Yesterday was Halloween. The neighbor kids have had their costumes for 3 weeks waiting their very first Halloween experience. I was excited, anticipating either walking with them and their Dad as their Mom handed out candy at home, OR sending them off on foot and staying behind with their Mom to pass out the candy. 3pm I knock on the door. Husband is working. I ask if their ready for Halloween. They all look stumped at my question. I ask again, Are you ready to go for Halloween? Boy steps up and says, Yes, today at school, I wore Spiderman. I take the bull (ball) and I make it in the basket. I get candy. I said, Good...good. Thats nice. Are you ready to go tonight? The Mother replies in high pitched question Tonight? Where? Where to go tonight? In the night? No. What do you mean? I said, Its Halloween. 6:30 the children wear the Spiderman and the costume and they go to all the houses and say Tick or Treat and they get candy. The Mom, son and daughter look at me like I am completely crazy. I said, Yeah Yeahhh.... this is Halloween. She says, I dont know. My husband wont be home until 8 or say 8:30pm. Wait til he gets home and you ask him. I said, Nooo. 6:30. I come and take them for the Halloween. She agrees. Wait, I said. Do you have candy? She says, Candy? For what do we need candy? I said, At 6:30, the children will come here and say Trick or Treat. You, say Happy Halloween and give them a piece of candy. She says, Why? Why do they need candy? I start laughing... because its Halloween. I dont understand, she says. Okay, Ill be back before 6:30. Dont worry... I will set you up. I go home and fill a tupperware with candy and go back to explain how Halloween works. I demonstrate. I think shes got it. The little girl is too cold and Im sure she hasnt understood a word I have said, nor that it involves candy because she has no desire to come with us. Okay Ali... lets start at my house. Wheres your bag? (He has a no idea what Im talking about)... the bag...to carry the candy. Oh!... he runs away and comes back with one of those baby plastic pumpkin things with a plastic handle that will break when it has the weight of 3 bags of chips. No... okay... no... go get your pillow. He stands there. You know, your pillow (and I pretend I put my head on a pillow and close my eyes). Hes still standing there... PILLOW.. go get it. He brings back a pillow with a fancy case on it with the spilt in the back. Oh you gotta be kidding me...forget it, Ill get you a pillow case... come on, my Mom is waiting. He barely knocks on the door and I hear him say Truck or Treat almost in a whisper. Ali, say TRICK OR TREEEEAT really loud. More loud. More. More. My Mom opens the door, Hiiii Happy Halloween! Happy Halloween...thank you. Okay... he got the hang of it after about 20 houses. I said Trick or Treat with him every time he said it, so I could help muffle the Truck or Treat. At this point, weve gone down Elizabeth and were on Lawrence... you know, in front of that house with all of the cool stuff that will surely give that poor kid nightmares for another month. As we reached Mildred I said, Ali, are you having a good time? He said, Very good time, yes. Each time we reach a corner, HE held out HIS hand to take mine. What 10 yr old does that? This one. He said, So tomorrow is Halloween? I said, Tomorrow? NO! Right now is Halloween. What do you think were doing? This is all Halloween. He says, Oh. Okay. Does Santa Claus come at Halloween? I said, No. Santa Claus comes at Christmas. He said, Santa Claus is in our hearts all of the time. :) Yes... this is true Ali. Were now on almost a full block of blackout homes - no lights on. I put my arm around him...its freakin cold. We went about 6 more blocks...he asked me 4 times Is it 8 oclock? Ali, why do you keep asking me if its 8 oclock? My father. He will be home from work. I must go home. I think he thought (my Dad doesnt know Im doing this and if I am not home before he gets home - Im in trouble). I said, Okay... dont worry. We will be home before 8pm. As we approach the house, he stops and then starts walking really fast... My father - he is home. Yes... its okay. I notice the porch light isnt on. ??? Ali rings the doorbell and in his most American voice TRICK OR TREEEAT!! Door opens... his Dad... some Arabic was spoken... everything seems good. I said, Did you have many kids come to the door? Did you hand out candy? She say, No. Nobody come to the door. I said, Well... thats because you didnt have the light on. We started laughing. The Dad says, Hey did you go to the houses right behind us? Ohhh its all beautiful and big. I said, No... but we can go - stay here... Ill take Ali. Well, the daughter sees the candy and shes got this look like wth-that nobody told me there was a candy involved. Ive been tricked and everyone is in trouble with me. She realizes were going back out and wants to come with us REALLY bad. I was glad. Shes in a pink sweat out fit with a black cat-girl mask. The wind is blowing like crazy and were all holding hands... (picture this...) Im RUNNING down the sidewalk on Ford Road with 2 kids. These neighbors were the JackPot. Each child got 2 HUGE candy bars and as we turned to come home, I felt a snowflake on my face. HEY! HEYYYY!!! ITS SNOWWWWINGGGG! LOOK! I pointed to the streetlight. Omg, they had never ever seen snow and they had never ever celebrated Halloween. 2 firsts in one night! Both of them, simultaneously stretched their arms out to their sides, dropping their candy and spun in circles (like in the movies). I picked up their loot and we held hands and ran against the wind as fast as we could to get home. They yelled in Arabic to come out of the apartment door... SNOW! SNOW! It was truly a moment they had anticipated for a long time. The coat that Lee Prout so generously donated to the Mom and coats I gave them... they bundled up before stepping out on the porch - as if they were stepping into the Arctic. haha I pointed to the streetlight on Ford Road. They were all jammed in the doorway holding the glass door wide open, but afraid to step out. I wish I would have had my camera ready. For 1 second, I caught a glimpse of the entire family in that doorway... hats, coats, mittens... sticking their heads out, with their eyes shut and their tongues sticking out. God bless... I get such a kick out them. Cant wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas... I really cant.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 19:03:29 +0000
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