Trackside

Trick-or-Treating with Cal

Baby Cal wants to experience childhood in all it's glory, especially during certain holidays. Strip supports this, but would rather support it from a distance. He doesn't always get what he wants.

___

"Why would you let him do that?"

"Don't worry, I made sure it was washable this time. I made double sure."

Cal was wandering slowly around the house, making spooky ghost noises every time he came through a doorway. He was covered from roof to rocker panel in self-applied white paint.

"Hey, at least he didn't come after you with it." Lynda tried not to laugh. "Again."

"I woulda much rather had the white." Strip muttered under his breath, watching Cal disappear behind a window curtain and make even louder 'ooOOOoo' noises.

"It's keeping him entertained, aint't it?" she asked.

"I guess." Strip was still hesitant about having any sort of paint in the house when Cal was around. He didn't understand why the kid had such a fascination with plastering things with new, sloppy color. "What's the plan for tonight?"

"Do you want to take him around town, trick-or-treating?"

"Of course not."

"Oh, come on, why not?"

"You know darn well why."

Lynda gave him a stern look. He didn't like to be out in public if he didn't have to outside racing and publicity events. He couldn't go anywhere anymore without being approached by fans, even in their hometown where everyone had known him since before he was famous.

Still, Lynda didn't think that was an excuse to forfeit 'family time'. It seemed more like an excuse for him to weasel his way out of something he didn't feel like doing.

"What if he wants you to? You know he'd love to drive around with you." she argued.

"Or." Strip wasn't having it. "You could take him. He's not gonna care who he's with. He's six years old. All he wants is candy."

"Hey Cal!" Lynda called to their resident ghost, keeping her eyes locked with her husband. "Was there anything you wanted to do tonight?"

Cal jetted out from behind the curtains, nearly taking the curtain rod with him. "We're gonna go tricker-treatin'!"

"Yeah?" Lynda never let her gaze drop. "And who do you want to take you?"

"Lynda, I swear - "

"Uncle Strip!" Cal gleefully exclaimed, looking up at him. "You'll take me, right?"

'Uh, I - "

"Yes he will." Lynda answered for him.

Cal cheered and resumed his energetic haunting of their house, disappearing into the kitchen.

"Why do you do this to me." Strip asked more as a statement than a question.

"Because I know what's good for you." she answered with a smile. "It won't be that bad, and you don't have to spend all night out there. You'll be fine."

"Kid better at least share." he murmured.

Lynda drove off to the other end of the house, leaving Strip sitting in the living room alone, dreading the coming evening. He could see it now - getting mobbed by fans wanting autographs while accompanying Cal in his sloppily painted ghost costume. He wished there was a way to disguise himself, but his make and model just didn't allow for it.

Cal cruised out of the kitchen, towards him, and that's when he had an idea. Would it solve his problem? No, but it would make him feel better.

"Hey, kiddo, come here." Strip said to his nephew.

"Hmm?" Cal looked up at him.

"I've got a game for you." he proposed. "You like games, right?"

"Yeah!" Cal nodded, his horribly uneven paint showing each brush stroke in the light.

"Alright, so you wanna be a ghost for Halloween? You know what ghosts do best?"

"Scare!"

"Bingo. Now let's practice being a scary ghost for tonight, okay? Here's what I want you to do..."

Silence is often more suspicious than sound with a small child in the house. With everything in place, Strip settled into his favorite spot in the living room and switched the television on, letting it fill the quiet space. A good half hour had gone by when Lynda returned from her hobby room.

"Where's Cal?" she asked, noticing him missing.

"I dunno. Thought he was with you." Strip shrugged.

Lynda made a noise of worry. She didn't like not knowing where Cal was at all times. He was too prone to running off and getting into trouble to be left unsupervised for long periods of time.

Strip turned the TV off and acted like he was looking for Cal. "I'll check upstairs. Maybe he tuckered himself out and went to take a nap."

"Unlikely, but okay." Lynda headed back toward the kitchen as Strip drove up the ramp to the second floor of their house.

It all unfolded perfectly. When he got to the top of the ramp, Strip stopped and listened intently. Lynda was quietly calling to Cal when a loud clang rang through the house. Strip couldn't help but laugh as Cal's abrupt emergence from the cupboard was followed by the kid yelling and his wife screaming.

Cal was all in giggles, racing away from Lynda to safety. He rocketed up to ramp to the second floor and met his uncle halfway, and together they fell into fits of laughter.

"Strip!" Lynda screamed up the ramp at him. "I know this was you!"

He slowly drove back down the ramp and greeted her with a smug smile. Cal hid partially behind him, snickering. She frowned at them both, unamused.

"What?" Strip asked, trying not to burst out in laughter again. "You found him, didn't you?"

Lynda rolled her eyes and turned to go back into the kitchen. Strip followed her and drove up beside her as she closed the door to the cabinet Cal had been hiding in. He leaned in toward her and gave her an affectionate push.

"Oh, don't you be playin' that game with me, now." she pulled away, glaring at him. "You've given up any sort of cuddle privileges until after this evenin'."

"Aw." he made it a point to sound more disappointed than he was. "Come on."

"Nope." she was persistent, turning around and moving back toward the living room.

He followed her, insistent on making her see the light of the situation. She parked in her usual spot and didn't resist as he parked next to her. Cal was playing a made up game on the floor in front of them, muttering some sort of made up language that made no sense whatsoever. Watching him play was always calming for Lynda, and Strip knew this. He waited a few moments for her to chill out a bit more before speaking again.

"You know, when I'm out there with him tonight, hating the fact that you made me go out, I'll remember you gettin' scared and it'll make me feel better." he said, leaning towards her again.

She sighed, defeated, leaning back against him. "I hate you. I love you, but I hate you."