Happy October 🎃

Day 19: Rolando

"I don't know what your deal is, man," Rolando scoffed, raising a fist in defense. He was wearing brass knuckles. "She's just a little kid. So what if she's wearing a home-made costume?"

"It's the worst home-made costume I have ever seen! You guys poor or what?"

"That's my sister you're insulting!" Rolando raised his other fist. "If you wanna pick a fight, pick it with me. I don't care."

The guy shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Like you can do anything to me."

"I can, that's a promise," Rolando growled. "You're a grown man picking on a little girl on Halloween. That's some crap."

"I'm picking on you, her brother, who gave her such a crap costume."

"Rolando..." The little girl whined. "Don't be mean..."

"I'm not being mean, sissy, I'm protecting you. This man is being mean," he reassured her, scooching her back a bit. "So, you wanna go, or what?" He raises his hands again.

"You won't do anything," the guy raises his hands.

"Sissy, don't look. Count your candy and tell me what you've got when I tell you to turn around. Okay?"

The little girl nods and turns around, crouching on the pavement to count her candy. She counts in her head (as he taught her how to do, before she'd count aloud), and sorts it by type.

Rolando waits for the man to land the first swing, instantly blocking it and jerking his fist upside the man's jaw. The man stumbles. "Oh, you've done it now."

"This is stupid," Rolando muttered. "Fighting because of my sister's costume," he swings again.

The fight didn't last very long, it was quickly broken up because the guy "surrendered" and started running away. Rolando took a deep breath and looked at his little sister. He crouched besides her and watched as she finished counting. "What's the verdict, m'lady?" He said in a noble voice, as she was dressed up like a Princess this Halloween.

"Um, I have... Fifty-three pieces. But it's mostly chocolate and Nerds."

"Fifty-three? That's not a lot. Let's keep going, the night hasn't ended yet."

"Rolando? Who was that man?"

"He said my costume sucked," Rolando lied. "And he was being very, very rude about it. I had to teach him a lesson."

"Will he be okay?"

"Of course he will, you know big brother wouldn't do anything super bad to anyone," he smiles.

"Next year, you should be the Big Bad Wolf! And I'll be Red Riding Hood!"

"But... hey, I'm not bad!"

"Oh. Well. You can be the Big Good Wolf!"

Rolando laughs as they walk down the street. "Hahaha, okay. Whatever you want, little sissy."