“Hold on!” I shouted and dug in my pocket for my phone. “I promised your Mom I’d get plenty of pictures.”
The kids backtracked and lined up on the steps so I could snap a few photos. They posed, their expressions nothing but joy. I was so glad they had a mother that loved them, and I felt blessed to be a part of their lives.
“You have to take one too, Jake!” Manny shouted.
“Oh, um… Okay.” I awkwardly inserted myself between them and did my best to snap a selfie. The picture made me look like a dork, but it would have to do. Without thinking, I sent it over to Gabriel. I hadn’t heard from him this morning, but figured he was busy working.
“Alright, everyone remember the rules?”
“Stay together,” Jazmine chimed in.
“Jake is the boss,” Manny added, his sister nodding. “And hold hands when crossing the street.”
“And do not eat all the candy in one day,” I said with the best stern voice I could muster.
The kids simply laughed, and I led them toward a better part of the neighborhood. Endless shops lined the block, creating a kind of gray area where the outskirts of downtown met the beginnings of the impoverished west side. Children and their parents were out and about, collecting candy and enjoying the day. It wasn’t long before Manny and Jazmine filled up their bags with treats.
“Let’s take a break and get something to eat,” I suggested.
“But we have something to eat,” Jazmine said, holding up her bulging candy bag.
“We can’t eat candy for lunch,” Manny countered. “Mom will be mad, right, Jake?”
“Yeah, that’s not a good idea.” I followed his lead. The boy was a great big brother. “Besides, you don’t want to get a stomachache from all the sugar, do you? How about we get something to eat and afterward you can have a piece of candy?”
“Okay,” the girl said.
We stopped at a grill, and I got the kids hotdogs, fries, and some chicken fingers for myself. I made sure to take a few pictures of us enjoying our meal for Maria. As they devoured their lunch, I checked my phone, surprised to find I had missed a text from Gabriel. A smile forced its way into my face as I read the message.
Gabriel: How adorbz! They look like they are having so much fun. And you look good enough to eat(brains). Nom, Nom, Nom.
He was pure sunshine and exactly what I needed and craved. I thought about what we might do tomorrow. I’d never been to a Halloween party but didn’t know of any happening and wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with the crowd. A haunted house? It would give me an excuse to seek Gabriel’s protection.
“Make sure we throw all our garbage out,” Manny instructed his sister as he helped gather our trash. “We don’t want to leave a big mess.”
By the time we got back to the apartment complex, it was almost four and the evening was winding down for trick-or-treating. It was hard to believe time had gone by so quickly, but as I followed the kids upstairs to their place, I was sure I’d come up with the perfect place to take Gabriel tomorrow.
I helped them get cleaned up and put their candy in bowls. Manny made three piles of a mix of chocolates and fruit-flavored morsels, explaining to Jazmine that the third pile was for me. I was tempted to pass on the empty calories, but I didn’t have the heart to deny them as Jazmine offered me a grocery bag of candy.
“Thanks, Jaz. Did you have fun?” I asked.
The little girl jumped up and down and cheered.
“What’s that I hear?” Maria said as she walked through the front door.
“Mom!” The kids shouted in unison and rushed to greet her. She hugged them tightly. “Did you guys get a lot of candy?”
“Yeah!” Jazmine exclaimed. “Mom, there were lots of princesses today. The lady at the hotdog place was dressed like a princess too and she had sparkly shoes! Can I have sparkly shoes for next year?
“Maybe,” I said. “But you were the cutest princess.”
She beamed at me and tugged at her mother’s shirt. “Come see all the candy we got. We made three piles and gave Jake one.”
“We gave Jake the best ones,” Manny said.
“That’s a good idea,” Maria said and tossed me a wink. “I wish I could have been there.”
“I got lots of pictures. I’ll text them to you,” I said. The warm rush of excitement was nice, and I knew it was more than being around the kids.
