The Cheese

Life was busy. If Collette wasn’t seeing to Puck’s needs, running a household and the finances, or tutoring, she was researching adoption from Thailand, preparing a trip to Iceland the following autumn, and wrapping up another book, this time in honor of Linnea entitled: Li Mei.
Everyone else was busy too. Dad finishing his Masters and preparing to begin his PhD and to build his small airplane, OLeif beginning seminary, Carrie roving the job market for an employer who would willingly pay for 3-5 years of doctoral work in physics at the University College London or Cambridge, Joe preparing for a professional level of cycling while working and preparing to transfer to a nationally-renowned art program at the Florissant Community College, and Rose wrapping up her Bachelors and putting together information for a Masters in Art History and Archaeology at MIZZOU. Everyone had dreams. Maybe some of them would be fulfilled in the next years.
In other news, Collette woke up to find an entire block of Colby Jack cheese sitting in an opened ziplock bag on the chest of drawers.
“OLeif,” she said grimly, and held out the cheese toward him.
“Oops…” said OLeif. “Are you sure you weren’t the one who left that out?”
“I’m sure.”
Over at the house, Puck was overjoyed to spend the first part of his morning mopping the house with the new Swiffer which Joe had just purchased. He tramped the wood floors from one end to the other, happily talking to his mop.
The rest of the morning was spent at The Galleria in his stroller as he observed Rose purchasing ceramic dishes and confetti melamine mixing bowls at Urban Outfitters, then at Teavana where Carrie ogled the wall of teas and selected several new varieties which included: “Sweet Lilly White”, “Blueberry Bliss”, and “South African Rooibos”.
Meanwhile, for the very first time, Mom no longer had any children in Concert Choir. It would also be the first time Francis and Linnea would together in a choir that afternoon, in Bel Canto.
As Collette and Puck wound down the evening in the kitchen, thunder rumbled in the west, and a new block of Colby Jack sat in the fridge.