Trick or Treat?

It got me to remember the old days.

I seen two boys going to a car in their Halloween outfits when one yells “Shotgun!” as he opens the front passenger door. The funny part was the other boy was on his way to sliding his way across the hood, much to the chagrin of the mother in the driver’s seat.

The first boy said “I called it and screwed up your slide, perfect.”

The second boy grumbled, shook his head and climbed in the back seat of the car and they left.

I remember when I was 9 or 10 my mom dressing me in a clown outfit and made a hat that resembled a dunce cap with a pointed top. It was covered in a fabric of some sorts that was stapled to the hat. The inside of the staples itched where they contacted with my head so I kept turning it to get them in a different spot but it didn't work, there were staples everywhere. The hat was a quickie job and it showed but looking on it now, it didn't matter. All of us went on the hunt for treats, me, my younger brothers and cousins.

I remember when I was 13, I was a gunslinger from a western movie. One of the guys in our group was running from one of the others laughing but it was now dark and he didn't see the cable stretched across the property we were crossing and it caught him in the midsection bouncing him back to us throwing him on the ground. He wasn't hurt, just surprised. We ducked under the cable and continued our hunt for treats.

My trick or treating memories seem to end there. Not long after, my parents got divorced and went their own ways. We ended up staying with my mom and moved to a new place.

I didn't get dressed up for the holiday after that. Why, I don't know. Maybe it was a sign that this part of my life was done and it was on to the next phase of my life.

My brothers and I split time between my parent’s homes. Nothing really changed other than the address for a few years.

My dad never had the light on for the trick or treaters, not having funds to spare on bags of candy and living downtown wasn't on the list for treats and dad being tired from work all day drove the point home. I was living with him full time by now.

That teaching brings me to now. I live in the country with no close neighbors so I don't and haven't bothered with the holiday in decades although when I'm out I do see some nice costumes, some needing thought and were imaginative and others were store bought and had a plastic mask with them. But the kids were having a good time doing it, so that's all that matters.

That's when I started paying attention to things and then seen the Halloween costumed boys fighting for the front seat. Nothing about the costumes was special or unique, just their actions jogged my memory. This made me smile and grin, remembering the old days.

Where did all those years ago? My parents have long since died and I have become a bitter old man. Maybe not quite bitter but I am starting to see things I would've ignored before. Like Halloween and the kids having a good time and the parents ushering them door to door. Almost makes me want to move closer to town where I can experience the day to day life of people. Almost. I have grown to like my solitude but it's little things like watching people do whatever their doing make me think about moving.

Growing old is inevitable, but growing up is optional. This used to be my saying.

I grew old and up.

Scary, isn't it?