Wedding Anniversary 23

It was 23 years ago that I married my sweetheart on Halloween, our favorite holiday.

We met while working at a little electronics company. I was the receptionist and he was a consultant in the drafting department. It was love at first sight for me; love at second sight for him (he says).

He broke the ice by helping me move into my first apartment with my girlfriend. Two months later I was practically living at his apartment. Within six months we had officially moved in together. I felt bad for my roommate, so I continued to pay my share of the rent until she found someone else.

Six months later we bought a house together, a month after that he proposed and 12 months later we were married. We've been in the same house all this time.

I guess when it's right you just know it.
--

How did you know you had met "the one"?

Trick or Treat Haiku

In the spirit of this special day, enjoy this little Halloween haiku.

children walk with friends
through neighborhoods for candy
costumes are required

The Clown, part 6

"It's okay! It's okay. Shhh, calm down." Brad's voice soothed me as my breathing normalized. "You were just dreaming."

"We need to get away from here." I was hysterical. "There's something wrong with this place. I've never had nightmares like that before. I've never seen clowns as evil, but I keep dreaming about that one in the lobby, even before we got here!"

"Okay, hon. We don't have to stay here. I just want you to be happy. I thought this place would be fun."

"I thought it would be, too. I loved it when we first got here. The energy is just bad."

The sun was coming up, warming the chills in my body. I was so eager to leave, I didn't bother to change my clothes. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my suitcase. "Race you downstairs!"

"Hey! No fair." Brad got up more slowly. He was never much of a morning person.

"I'll drive." I went downstairs and put my suitcase in the trunk before heading to the lobby. The desk clerk was the same cheerful guy from last night.

"Hiya! Did you sleep well? You got the quiet room, ya know?"

"I noticed. Unfortunately we need to leave sooner than expected." I handed over my room key just as Brad walked up behind me. He turned in his key as well.

"Interesting place you have," Brad said kindly.

"Why, thank you. We think so."

"We?" I asked, glancing over at the clown collection. The giant clown doll was missing. My body started trembling again.

"What is it?" Brad gently ran his hands along my arms, trying to soothe me.

"I'll be outside." I left without another word, unable to stay in there any longer. Brad joined me a minute later. I turned to him and hugged him tight. "I'm so sorry, Brad. I didn't mean to ruin your special weekend."

"What are you talking about? It's not ruined. I only planned for us to stay here one night anyway. We're headed to Las Vegas, baby!"

I looked up at him in surprise. "Vegas!"

"Let's do it. Let's get married. I hear they have a circus wedding chapel over there." He smiled, his eyebrows wiggling up and down."

I laughed. "Yes! I would love to marry you in a circus chapel, you goofball."

"I was hoping you'd say that because our families are waiting for us."

"WHAT?"

"Surprise?" 

I laughed and gave him a shove. "Some surprise!"

He chuckled. "Sorry, you know I can't keep a secret. Just act surprised when we walk in, okay?"

"Sure." Tears suddenly filled my eyes. I loved this man so much. Not only did he understand me unlike anyone else, but he put up with all my weirdness. No, he embraced it. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Let's get going."

We jumped in the car and headed for Sin City, where we would become a traditionally (or untraditionally) married couple.

--

Back in the lobby, the desk clerk's smile became a frown as he watched the car speed away. "Dammit, Larry! What happened?"

A skinny man walked out from the back room wearing the blue and yellow striped clown suit. He held a large butcher knife. "I dunno, man! I was about to go in when this black and white clown just appeared in front of the door. Like, out of thin air! He glared at me and shook his head, so I got the hell outta there fast!"

--

The End.

The Clown, part 5

I awoke to a cool cloth on my face. It felt nice. I slowly opened my eyes to find Brad looking down at me with panic in his eyes.

"Thank God," he whispered.

"What happened," I asked, unable to remember anything prior to our arrival.

"You fainted, gave me a heart attack."

"Oh, is that all? Maybe I'm just hungry or something?"

He nodded slowly, then smiled shyly. "Is it possible you could be pregnant?"

I stared at him in shock. Would he be happy about it if I was? We had never discussed children before. "Um, I don't think I am...but what if I was? What would you do? Out of curiosity, that is."

Brad sat back as I tried to move into a sitting position against the headboard. How did I get in bed? I suddenly remembered I had been standing. Did he carry me? Whoa. He was stronger than he appeared. That made me feel good. Such a big strong, sweet lovable guy would make a great daddy. Wait, why was I suddenly thinking about kids?

"Huh, ya know I never really thought about it before. I mean the idea was floating out there like some far off maybe someday fantasy, but I hadn't really considered it seriously. Me, a father? Of course, you would be an awesome mother, no question. But if you were pregnant I think I'd be really happy."

I smiled, feeling such a glow of love in my heart for this man. "Good to know. I think you would be an exceptional father. I should know, right? I had the best."

"Yeah, he was a great man. I still miss him."

"Me, too." My dad had been so funny and kind and had brought joy to so many people as a clown until the circus closed down... "Oh, god." I just remembered what I had seen outside the window.

"What is it?"

"You're gonna think I've totally lost it, but I thought I saw a clown walking out in the cemetery."

"Really? That's creepy! Do you think the hotel does that just to freak out the guests? It is close to Halloween."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that. Maybe you're right!" I laughed. That had to be it. Right?

"Let's get some sleep, so we can go exploring in the morning."

"Yeah, good idea." We didn't bother to undress. I could barely move, so Brad just put his arms around me and we slept.

I dreamed of my father. He was dressed in his old black and white clown costume, patiently teaching me how to juggle. We started out with bean bags, then moved to balls, then pins. When he handed me a knife I was shocked. I looked up at him to ask him why, but it wasn't him. It was the evil looking clown from the lobby! And he was handing me another knife, but this one was covered in blood.

I woke up screaming!

The Clown, part 4

I whirled to face my boyfriend, the guy that was supposed to love me and make me feel safe. I gave him a big shove and he stumbled away.

"What was that for?"

"You booked us in a hotel next door to a cemetery?!? What the hell, Brad!"

"Why is that so bad? They're dead. They're quiet. You wanted someplace restful--"

"Not the best choice of words right now, Brad!"

"Aww, hon, don't tell me you're scared." He pouted and strutted towards me.

"Stop it," I said weakly, trying not to giggle at his puppy dog eyes.

"My girl is braver than that." He put his arms around me again. "You are fearless. And there really is nothing to fear."

"What about ghosts?"

"What about 'em?"

"I don't want them to come over here."

"Why would they do that? We're not very interesting. Oh, maybe they could be voyeurs. We might put on a show for them."

"Oh, hell, no! I am not having sex next to a cemetery."

"Wha--?" He gasped as I poked his chest.

"You've only got yourself to blame, pal. Did you honestly think this would be romantic? I am seriously creeped out! FYI, we are leaving in the morning." I moved away from him and was once again drawn to the window. Another light shined over the area and caught the flash of yellow and blue stripes. The clown was walking among the graves! 

Suddenly I couldn't remember how to breathe, the room began to spin and everything went dark.

The Clown, part 3

I walked on rubbery legs across the room and stared at the clown, unable to believe what I was seeing. I could've laughed it off and just said it was similar, but it wasn't. It was THE clown, right down to it's striped hat and demonic eyes.

The desk clerk laughed. "Freaky, ain't it?"

"You could say that," I replied. "Where did you get it?"

"Dunno. It just sort of appeared one day."

"What? How could it just appear out of thin air?" I was getting hysterical and Brad put a calming hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, folks are always dropping off weird clown stuff, knowing how we collect it. Somebody just left it here one day."

I nodded at him then looked back at the clown. It looked like its face had changed. It was smiling before, but now it looked mean. I clutched Brad's hand.

"What is it, hon?"

"Remember that freaky dream I had in the car?"

"Yeah?"

I pointed at the doll. "That was what I saw."

"Whoa. You're psychic! Cool."

It didn't feel very cool. All I knew was I wanted to get away from that thing. Clowns were supposed to be joyful and fun. This thing reminded me of Chuckie from Child's Play.

We thanked the desk clerk and headed upstairs to our room.

"This is supposed to be the quietest room in the place."

"Great! I could use that. I just endured the week from hell."

"Your boss still on your case?"

"Yeah, she won't let me do anything without looking over my shoulder. Geez! I'm seriously considering quitting."

"You should." He put his arms around me and held me tight. "Let this be our celebration trip of you soon finding your right work." 

"Thanks." I gave him a squeeze then went to open the window to let in the cool night air. It sure got dark fast. I don't remember the sun being very low in the sky. Maybe we were in the office longer than I thought. 

It smelled a little mildewy. That was weird. Usually outside air smelled fresher than that. Maybe it was the old wood. It was pitch black, I couldn't see much of anything. That's good. At least there wouldn't be any cars racing by. Suddenly a light shined over the landscape, probably from someone entering the parking lot out front. I squinted, unsure of what I was seeing. It looked like old tombstones.

"Um, what are those?" I asked, pointing next door.

Brad peeked over my shoulder. "Oh, that's the cemetery."

What?!?

The Clown, part 2

With our coffees in hand, we got back on the road.

Brad had been very quiet., so when he spoke I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Who told you?"

"Who told me what?"

"Where we're going."

"Nobody. I have no idea where we're going."

"Then how come you--" He shook his head. "Nevermind."

"O-kay," I drawled out. "You are acting really weird, dude."

He nodded slowly, as if in a daze, and we didn't speak again for another thirty minutes or so.

A tall white sign came into view. It looked like there was a giant clown on it. I sat up straighter, seeing the words Clown Motel. 

"Shut. Up."

"Surprise," Brad said softly.

"Shut the freak up!" I laughed.

We pulled into the parking lot of a charming old motel. The wooden slat walls were sky blue with white trim. Each door was adorned with its own clown. I squealed and dashed out of the car. "An entire motel devoted to clowns? This has got to be a dream!" I could barely contain my joy, bouncing up and down on my toes. Brad handed over my bag and we went inside.

I stopped just inside the door and gasped. The lobby was wall to wall clown kitsch, from tiny snow globes to lunchboxes to magazines. This place was perfect!

"Welcome to the Clown Motel," the clerk announced. He was smiling like a loon. I knew how he felt. How could you not be overcome with happiness every time you walked in the door of this place? Clowns were the symbol of my childhood. My dad had been a professional clown and he had taught me everything he knew. I could juggle, tumble and mime my way into children's hearts everywhere. Well, at least in the hospital where I volunteered.

As Brad checked us in I took a closer look at all the adorable collectibles. From the corner of my eye something caught my attention. I turned my head and froze. There, sitting before me on a chair, was a life-size clown doll or mannequin, It was the same clown from my dream!

The Clown, part 1

This story was inspired by the photo I found yesterday of the real Clown Motel.
--

The wind blew dust across the road before us. It was practically deserted, and not a Starbucks in sight. Damn.

"Are we there yet?" I jokingly asked my boyfriend. 

He laughed. "Don't worry, you'll know it when you see it. It's the perfect Halloween destination according to this blogger I follow."

We had been driving for hours and he wouldn't give me a single hint. I don't know how he did that. I couldn't keep a secret to save my life. I turned my head and stared out the window, watching the tumbleweeds roll by.

"Hey, hon, GPS says there's a Starbucks coming up in a couple miles. Wanna stop?"

"Do I? Is the Pope Catholic?" I grabbed my purse to make sure my SB points card was in it. My coffee addiction was made possible thanks to all the freebies I got each month. I opened my wallet. Yep, it was in there. 

My other addiction was handbags. Because I swapped them on a regular basis I was never sure if I had transferred all of my stuff. Some of my bags were pretty small, so I couldn't always fit everything. The coffee card was top priority, but I had lost it before... right before I lost it. Thank the universe for the calming influence of my boyfriend. Brad reminded me that I could simply grab another points card and transfer my balance. 

"There it is!" Brad slowed the car, as we got closer to the driveway.

I perked up, ready for my caffeine fix. My smile of joy quickly disappeared.

"Uh, oh." He quickly sped past.

"NO!" I yelled at the retreating green and white sign which hung a big red BANKRUPT banner. "What the hell? How could a Starbucks go out of business? It's, like, impossible! Everybody stops at Starbucks!" I silently cursed the lousy business owners. They must have been really stupid.

"There will probably be another one in a few miles. Maybe that's why this one went under. Everybody was going to the other one."

"You better hope so after getting my hopes up."

"Sorry."

"Mm hmm." I sulked in my seat with my arms crossed over my chest. I closed my eyes and tried to get my mind off coffee. Napping was my forte. I could sleep anywhere for any amount of time, no matter how short.

Colors swirled before my eyes and formed into a vision. It was a clown. He was dressed in a red suit and hat with colorful blue and yellow stripes. He turned his head and smiled evilly at me. I startled awake. Brad was pulling into a Starbucks parking lot. I took a deep cleansing breath.

"You okay, hon?"

"Yeah, I just had this freaky dream about a clown."

Brad stared at me like I was insane. 

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Let's go get some Frappuccinos. I hear the pumpkin spice one is really good and it's only gonna be around for the holidays," He rambled before quickly walking away.

That was weird. I had never seen Brad look so nervous.

Orange and Black

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of orange and black. She glanced up from her biology textbook, but it was gone. 

Well, it was Halloween time, so she probably had orange and black burned into her eyeballs.

She went back to her studies. It was relaxing to read out here on the campus lawn.

Another flicker of color caught her eye. What the heck?

She rolled onto her back and looked up. There was a butterfly hovering over her flapping its beautiful orange and black wings. She recognized it as a monarch. They were popular here in Santa Cruz. In fact, there was a big festival coming up soon. Thousands of monarchs traveled here for the winter, just like the swallows in Capistrano.

Why was it hovering over her? She didn't look like a flower. In fact, she was wearing all black, including her hair. She watched the delicate creature for a few moments until it started to move away. Then it came back and moved away again, as if trying to get her to follow. 

Why not? She had almost an hour to kill.

She put her book inside her backpack and headed off after the insect. She followed it into a small grove of trees. It flitted around her then shot up into the sky. When she looked up she could hardly believe her eyes. 

There were hundreds of butterflies covering a high branch. There were so many they looked like leafs!

"Whoa!" She cried out. Suddenly they all broke away from the branch and she was enveloped in a cloud of fluttering wings. She laughed and spun around like a child, delighting in the wonder of this magical moment. 

This was the best day ever! And she finally knew what her costume was going to be this year.

A beekeeper!

--

We went to the Monarch Festival in Santa Cruz today. And yes it was magical.

Spew!

I didn't know what to do! The howls were getting louder and its face turned a hideous shade of reddish purple. I covered my ears and watched in horror as a vile stream of what looked like clam chowder shot from its mouth and nose in a projectile across the room to splatter all over the floor. What the hell was that? And was it toxic?

I pointed at the creature and yelled, "You are so cleaning that up!"

"Are you crazy? She's just a baby!"

I glared at my best friend. "Fine! YOU clean it up!"

"Maybe babysitting isn't your thing."

"Ya think?"

"I'll get the mop."
--

This scene was inspired by an adorable photo of a friend's new baby with whitish glop running down her chin. Just for the record, I would've cleaned up the above mess. This scene is from the perspective of a bratty pre-teen.
Although, I was also a bratty pre-teen and probably would've felt the same way. Babysitting was so not my thing.

Wicked

She was cackling and waving her arms at us. I widened my eyes in shock, but couldn't look away. It was like watching a train wreck, not that I had any desire to see a train wreck. That would be awful. And sad. Well, this was almost as bad. This girl might even leave a few dead bodies in her wake if she didn't stop soon.

The cackling became wailing that crescendoed into a climax of off-key screeching. I cringed and tried not to cover my ears. That would be rude. 

My eyes began to water as I held in my laughter. I could feel my date shaking. He was laughing, too. I glanced over at him and he looked at me.

"I can't take much more of this," he whispered.

"Me either, but we can't just walk out."

"As soon as this song ends?"

I nodded and prayed for silence. The music stopped and everyone applauded their appreciation, probably for the ending of the song, rather than the performance.

We jumped up and ran out of the auditorium.

"Oh. My. Gawd," I exaggerated. "That was the worst interpretation of Wicked I have ever seen!"

"And heard!"

We laughed all the way to the coffee shop. I had a craving for pumpkin pie.
--

I swear this had nothing to do with the fact I went to choir rehearsal tonight. I just had music on my mind.