The Halloween Post
October 31, 2004
The boys just went out to trick or treat, followed closely by two doting grandparents. I HATE trick or treating, and tend to beg off with the excuses, “But SOMEONE has to hand out candy!” and, “Hey! I got the costumes.”
This year my weaseling was especially fortuitous. Right now it’s raining, drizzling icy drops on all those gorgeous children and their doting adults. This means that by staying home I have a) successfully avoided getting cold and wet and b) am here, alone with all the candy, on an extraordinarily low attendance Halloween.
Life is good.
Now, lest you think I’m a horrible human being, sending my parents out into the cold like that, my mom JUST came home to get a bag. It seems the boys’ buckets are getting too full, and they need something to empty them into so they can continue. She dug out a Wal-Mart bag, telling me over her shoulder, “OH MY GOODNESS, it’s so cold out there!”
“Um…yeah. Have fun!”
She turned back to me, eyes shining, cheeks bright red.
“IT IS fun!” Her coat glistened with raindrops, and she shook them out of her hair. “It’s a special experience, I’ll tell ya.”
And with that she was gone again, out the door to dote in the rain.
There are plenty of reasons for me to be grateful to my parents. The sacrifices they’ve made on the behalf of me and my boys tops that list. Plus the car they bought me when I turned 20 (even though I smashed it up two years later), and the whole giving me life deal. All good things, for which I’m grateful.
But tonight? Tonight they deserve a medal, trooping around out there in the rain.
To be here, warm and dry, pitching large fistfuls of candy into the bags of the few trick or treaters that stop by is a fine, fine way to spend your Halloween.
And now my favorite Halloween quotes!
Raphael (a solid and menacing dinosaur), stood with his chin sturdily raised so I could fasten his dinosaur head on, “Mama, yoo jus’ gotta be scared ok? But NOT YET. Because I’m jus’ Raphayell now. Jus’ wait.”
Max (a soldier, complete with tons of gear) was grimacing and posing with the knife from his costume, and I gave him my best mock shudder. “Oh, am I supposed to be scared of you, Honey?”
“Nah.” He gestured at his outfit, “I’m not a BAD guy. I’m a HERO.”
“Oh, good then.”
He turned on his heel to go.
“Well, I gotta go kill some guys now.”
Way to compartmentalize, Baby.
Tre offered me his blue gloved finger.
“Taste it!” I looked doubtful. “Go ON! Just lick it! Please? Please taste it?”
I touched my tongue gingerly to his finger tip and grimaced.
“GROSS.”
“I KNOW! Doesn’t it taste AWFUL? The whole COSTUME tastes gross!”
Well.
Thanks for sharing.