The Birthday Boys
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Puck spent the first part of his morning throwing paper “jets”, which OLeif had crafted for him the previous evening. And a valentine from Daisy-Jean which served the same purpose.
Puck was having a rough time of things. After awhile, he turned to Collette.
“It hasn’t been a glorious day, has it Mama?”
By the time Luke and Leia had come, Collette was ready for a little quiet. Fat chance. There were exciting things to share. Luke had lost his first tooth.
“I got a dollar for it,” he announced.
Inflation, certainly.
He was also a yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Chinese gong…
And Linnea was around with a helping hand to build another blanket tent.
The day was cool; saturated ground.
Back on the home-front, both grandmas had arrived, or were just arriving. Gifts were already pouring from the magic satchels of Grandma Combs. Pink and white heart-shaped marshmallows, a set of chocolate tools, watermelon raisins, bunny earrings, shamrock earrings, shamrock scarf, a red velvet heart boxed stuffed with chocolate truffles. Collette got to work on those…
The younger birthday boy was standing around patting his stomach as usual.
“So did you save anyone today?” Grandma Combs asked him.
Francis had to admit that he had not.
And unfortunately Rose, who had been working at the Illinois branch for the day, could not make the party in time. Instead, she called during dinner while driving the cell-phone-verboten highways of their rival state.
“I’m on speakerphone,” she squawked. “If I pick up my phone, they’ll shoot me.”
Dinner commenced with pork steaks, macaroni and cheese, and salad.
“Well, Lucia and I drove up the river road on Sunday to Finn Inn,” Grandma was saying. “We didn’t see a single eagle.”
“That’s ’cause they were all hanging out with me,” Joe replied, keeping at bay the salad avalanche tumbling off his plate.
Collette felt a thunk on her head as a crescent roll slipped out of the basket Mom was setting on the table.
“Uh oh,” Carrie said, catching a glimpse out the window. “Someone’s walking around out there.”
Eleven heads turned to stare at the stranger walking her dog down the street as Carrie fitted the hood of her gray hoodie over her head, and Puck, grinning, did the same with his own.
“Alright, presents or cake first?” Carrie asked.
“Cake,” Dad answered adamantly.
That seemed to settle it. Joe marched up from the basement carrying the round confetti-festooned Dairy Queen delectable and placed it on the table.
“Candles, we need candles,” said Carrie. “You want them to die or something?”
“Oh! I’ll get some,” said Mom.
“Don’t worry about it, Adel,” said Dad. “Grab those candlesticks and stick ’em in.”
Two large taper candles flickered in the centerpiece.
Mom denied that proposal. Instead, she returned with six regular birthday-sized models, and the singing was soon ended, as Linnea coughed on the candle smoke in her eyes, waving it away.
As they adjourned to the living room for presents, Carrie summoned Linnea.
“Come sit in my lap.”
“Aww…” Linnea moaned.
Carrie grinned…
“I trained them since they were little for me to hold them and make them sit on my lap. So now Linnea will still, against her will, come and sit on my lap when I tell her to.”
Gifts included cashews and cash for Dad, fast food restaurant gift cards for Francis, and funny homemade cards, including Joe’s five-minute photo shop of Dad with long locks, and hand-sketched stick figure landscapes of the family in Hawai’i by Carrie – Linnea was being chased by her pet shark. The girl who also wanted pet peacocks.