I Try

Chapter 22 - Halloween Special

3 Years Before

October 31, 2010

It was Halloween night in New York City, which only meant one thing. A special array of skeletons, ghosts and goblins ran through the streets, sending puddles of water skidding across the shoes of businessmen returning from work. They shook their head at the miscreants, cackling with buckets over their heads, promising each other that by the end of the night they themselves would have the larger amount of candy. 

A man waiting at a crosswalk observed a young woman cowering in the rain, struggling to hold three shopping bags and keep hold on the two year old at her side, pointing at each new creature he saw streak past with renewed interest every time. The bags tumbled to the wet pavement, a pumpkin costume encased in plastic falling into a puddle of murky rainwater. He stooped to help her. 

“Here you are,” he said, handing her the damp item and attempting to assist her get a better handle on her groceries. 

“No, no, I’m alright,” she insisted, dragging her hand to tuck her soaking blonde hair behind her ear, narrowly snatching hold of the little boy’s arm before he chased after a girl dressed a cat. “He’s just-” she broke off, huffing as she hoisted him to her hip, “difficult, aren’t you, Matt?”

In reply, the boy poked a chubby hand at the man, who smiled politely and walked away, seeing that his light had turned green. The sleet pounded harder into the streets, forcing the woman to walk faster than before, bogged down by her young charge and the endless bags looped around her arm. The apartment was still three blocks to go, and the rain didn’t seem to care that she only had an hour to get Matt in his costume, take pictures, and go trick-or-treating with him. She had thought that her days of candy-begging were long over, but little did she know that her life would be wrought with Sesame Street, preschool and Halloween traditions again all before she’d even entered her sophomore year in college. 

At long last, she had made it into the warm and dry lobby of the apartment building. She shook out her wet hair inside, smiling appreciatively when the doorman graciously took her bags from her aching arms. 

“He’s excited for tonight, yes?” The elderly man asked, peering down at the toddler who was sucking his fist as if he’d only just figured out he had one. Lauren rolled her eyes, prying it out of his mouth and giving him his afternoon snack to eat instead. 

“I doubt that he even realizes what’s going on, his mother fails to comprehend that he’s two, not twelve,” she said exasperatedly. “She insisted on letting him pick out his own costume, which he did, but it was a zombie policeman, and there’s no way I’d keep my job if I let him wear that. So the less Angie knows the better,” she winked at the doorman, who nodded eagerly and pressed a finger to his lips to show his allegiance. 

“Indeed,” he said, raising his eyebrow at the other bags. “But what’s it in the others?”

Lauren sighed, bending to show him. “Candy, candy, and more candy. We’ll look like an ad for a dentist’s cautionary tale, but she explained that they always, always hand out tons of candy and apparently they’re the highlight of the building. So I’m leaving it with George while I take this little rascal out.”