Pump it Up
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
“Mama?” Puck nudged her.
He had been up since 5:24, and Collette, needless to say, was at only five and a half hours sleep…
“Yes, buddy?”
“Do you see that crack?” he asked, pointing to the bright yellow hallway.
“That came from the earthquake on your first birthday,” Collette replied, only half-awake.
“Well, the other parts of the wall held on, didn’t they?” he asked. “The rest of the wall did not hold on at all.”
Then he marched into his room to change into his “morning clothes”, skeptically muttering something about it being “spooky in there”…
Shortly after his breakfast banana and more Adventures in Odyssey, Puck clutched Collette’s arm…
“Mama! Something scary outside!”
– He pulled her quickly to the glass patio door. –
“A creature!”
A small slug meandered across the patio.
Mom was serving cream of wheat with golden pats of butter for breakfast.
At some point seven minutes into algebra, Linnea threw a hand to her forehead, which would have easily landed her a role as “damsel in distress”.
“What?” she asked. “Francis’ face was making me sick.”
Francis brushed his eraser shavings onto Linnea’s toast plate. Dad was preparing to run…
“Might be a little cold for shorts…” Collette suggested.
“Not at all. 46 degrees out.”
“Like I said… might be a little cold for shorts…”
“Dad just wants everyone to see his fire hydrant legs,” Carrie teased.
When Dad returned, he got busy threatening Francis and Linnea out of arguing over their math text…
“I’m going to snuggle over there with Linnea with my stinky smell,” he warned.
Both immediately began to behave.
Puck emerged from “Puck and Grandma” time around eleven…
“So. Mama. How are the kids doing?” he asked.
He departed shortly later on a walk with Mom, including a brown paper bag to collect “treasures”. When they returned, Puck dumped a pile of dust, chipped red bicycle reflectors, and rocks onto the keypad of Collette’s laptop.
“I asked him if he wanted to pick up some sweet gum balls,” Mom said, “and he said, ‘No, Grandma. They give you a disease that makes you dance.’ ‘Who told you that?’ I asked him. ‘Onion did.’”
Of course.
Free-for-all lunch was served shortly later: wraps with Carrie’s homemade tortillas. Even Francis wasn’t too picky to avoid them. Carrie also prepared homemade wheat thins. This was followed with crown-braiding Linnea’s hair and supervising the bun-buns romping in the back lawn for Collette, Carrie, and Puck.
In other news…
People at work were trying to convince OLeif to start dressing like a fisherman, maybe selling buttered fish at ballgames, on account of his (lop-sided) beard and ever-lengthening locks.
“Bridget Vanderheidi wants to know if OLeif washes his beard,” Linnea added. “Does he use conditioner.”
Also… Francis was attempting to learn the trumpet.
At 3:30, OLeif arrived. Dad, Joe, and Francis waved them off – the three Snicketts boys – in age order, in unison.
It was the first birthday party of the year to attend. Luke was six that mild Wednesday, and Puck had been profusely invited to Pump it Up, offering an Eyewitness book of Ancient Egypt, including clip art CD, and a box of creek-quality chocolate rocks. After 80 solid minutes of jumping in enormous bouncy houses…
“This is the awesomemest!” Puck declared many times after an initial five minutes of trepidation.
Followed by a very organized teenage boy and girl administering the cheese pizza, and then homemade chocolate cake and ice cream. Luke was busy shoving fudge-frosted cake into his mouth, gripping the cake like a sandwich. His older brothers took turns lifting Puck up to see the gift-opening and making him laugh. And everyone seemed to know his name.
At six o’clock, all fun and games had come to an end, and Puck could scarcely keep his eyes open on the ride home. Although he did have thoughts about OLeif’s snoring…
“I don’t hear you snore anymore ’cause my ears are too strong.”