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First Halloween Costume

By Halloween Alliance

“It’s so wonderful, isn’t it?” smiled Susan.

“I keep telling you it’s time you and Don had kids of your own,” replied Barb. “Then you could see how wonderful-”

Susan cut her off. “I just mean, it’s wonderful that they get so enthused about things. God I wish I could feel that kind of a thrill again. I can still remember how it felt. Once you grow up, it seems like you just don’t ever get to have any kind of carefree-”

“And how would you know?” laughed Barb, repaying the interruption. “Sis, I swear you never did quite grow up!. . . Do you know that every time there’s a holiday or anything to celebrate you start talking on and on about how we’d have done it when we were kids?”

“And what’s wrong with that?”, asked Susan.

“You’re forty-one now, that’s all,” her sister responded, “And instead of raising kids of your own, you act like you want to go back to being a kid yourself.”

Susan closed her eyes. “It’s almost Hallowe’en, Barbara,” she signed, “doesn’t that mean anything to you any more? You used to enjoy it too, you know. Doesn’t the notion of kids decorating and dressing up, and having fun mean anything to you any more?”

“I’ll say it does,” answered Barb. “It means I’ve gotta stock up on candy so the little monsters will be less likely to toilet paper my trees like last year.”

A little surprised by the crestfallen look on Susan’s face, Barb hugged her sister. “Aw, Susan, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. . . you know what a grouch I am!–I really didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know you didn’t,” signed Susan, “I just can’t be as realistic as you are. . . You always were the sensible one, I guess.”

Barb put her hands on Susan’s shoulders. “It’s just that I worry about you sometimes,” she said. “Now you better get home to Don before it gets any later.”

Indeed, it had gotten later than Susan had realized, and Don proved to be less cheerful over having had to get his own dinner. Still, Susan knew, Don was a good man, a hard worker, and never stayed mad at her for very long. He seemed tired and impatient that night but, as always, said nothing unkind to Susan, even when expressing his disappointment that she’d forgotten to make the deposit at the bank he’d asked her to the day before. She made one brief stab at initiating a conversation about glorious Hallowe’ens past, but gave it up when Don abruptly changed the subject to remind her to take the dog to the beg in the morning. He still seemed a little displeased with her when they went to bed, although he did giver her the usual “Love ya, Honey” before falling asleep.

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