"I love Halloween. I always have."
"Ever since I was a kid and when Abigail and my parents were still alive, Halloween was by far my favorite holiday. I loved the whole costumes and Trick or Treat traditions. The horror movies and even as an adult, staying at home and passing out candy to the tots who would come to our door, begging for treats."
"After our parents passed on, Grams and Grandfather took up the tradition to take Abigail and myself out each Halloween once dusk started to set it. Some narrow minded individuals always thought she and I would be dressed as Native Americans, for obvious reasons. But no. We always enjoyed being creative with our costumes. I preferred monsters with the goriest makeup I could muster. Abigail always fancied fantasy females such as elves and faeries. Oh man, I just wish I could show you the picture of her in this really elaborate faerie costume from when she was eleven! Unfortunately though, beautiful as it was, she grew self conscious over the years and won't let anyone be shown."
"I can remember when as a teenager I was too old to go out Trick or Treating, I would stay at home with my grandparents and help them hand out candy. Not that I actually beat them to the door very often in order to do so. You see, handing out candy that one spooky night was a favorite for our Grandparents as well. The neighborhood kids always knew it would be worth coming to our house in particular because our Grandparents always had the best treats to give out. Not just candy, either, but popcorn balls and caramel apples. They had it all to give away -- what Abigail and I didn't help ourselves to when we were able, I should add."
"I even remember the one year Grandfather fell ill and could not take Abigail out, so while Grams handed out candy at home, I took it upon myself to escort my baby sister out for what turned out to be her last year to Trick or Treat. The following year she decided she was too mature for such silliness."
"Baloney, I say. Nobody is too old to enjoy this dark holiday with candy and movies, goblins and witches. It's just all a matter of having fun but doing it safely. That's why I went to the school board at the Sequoyah school and proposed what I thought would be an ideal way for the kids too old for trick or Treating to enjoy the holiday. It would also be 'safer' than seeing them running around in the dark, playing pranks or God forbid, stealing the smaller children's hard earned candy."
"Hey, it happens. Sad, but true."
All of this is why I'm in the kitchen of our home, working my butt off, trying to get everything ready. By now I probably smell like a sugar factory, given as many treats that my Grandmother, sister and I have dutifully prepared for this school party in which the three of us would be helping to chaperone.
I wanted everything to be perfect for the kids. Granted, they'd probably not even care how nicely these treats were being presented. They'd just grab and chow down -- which is probably what I would do if I were in their shoes. (Heck, I snuck a few myself when neither of the women folk were looking. Shh!)
"I still think you're over doing it a bit." Abigail said as she walked in and surveyed the sweet scene. All around us on every counter and all over the table were small plates and baskets filled with everything from caramel corn to candy apples, and my Grandmother's special sugar cookies decorated with colored icings to befit the holiday.
"How can you say that?" I shook my head as I looked about, apparently not seeing what she was. "Willy Wonka himself would be proud of what we accomplished in this kitchen."
"Yeah, my point exactly." Abigail smiled as she started to pick up some baskets in hand. "Are you sure enough kids will even be showing up?"
I nodded and followed her lead, picking up some plates with homemade rocky road fudge piled high one them. "I think so." I said as I followed her out into the hall. "It's not just the grade I teach that's coming. Everyone from the freshmen to the seniors were invited."
"I hope you're right." She said as we set down our load down on the tables in the hall, right by the front door. She turned around and dusted off her hands. "You sure spent enough on all of this."
"No more than you do when you cook for Christmas." Our Grandmother spoke up, stepping out into the hall from the front room where she had been prettying up some of the covered platters I had made up, filled with her homemade butter cookies. Just covering them up wasn't enough, apparently. They had to have orange and black ribbon and little ghost stickers as well.
Hey, whatever tickled her fancy. That's what I say.
"That's different." Abigail protested with a faux air of indifference. "That's Christmas."
"Yeah and that's just figuring for family." I smiled, reaching into a bowl and grabbing a handful of Abigail's caramel corn before she could so much as smack my hand for doing so. I popped a few pieces into my mouth and replied while munching, "This is going to be for a lot of kids so I want it to be fun for them."
"Mm hm." Abigail pursed her lips and pointed toward me with her finger. "And I'm sure the other teachers will be impressed with that caramel stuck between your teeth."
Hm, damn. I frowned and went toward the mirror that was hung on the hallway wall and picked at the spot with my pinky while I listened to my Grandmother speak;
"You can't tell me you don't want those boys and girls to enjoy these treats. You took a great deal of care making those candy apples."
She really did, actually. Anybody can shove a stick in an apple and dip it in hot caramel. But my sister took each one after she dipped them and added something special to it. M&Ms, crushed peanuts, mini marshmallows ... oh she did it all. If she thought it would go well on them, she went crazy.
"Oh, I know." I heard Abbey say, admitting defeat. "It was fun. I just want to make sure the night goes well for Bo, too."
Grandmother said, "It will. We'll be keeping him company and the other teachers and parents chaperoning will be bringing food too."
"Not as much as this candy glutton I call a brother is, I'll bet."
Damn, that took long enough. I gotta remind myself how dangerous caramel popcorn is on these teeth! Almost as bad as Milk Duds. Now those things are hell!
"You know..." I spoke up as I turned around the corner to approach them where they were chatting. "You two don't have to come with, if you'd rather stay at home. Trick or Treat isn't until next week anyway so there's still that if you'd rather..."
"Oh nonsense!" Grandmother said, waving off my concern with a flick of her hand. "Someone has to be there to make sure you don't eat all of this before it even gets to the school."
I had suspected they were only going with me to keep an eye on me or because they missed me from when I was on the road. This wouldn't be the first school function Abigail volunteered to help me with, with Grams coming with to help out any way she could. There was the spaghetti dinner to raise funds for the band, and a bake sale for the cheerleaders, as well.
It hadn't really occurred to me that perhaps they wanted to go simply to keep themselves busy. Grams always loved being around kids of any age, so I couldn't fault her for that. Abigail enjoyed helping me out at these functions simply because. I imagine it was also a way for my sister and myself to get our Grandmother out of the house more often, as well.
"Woman's got a point." Abigail said. "You've already eaten half the fudge I made for tonight."
I could not help but shrug at her, trying to look as innocent as possible (and failing miserably). "Hey, it's your fault. Not mine." I reasoned -- badly. "You should have made something other than rocky road."
"I did." She said with a comical sneer as she started to walk past me. "You ate that too."
"Oh yeah." I frowned, remembering. "I'm going to have to jog an extra mile just to work all that off."
"An extra five miles is more likely." Grams added, patting my stomach as she passed. Boy! Grandmothers really knew how to zing their grand kids -- and without fear of reprisal!
"Hey..." I called out in a sad protest, my hand on my stomach where she swatted it. "I am not..."
I glanced down and patted my own stomach. Oh. Maybe I am getting a little....
"Well it's your fault!" I called out toward the two women, following them into the kitchen. "All that good cooking you two are always coming up with..."
"And the Whoppers and Big Macs when you're on the road..." Grams said.
Abigail chimed in, "And the fact he can't seem to pass a Wendys without stopping for one of those Frostys."
"What is this!?" I called out, aghast. "Pick On Bo Day?"
Grams and Abigail shared a look and then said together, "Yes!"
Oh ... pth!" I stuck my tongue out at the two of them and blew a raspberry. "We still have a couple of hours before we have to get all this to the school. So there's time for you to go get ready."
"Ready?" Abigail frowned. "I'm ready."
I turned from the counter where I had started to load my arms up with plates of candy and looked her over. A tan sweater, a matching calf length skirt and her favorite boots. I kept my head down but looked up at her through my eyebrows and she stood firm, planting her hands squarely on her hips.
She asked, "And just what is wrong with what I have on?"
I could not help but feel the smile grow on my face. She didn't "get it" and that little bit of info just made me feel all the more smug.
"It's not very fitting for a Halloween party, is it?" I asked, smiling wide.
It dawned on her. I could tell the moment she understood what I expected as soon as I saw her frown. She started to shake her head.
"Oh, no. No way." She said, waving her hands, palm out. "I have not worn a costume in since I was a kid, Bo."
"It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, Abbey." Oops. Used her least favorite nickname -- again. (heh) "Just a little something to suit the occasion. I am." I shrugged and jetted a thumb at our Grandmother. "Grams is."
Abigail turned to her and her frown turned to a raised brow of surprise. She asked, "You are?"
"Why not?" Grams replied, taking a bite of a sugar cookie. "I'm a good sport."
"And young for her age." I winked, then turned to my sister with an overwhelming sense of superiority. "C'mon Abbey, er, Abigail. You don't want to be the only one standing out, do you?"
Abigail looked back and forth between Grams and her beloved brother (that's me), before she huffed and snatched a plate off of the counter and 'stormed' off into the hall. I laughed (albeit silently) and held my hand out to Grams and she slapped her palm down into it in an amusing 'low-five'.
Any worries my sister had about the student turnout was unfounded as the school's cafeteria was packed with teens from freshmen to seniors, each one in costume to take advantage of the evening's good will from their school teachers, directors and family volunteers. The lights were kept low for atmosphere and theme music from scary Halloween movies was playing through the school's sound system.
An entire table set up back against the wall was filled with treats from not just my household, but a number of others. We really wanted these kids to have a safe and fun celebration, and it appeared they were. I looked around from where I stood against the far wall with my own family, and saw so many kids in the most colorful and elaborate of costumes, many with plates piled high in their hands while they talked and mingled with their peers.
Grams was chatting with two teachers, and I noticed Abigail maneuvering her way from the table after having freshened it up and approaching me. I couldn't help but smile at how great she looked. If Mister Ward saw her dressed up in this medieval style gown and feathered ball mask, I think his heart would thump right out of his chest. Our Grandmother was just as sweet, in her black and red sweater, Mickey Mouse ears atop her scalp and a little black smudge on her nose, just because.
What was I wearing? Well given my long hair and the shape of my face, I happened to fall to the ideas of my students (the girls that is), and I ended up as a Native American version of a Lord of the Rings elf. I doubt I'd ever live it down if Mister Parker saw me dressed like this, but then Mister Ward told me about a party where my mentor was dressed up like Julius Caesar so I don't have much to worry about.
Abigail arrived at my side with a plate filled with cookies and a few pieces of fudge and handed it to me. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my little sister?
She said, "The kids look like they're having a great time."
I nodded, enjoying a bite of butter cookie before I responded, "I'm glad, and a bit relieved."
"relieved?"
"Hey, I was hoping this would all work out for the best but I have to admit, I was a little worried not very many would show."
Abigail smiled and leaned against the wall at my side.
"So you have to leave in the morning for Las Vegas?" She asked casually.
"Yeah." I said, keeping my eyes closely on the kids dancing on the open floor. "I'll get back sometime Monday evening if all goes well. Then I have to get ready for the big show." I looked over my shoulder at her and asked, "You and Grams are coming with me for that one, right?"
"Yes." She answered with a nod. "Though I haven't told her yet what kind of match you let yourself get hoodwinked into."
"I didn't get 'hoodwinked' Abigail. the man challenged me, and I accepted."
She turned to look at me and I hated seeing that kind of worry in her eyes. I knew already she was thinking about my injuries and what a match with no rules could do to them.
She said, "You could have turned it down."
I chuckled and shook my head, "No. No, I couldn't have. Not if I wanted to keep forging ahead there. He accepted mine, so what's fair is fair."
"Your challenge didn't involve the loophole where he could bash your head in with a trash can, Bo."
"Point well taken." I admitted. "But I guess it's just an aspect of the business. Or a guy thing. I have to do it. I accepted. The contracts are signed. It's a done deal."
"You're going to have to tell Grams sooner or later what you got yourself into." Abigail pointed out. "You know that, right?"
"I know." I said quietly. I turned to her and gave her my best smile. "Everything's going to be fine."
She gifted me with a shoulder nudge before the two of us turned back to watch the kids enjoying themselves. Everything would be fine.
It had to be.
"Well, I had been hoping for some time for another opportunity at an SCW Championship, but I have to admit that this isn't quite what I expected."
"I will be the first to admit this puts me in an awkward position. And I'm not saying that because the bosses have a nasty sense of humor that put me with Bruce Evans for a partner -- again. I'm saying it because I never really saw myself as a tag team wrestler. I've been wrestling for a number of years now and it was just something that never drew me in. I just could not see myself just standing there on the ring apron, watching someone else wrestle while I waited to get tagged into the match. And yet, here I am! Not in just an ordinary tag team match, but a match competing for the Sin City Wrestling Tag Team gold."
"This is going to be a daunting task, to say the very least. Again, I'm not referring to the fact that the man watching my back as my partner will most likely end up stabbing me in the same back he should be keeping an eye on."
"No, I'm referring to the simple fact that the team that we're trying to dethrone has never suffered a loss together as a team in the three years that they've been together. That is one monumental accomplishment and I don't know of any other tag team in wrestling history that can even touch that. I asked Mister Parker if he knew of any, and you know what he said? There's just never been a tag team like Despayre and Gabriel in the business before. I believe that."
"I did what I always do when faced with wrestlers I've never opposed before. I studied them. I looked up every match I could of them in both SCW as well as their old stomping grounds in the Asylum Wrestling Alliance, and my god I've never seen such teamwork! They really are bonded like brothers, let alone close friends. And the fact that they are as different as night and day both personally as well as professionally makes them all the more troubling to try to handle."
"Gabriel is as fine a competitor as you could ever hope to set foot in the ring against. I would certainly rather have him for a friend than an enemy. What else can you say about a man who was the very first Heavyweight Champion of the SCW? His loss was controversial in itself, but the man is just talented! He is a skilled technician but takes to the air to throw off the opposition. That is where I am going to have to focus on countering. Gabriel has earned his place in the business. The man has my respect for his work ethic and the fact he can blend his ring style with showmanship like I've never seen before. If he's watching this right now, I want to wish him the best of luck. I'm hoping to work a bit of magic myself and do what nobody else has been able to do; dethrone the Sins."
"His partner, Despayre, I just do not know what to think about that kid! I have heard stories about his past a bit, random locker room gossip I guess you might call it, and it's disheartening to think what he's been through. Yet it's quite heartening to see what he's managed to fight past and accomplish with his own shortcomings. The thing is, whatever you might think would hold him back, almost seems to empower him. I have watched every match I could find of this young man, and I repeat; I do not know what to do about him! He is small in stature, but where you might think that would be a hindrance, he uses it to his advantage. I have watched so many of his opponents struggle just to get a hand hold on him. He's like greased lightning to get a hold of, and just about as dangerous once you manage to. Despayre is a gifted aerial wrestler, and that can be countered, but the times when he just seems to, I guess 'snap' is the word for it, I don't know of any counter for competing against an animal. And by animal I mean absolutely no offense. That is just the first word that comes to mind when I see him just go on the attack. He appears hard enough to get a two count on, let alone a three count!"
"The ironic thing? Mister Parker told me about a time a few years back when they first started wrestling when Synn brought them to the Parker ranch for a training session. He put them through the ringer a bit, though not nearly as rough as he still does to me to this day. He told me basically the same thing that I tell you; Gabriel and Despayre are as different as night and day -- and that's exactly what makes them so dangerous together. Their styles blend perfectly, but what's more important? They actually care about what happens to the other. They may not be blood, but they are brothers."
"I can not say the same about my own partner, but if he can keep from kicking me when I'm down (again!), then I won't German suplex him on his head, either. I'm going out there with every intent to walk away with the tag team belts with new owners. Gabriel and Despayre -- good luck my friends. Blaque Hart Bruce Evans -- don't even think about doing what I know you're thinking about doing!"
