I had been looking forward to Halloween for months. It’s my favorite holiday next to Christmas. I have been bugging my mother for months to make me a costume but it looks like I‘ll be wearing the same costume again. My sister and I were in a wedding a few years ago we were ring bearers. And since we’re twins, we had to wear the same kind of dress. Even though we don’t look alike at all. I have long, dark blond hair and my sister has dark brown curly hair and is taller than I am.

Anyway, this is the last year, I’ll be wearing the dress since when I tried it on the other day my mother had trouble zipping it up. It was so tight and short. It is above my knees. My mom bought a crown at the Ben Franklin 5 &10 store. She said,

” Susan this year you can be a princess.”

“Ok, Mom,” I said, but I must have made a face at her. She said,” Susan don’t give me that face.”

I guess I make a lot of faces since someone says that to me just about every day of my life. Sometimes people get on my last nerve. Even my mother who is the nicest person I know.

Anyway, I absolutely love Halloween even more than Christmas.” Why you ask because candy that’s why. I love candy more than anything in the world except animals, especially cats. My favorite place in the world is Schuck’s. It is a store around the corner from me. It’s on Main Street next to Harry Fuelle’s grocery store. Anyway, as I was saying Schuck’s is this store that is a luncheonette, they make the best hoagies in the world. And they have a soda fountain and a room where all the teenagers go to listen to the Jude Box and dance. When I get old enough, I’m going to go in there. That is if I ever learn to dance. My sister says I won’t because I have two left feet and I’m a klutz. I have to admit I’m pretty clumsy. “

When Halloween finally arrived, I was so excited I couldn’t eat dinner. My mother said, “Susan, eat something please. You eat like a bird.” One of my sisters, who shall remain nameless said, “yeah, a vulture.”

Then, I said, “shut up.” And my mother got mad since we are not allowed to say “shut up” for some reason. I said, “sorry mom.” But then I stuck my tongue out at the unnamed sister. She said, “Mom, Susie, stuck her tongue out at me.” Which made me stick my tongue out again. Because nobody likes a rat.” My sister said, “She did it again.” My mother said,” that’s enough or neither of you will be going out for Halloween.” And that was the end of our argument.

On Halloween night I squeezed into the now very tight and uncomfortable blue taffeta dress. It is the itchiest material you can imagine. And because it was so tight on me, I could hardly lift my arms. And if I did lift my arms my underwear would show because it is so short. I couldn’t zip it so I had to ask my mother to zip it. She said,” Susie, take a deep breath, I can’t zip it up.” I held my breath and she said, you are going to have to wear a sweater or jack because I can only get it halfway up.”

And that’s when I made a face. “What did I tell you about making faces, Susie?’ I made another face. “I can hardly breathe Mom.” She said, “You’ll be fine.”

That’s what she always said, “You’ll be fine.” If I was standing there breathing my last breath she would say,” you’ll be fine.” If I fell off my bike and broke my leg, she would say, “you’ll be fine.”  One time I had some kind of horrible flu and was throwing up, had a fever and a headache. She rubbed some Vick’s on my chest and said, “stop moaning you’ll be fine.”

My mother never complains about anything. All my friends, mothers always told me, “your mother is a saint. She is going to go straight to heaven.” And then I would cry because I couldn’t bear the idea of my mother dying. Then they would tell me I was such a crybaby. Everyone is always telling me I’m a crybaby. I guess I am because my feelings get hurt easily. Like when my father says, “I don’t know what your biggest problem is that your stupid or your lazy.” I always cried when he said that. And then one of my older sisters would say, “she’s such a crybaby.”

So, after I finally managed to squeeze into the blue dress I ran down to my best friend, Joanie’s house carrying my empty pillowcase. Believe it or not, I would be able to fill the pillowcase not once but twice before the end of the night. I ran up her steps and banged on her front door. Her father answered the door. “Oh, I should have known it would be you. You practically live here.”

“Hi, Mr. Gioiella, is Joanie here?”

“Of course, she’s here, hold onto your britches.” And then he slams the door in my face. Joanie and I always argue about whose father is the biggest grouch. They are so much alike. Joanie is always late, she is slow. She finally shows up at the door and she has an amazing costume on. She is Super Girl and she has make-up on. “Are you wearing make-up?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Nothing you look great.”

What are you supposed to be? Isn’t that the same dress you wore last year?”

“Yeah, I’m supposed to be a princess.”

She takes one look at me and says,” better luck next year. Let’s go.”

And off we go. We walk down to the corner and hit all the stores on Main Street. My favorite is the Maple Shade Bakery. They make the best bread and donuts and pastries.

Then we go to the Ben Franklin Store and I pick a cap gun out of the basket. Joan picks a barrette. We see two of our friends there and go over and say hello. And head out to the houses along Main Street down to Fork Landing Road. It is starting to get dark out and all the kids are walking up and down the streets with flashlights. Joan and I are yelling hello to everyone we see at the top of our lungs. We have already eaten so much candy we both feel sick. I actually think I might puke. But that doesn’t stop me from eating more candy. We walk all over town including our own street we decide to stop and empty our pillowcases because they are getting too heavy. Joanie’s mother tries to tell her she has enough and it is getting late. But Joanie starts crying and her mother says, “alright but you better come home by 9:30. And don’t eat anymore.”

We both promised we won’t eat anymore, and at that moment I really don’t think I can eat anymore. There are still a lot of kids running up and down the streets. Most of the little kids have gone home with their parents. Joan and I decide to go across Main Street behind the public elementary school. People are starting to turn their porch lights out. So, we only go to the houses with the light still on since most people have run out of candy by now.

At the last house, we went to I was given a coconut almond bar which is my all-time favorite. “Look what I got, Joan. I think I have enough. Are you ready to go home?”

“Yeah, I’m ready. Tomorrow we can start thinking of what your costume will be for next year since I don’t think you will fit into that dress again.” And then she laughs. Probably not after I eat all the candy I got.”

And we laughed all the way home. You know the kind of laugh kids do when they ate too much junk and are exhausted. The kind where it’s hard to stop laughing long after you remember why you are laughing.

To read more, enter your email address to Subscribe to my Blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.