Talk of Travel

Friday, July 20, 2007

Kits came into town that day to join Relevance in preparation for the wedding. The rehearsal dinner was that night.

Back on the ranch, it was another morning for Greek food. Upon arrival at the house, Rose was gone. She had been up since four o’clock that morning to wait in a line at Borders with Magnus and Augustus to receive book tickets for the new Harry Potter, which would be released at midnight.

She had also received little sleep the night before, according to Linnea.

“Rose kept me awake till, like, 1:30 in the morning,” she moaned. “She kept talking about spiders and she put on a foot show. Her foot was singing and dancing.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Greek Orthodox church – Mom, Collette, Carrie-Bri, Francis, and the Puck. (Rose was at the movies with Annamaria, Joe was still sleeping, and Linnea claimed that Greek food was the worst food she had ever tasted.)

This time, Puck stayed awake and stared in wonderment at Carrie’s bush of blond hair for almost the entire meal. He smacked his lips over the food, but was not offered anything.

It was a beautiful day for July, almost fall-like. Furls of warm and cool winds mixed together in the valley.

Toward evening, Mom took Francis to swim with Creole at the water park and Rose to pick up two gallons of bright green paint for her room. And while Collette waited for her car to be returned from the South’s (as Joe had needed it to exchange it for the Miata, which he was detailing for Old Blue and Cashmere’s honeymoon), Kits dropped by the house.

“I’m so jealous!”

…were her first words upon coming in the door.

“Everyone’s going everywhere. I want to go to Australia!”

Then she went on to tell Carrie that there was a possibility she might visit London and Hawaii the following year. And Puck smiled bashfully for her and cooed.

Kits and Carrie chatted about things while Carrie made fresh berry and yogurt smoothies. Then while Kits held Puck, who settled down for a nice snooze, Collette took her first ride in the South’s Miata with Joe behind the wheel, to return it. She hadn’t been in a Miata since Uncle Hilario had given all the kids individual rides in their old red Miata when Collette was thirteen, and he, Aunt Corliss, Esther, and Blessing lived with them for the summer.

Soon, Kits would be off to the rehearsal dinner after a visit in the old Aram Breena tree house.

“Up jumped the swagman, sprang into the billabong,

‘You’ll never catch me alive!’ said he.

And his ghost may be heard, as you pass by that billabong.

You’ll come a waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

“Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda,
You’ll come a waltzing, Matilda, with me.
And his ghost may be heard, as you pass by that billabong.
You’ll come a waltzing, Matilda, with me.”