Puckleberries

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Earlier, (Friday night), OLeif, Collette, Joe, Augustus, and Rose had road-tripped to Columbia. The sun set pink and mischief prepared itself.

By the time they met Ben-Hur in the parking lot of Shakespeare’s Pizza shortly after eight o’clock, the hour and a half on the road had been just enough time before Joe and Rose might begin a squabble over something ridiculous.

The pizza parlor was loud and crowded. They squished, all six of them, into a booth and ate most of two pizzas. Outside, Ben-Hur showed Joe his new purchase – a red bike. Then they walked to The Artisan (where Brit and Lilli had their wedding reception almost exactly three years ago). It was also loud and crowded. Collette and Rose walked to a couple of tall brick smokestacks some meters away. As they walked, Rose admitted that she would enjoy coming to Mizzou for her masters. She would think more about it.

The evening ended at ten-thirty with Augustus choking Ben-Hur in a farewell hug. The return home involved Joe teasing Rose all the way to the highway and some interludes of sleepy silence between songs, including one of Augustus’ favorites by Red Hot Chili Peppers: By The Way. They returned shortly after midnight.

Tuesday morning, Puck and Collette returned home from their morning walk. Puck happily grabbed his feet in the air while he ate two autumn selections from his cornucopia in the kitchen cabinet – apples and squash.

Leaves were suddenly gold and yellow, giallo. Breezes were warm.

OLeif returned for lunch, soon after which Puck woke from his nap. OLeif tossed him onto a pile of clean clothes Collette had just set on the couch

Yay! Wrinkling the laundry! Wrinkling the laundry!”

Puck laughed and ate the first piece to land near his mouth.

Come evening, OLeif and Puck continued their entertainment together and played “Pick the Puckleberry off the Tree”. Puck, naturally, was the Puckleberry.

“I’m hungry. I think I want a Puckleberry,” OLeif said, holding Puck up at an angle by the bookshelf. “Pluck! Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm! Yum yum yum!”

Puck giggled and made his face that Collette could only describe as “angry butterfly eyes”, though he was hardly angry.