Sugar and Gumdrops

Friday, February 18, 2005

Collette rather wondered if the lull would continue a spell. It was Friday – perhaps not her favorite day of the week. She had begun to picture herself as Laura Ingalls Wilder when she was fifteen and was obliged to teach school far from home, and on Friday afternoons, Almanzo would come for her when the week was over and she had an entire weekend at home, just enjoying the good things she had missed during the long week.

Of course this weekend, she would have the same as she did every other weekend, except this time, OLeif would leave at 7:45 Saturday morning till twelve noon for the youth work day at the church office. Then she would have a wedding shower from two to four in the afternoon for Idlewild, which she would need to be early for – likely one or so. Then they were supposed to meet a young couple for dinner – the man being a co-worker at OLeif’s job. She would rather have let it mostly go and just enjoyed the snow that was supposed to be coming in.

The dinner with the couple was postponed to the following Saturday and so Collette was relieved to find she would have a Saturday free to herself, perhaps.

Meanwhile, President Bush was preparing to leave for Brussels to speak with the allies.

OLeif picked her up from work that sunny afternoon and had a cold soda waiting for her. They began to discuss things as usual, thinking through the weeks ahead and what needed to be done. And as usual, OLeif took the optimistic swing, and Collette, the pessimistic.

“The problem with you, OLeif,” Collette laughed, looking over at him, “is that you see everything as happiness, fairies, sweets, and chocolates.” She began to imitate him. “’Oh, Collette, if you only look at everything this way, it’s all OK.’”

“You need a little sugar and gumdrops in your life,” he answered with a slow smile. “You wouldn’t like it if everything was dead roses, would you?”

She shook her head and sighed, watching the road in the late sunshine.

At home all was light and ‘aisy that afternoon with the windows open to the cool mischievous breezes, and bacon sandwiches for lunch, with the mail coming in. It was a good afternoon passing, and despite the weather perfect for critters to sun themselves on warm stones, snow was expected that evening.

Their Canadian friends – it was funny the similarities. She wore a dark winter pea coat. Collette wore a dark winter pea coat. She would come out to the car before he would, and start it because it got too cold, waiting. Collette did the same. She would hurry into the house after they returned from the grocery store, and he would follow with the bags like a gentleman. OLeif and Collette would follow likewise.