A dull day, that is what this is,dull gray. Samuel
thought as he looked up from a coloring project to The Mother. She was making a cake for Nana, who was
moving in with them.
Grammy had moved in
with Aunt Tammy Whammy when she decided she was ‘out of her depth’ with
Samuel. Out of her depth? Samuel
smiled at the words. The old lady was drowning in the
deep-end. He continued working on a “Welcome,
Nana!” sign. The mother had written the
words, although Samuel believed he could have conveyed the message better with
his fiery bombs and flaming people. Oh, well, whatever.
The mother had just
poured the batter into the 8 ½ x 11 pan when the doorbell rang. Jehovah
Witnesses or young Mormon men? She would
prefer the young Mormons. When she
didn’t return right away, Samuel nodded.
The men. Well, then.
Samuel climbed down
from his chair and ran to the opposite side of the table to peer into the cake
better. Oh, Fun-Fetti. This is perfect.
Thinking on the fly
was one of his many gifts. Scooping up
some bits of broken crayons, Samuel carefully placed and pushed them into the
cake. Maybe a few more on this side? After effectively burying the crayon shreds,
Samuel returned to the sign, innocent by all accounts.
The Mother returned to
the table, smiling and blushing. Nothing like religion to make one happy. She placed the cake into the preheated oven,
and cleaned up the kitchen, humming happily.
Every now and then, she gave Samuel a nervous smile.
Samuel returned her
smile. “You okay there, Buddy? Wanta play a video game?” Okay? I am juuuust fine.
The timer rang and
The Mother carefully removed the cake from the oven and placed it on the high
counter. Leaving the oven door open just
enough to let the oven cool, The Mother ran to the bathroom. The bathroom door closed.
Oh, woman.
Do you even think about the
possibilities? Samuel peered at the partially open door, and
silently lowered it down. Still hot, but
not dangerous. Grabbing some broken
crayons, Samuel tossed them onto the oven shelves and bottom. Oh, how
lovely. Samuel watched at the
colored pieces spread out and pool in rainbow glory. Silently Samuel closed the oven door, knowing
The Mother would never notice.
The Mother returned. “Nap time, young man. For you and me both.”
Samuel acquiesced,
holding her hand lovingly. The Mother
was confused, but accepted this new step in Samuel’s life: possible obedience.
In his room, Samuel
listened for new sounds.
When the front door slammed and happy voices sounded, he knew Nana had
arrived. He listened as Nana spoke about
the big roast she had ready to cook. The oven will be heated up next. He felt a tickle of anticipation.
The smell of scorched
crayon filled the house. Oh, glory!
“SAMUEL!” A dull gray day transformed into one of joyful color.
