With Distinction
Sundays were now unusual. It was that morning for the first time that the church held its 8:00 service, which was attended by 82 persons. Collette and Puck left by 9:15 back to the house while OLeif taught Sunday School and played for the first half of the 10:30 service. When Collette arrived at the house with the chubby, Rose was lounging on the couch with a blanket, before getting ready to go.
“I electrocuted myself yesterday,” she said. “I burned myself, tripped over a chair, and then my iPod broke.”
Somehow, none of this surprised Collette.
The best news of the day: Carrie-Bri had passed her masters with distinction. Collette could tell that Dad was pretty proud.
“Done forever,” she said. “Unless I make a lot of money, and then I’ll just get my PhD for grins.”
Meanwhile, OLeif was talking about the shelving he and Theodore had put up in the basement the previous afternoon.
“I want to get Tupperware buckets down there to keep things in,” he told Collette. “Then I’ll get you a label maker.”
“We used to have a label maker,” said Collette.
“Yeah,” said Carrie. “We’d label everything: BIKE. BATHROOM DOOR.”
After potato and ham goulash of sorts, and turnovers for lunch, “Seven Years in Tibet” was popped in the DVD player that afternoon.
“We should teach Puck to say hello by sticking out his tongue like the Tibetans,” said OLeif.
Collette thought that it wasn’t a half-bad idea. Carrie was already prepared to teach him how to say to all the other little children:
“Make my day, Punk!”
And OLeif was set on teaching him:
“your mom!”
…as his first phrase.
The day was beautiful. The winds were strong. At church, Puck had enjoyed them, closing his eyes and sticking out his tongue in greeting. After he woke from his nap, OLeif and Collette took him on a walk.
Carrie and Lucia had gone down to The Loop. Joe had been gone all day with friends. Rose was taking a nap. Mom and Dad were taking naps. Frances was preparing to leave for the Recplex after picking up Creole. Linnea was busy in Webkinz World.
At home that evening, the winds were still perfect, wringing the glass wind chimes on the front porch. Puck amused himself by sorting through the laundry baskets in the living room, trying to help. OLeif drove off to bring back a small pizza.
It was an early spring that was sure to be cut short in several days by another snow. That night, the rains came.