Seventeen Weeks
“Happy Halloween, witches!” Ellie cries in a sing-song tone.
Last year, after Ellie and Griffin got married, we camped out in their front yard and handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters while enjoying treats of our own (a.k.a., pumpkin beer). We made a pact that we’d do this every year from then on.
There’s one less chair this year.
Aaron took Halloween costumes very seriously–we always went above and beyond, and for the past few years, by some miracle, he’s convinced Jack to join us. Everything from rock-paper-scissors, to the Holy Trinity, to Cosmo-Wanda-Timmy Turner, our costumes have continuously gotten more and more elaborate (and high budget).
Had. Our costumeshadgotten more elaborate.
This year, I’ve opted for a simple pumpkin t-shirt, with a tiny pumpkin over my increasingly visible bump. I didn’t know where to begin with a costume, and it didn’t feel right without Aaron. I don’t know if it will ever feel right again.
Will anything?
Ellie sits on her bedroom floor, finishing her makeup in front of her LED lit mirror. This year, Ellie and Griffin are dressed as Kermit and Miss Piggy, a decision that had David literally rolling on the floor with laughter when he saw Griffin’s green-painted face.
“Knock, knock.”
I sit up from where I’ve been lounging comfortably on the bed to find Jack standing in the doorway, holding a large plastic bag at his side.
“Hi, Jacky boy,” Ellie says brightly, before frowning at his appearance. “Where the hell is your costume?”
He holds up the bag wordlessly, then shoots a furtive glance my way. He looks…nervous?
“Um, well,” he stutters. “I know Aaron is usually in charge of costumes, but I just figured…well, I didn’t know if you’d want to…nevermind, of course you don’t, stupid of me.”
“Jack Robbit,” I say slowly, a playful smile spreading across my face. “Did you get us matching costumes?”
His cheeks tinge pink, and it’s one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever seen. Aaron usually had to drag Jack kicking and screaming to get into costume. The fact that he got costumes for the both of us, and willingly, means…well, it means everything.
“It was a dumb idea,” he mumbles, hiding the bag behind his back and dropping his gaze to the floor. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“No backing out of this now,” I yell gleefully. “What did you get for us?” He steps back, but I reach around him, snatching the bag before he has a chance to stop me. I quickly remove the contents from the plastic, laying them out on the bed in front of us.
“No fucking way,” I gasp. “Are these what I think they are?”
He nods, his entire face going red now as Ellie jumps to her feet and rushes over to see the pile of yellow and denim spread across the bed.
“Are those,” she asks, her mouth turning upwards in a wicked grin, “Minion costumes?”
She dissolves into giggles, running out of the room calling for David and Griffin to come upstairs. I stare at the costumes, jaw dropped in shock, then whip around to face Jack.
“You’re going to let me be a minion this year?”
“I mean, you’ve asked every year since Aaron roped me into group costumes,” he says quietly. “I figured now was as good a time as any to finally let you have it.”
This man. This kind, thoughtful, unbelievable man.
“It’s perfect,” I whisper, taking the fabric and holding it tightly to my chest. “Absolutely perfect.”
“I know I’m technically supposed to be Gru in this scenario,” he says. “But I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to be a Minion alone. I know it’s not the same, but–”
I launch myself at him, cutting him off and hugging him tightly. It’s not the same–I would give anything to have Aaron here with us, laughing loudly at the sight of Jack in overalls. But he’s not. Nothing changes that. But this is a damn good alternative.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice thick. “I didn’t even know how much I was missing dressing up until those costumes were in front of me. This is one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me.” I look up at him, and his face is almost radiant, split in a dazzling, unrestrained smile.
I stand there, wrapped in his arms and overwhelmed by a new kind of feeling, until thunderous footsteps ascend the stairs from the basement and we jump apart. I don’t even know why we did it–we’ve hugged a million times before, and in front of our friends.
