A Halloween to
Remember
This story may or may not be true…is it a trick? A treat? Both? Neither?
You decide…or maybe you’ll never know because you’ve entered the ‘fiction zone……”
I received her reminder exactly a week before
Halloween: Am I still taking the kids
trick or treating Halloween night?
I had nearly forgotten I had promised her. I didn’t
particularly care for Halloween and was happy to have someone else endure the
evening of begging door to door for candy, so I responded: Sure, if you’re
willing to take them, they’re all yours. Just don’t let them eat the candy.
Having been our family babysitter for years, she expected
that sort of reply and meant the following literally: LOL
I knew she would let them eat some of the candy, and she
knew that I would be fine with a little candy as long as it was done in
moderation and some of the Tootsie Rolls would be saved for me.
We made arrangements to meet at the local college so she
could pick up another friend as well as the children and head out for an
evening of fun and adventure. I packed up the children (in their costumes) and
reminded them to say please and thank you, wear their hats and gloves, be
polite, use their hands for helping and their mouths for saying nice things.
They promised to behave, and we agreed to meet up in a little over two hours at
Starbucks. I had packed a book in my bag and was looking forward to a quiet
evening at Starbucks.
I sent out an open invitation to friends and family to stop
and visit with me while I relaxed at Starbucks. Debi took me up on the offer
and we chatted the night away. It was ½ hour before the children would be back
and my phone began to vibrate. I excused myself from the conversation
explaining that it was the friend who had the children so I’d better take the
call.
“Hello. How are you guys doing?”
“We are done, but you better come get the kids. My keys are
locked in my trunk and we are at the park at the corner of Lincoln and 86th
Street.”
“Oh gosh, did you call the police?”
“No. My parents would be really upset if I did that. A
friend is on the way to try and help.”
“OK – I’ll leave here right away.”
I got to the park to find Lydia (the young lady who babysits
and had taken the children), my two toddlers, and a woman dressed like a nun.
They were all standing around Lydia’s car and the children were discussing
their treasures and treats. The adults were not wearing costumes, it turned out
that the woman in the nun outfit was indeed a nun. She and the children joined
me in my warm sport utility vehicle while Lydia waited for her friend, Eric to
arrive to try and release the door lock.
Eric arrived and worked tirelessly on the lock for nearly an
hour. I didn’t want to leave Lydia and the children’s car seats were in her
back seat, so I had a good reason to hang around and wait for a solution to the
dilemma. Sister and I also tried to help in various ways by holding the
flashlight, using the hanger to try and catch the lock, etc…and after another
hour had gone by, I asked again if I could call the police for help. Lydia
agreed.
I provided the police with all of my information as if I had
locked my keys in the vehicle. They asked if the vehicle belonged to me. At
first I said yes, but then I quickly explained it wasn’t exactly my vehicle.
Lydia was relieved when they didn’t ask for her information and said under the
circumstances, they would only need my name, address, phone number, and date of
birth. She was hoping her parents would not find out about the incident.
It took the officer a few minutes to release the latch and
we were all on our way. The children thanked him and he was clearly the hero of
the evening. I promised Sister I would never forget her because there weren’t
too many nuns who I had broken into cars with. I commended Lydia on keeping her
cool and her ability to laugh in even the most uncomfortable situations, and we
thanked Eric for his tireless efforts – he seemed like a great friend for
Lydia.
There’s that saying about life – something to the extent of:
“life is not about the destination, it’s about the ride” and I can certainly
say that tonight was a ride worth remembering. Things don’t have to go as
planned to be fabulous, fun, and memorable. I don’t think I’ve ever had a more
exciting Halloween (and I can tell you that even a nun may say damn every now
and again…but shhhhh….that’s just between you and me).
May your paths be abundantly filled with lemons, sugar, sunshine, and
memorable moments with friends! ~Crystal
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