Maybe our neighborhood association did a marketing campaign or maybe it was just past performance, but we did a bang up job giving away treats this past Halloween. I was fortunate enough to be home for the occassion and offered my years of experience of giving stuff away. But at one point it appeared we would need reinforcements as our long sidewalk to the driveway was packed with cloaked beggars from every age group.
That’s right, even adults were in on the game, and don’t even tell me that every one of them had a sick child at home!
My wife was particularly impressed with this one guy who spared no detail on his costume. Amid the Power Rangers (yeah, I know, retro) and Caribbean pirates there was this one fellow who went against the grain with his getup. Most of the grown folk were vampires or Jokers, but this dude was dressed as a UPS guy, and he was good! Not only was his outfit perfect, but he even had a clipboard and a box, which one could surmise would open up to accept the proffered offerings.
As she valiantly tried to satisfy the orders from the munchkins Pamela made her way to his direction with her quickly-emptying bowl. She commented on the verisimilitude of his attire and commended his creativity. But she was getting impatient with his lack of follow-through on the contract: I give you candy – you take candy. He just wouldn’t close the deal.
At this point I was passing through the foyer while tidying up from the pre-party. I glanced over at the crowd, and over the din I heard the guy in brown repeat over and over, “Is this 2202?” trying to snare some attention.
To be fair to the wife, she was completely focused on the task at hand as she strove to distribute the goodies as well as any bead-throwing Mardi Gras float rider. She was so engrossed in this activity that she later told me how in the back of her mind she was so impressed with the Brown guy in that he even made up his vehicle to look like a UPS delivery truck.
“What’s the last name?” I asked the reluctant trick-or-treater.
“Taylor!” he shouted, relieved at last to be taken seriously, and I pointed across the cul-de-sac.
At that moment a flash of enlightenment flooded Dearly Beloved’s consciousness and realized that this poor guy was actually trying to perform a real job and not con us out of sweets as his cohorts were attempting to do, and quite successfully, I might add.
A rush of apologies and laughter followed, but before Brown continued on his mission the wife pressed him once again, “You sure you don’t want some sweets for the road?”
Just the slightest hesitation in his turn belied his weakness. His laughter and acceptance of the goodies put the topper to the story, and he walked across the way to the Taylors.
When the door was finally closed Pamela observed that the UPS guy must really have it rough this evening
Yeah, he’s usually involved in a reverse trick-or-treat deal: he goes door-to-door bringing goodies and such. Glad we could send him on his way with a treat and a story he could share.
Categories: What was I thinking?
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