way across the world for the first time. But Collette and Diana did not think it traumatic, especially seeing as they were with only adults on their own mission team.
Despite the fact that Collette likely never had a more uncomfortable night in her life on that plane, she had been so excited. Her seat was next to a 17 year-old girl from another church in Columbia, Missouri, who had already been around the world before, and was not quite as enthusiastic about the journey as was Collette.
During the long flight, Collette certainly drank enough apple juice to wear off nearly all the super effects of jet lag. Diana, on the other hand, was in for a rough bout of it, and would not recover until Tuesday morning. And Collette little knew it, but as she flew over the rough Atlantic toward the great ancient continent, she was about to experience two of the best weeks of her few sixteen years.
Meanwhile, Wednesday – Collette listened to the newest album from MUSE, Black Holes and Revelations, while trying to clean things up before leaving to tutor. In the process, she managed to knock over two glass flutes from the counter which produced a terrific crash. Later, Mom and Carrie picked her up to teach and they dropped briefly by the library for Carrie to research some astronomy books. On the way inside, Collette and Carrie both stared at a woman who had just exited with a large very alive white cockatoo sitting all plummy on her shoulder.
Come evening, back at the ranch, Dad took Rose for a driving lesson, Joe drove off for a whirlwind bike ride with Wally, and Carrie pranced off with St. Lucia to an upscale thrift store in West County after Carrie spent part of the afternoon watching When the Earth Stood Still, and tried to decide whether or not to apply to grad school. And somehow Collette had managed to miss the fact that the president had visited St. Louis that afternoon.
That evening there was dinner at the Silverspoon’s – the specialty: stuffed peppers, (with tortillas for Collette) and a dark raspberry drink. Shortly after, they all spontaneously decided to see Superman Returns at the mall, and left the cinema toward eleven o’clock as heat lightening rattled the skies.