46. Langdon
Forty Six
Langdon
“ L ang, what the heck, we’re going to miss all the good candy,” Anderson whines on our stoop. I glance down the road, waiting to see headlights. Delia’s late and Anderson’s losing his shit. I check my phone again. No texts or missed calls. Where is she?
“Let’s wait five more minutes and then I’ll take you.”
“Worst Halloween ever,” Anderson pouts. I nudge his shoulder with mine while rolling my eyes. The wind howls tonight making me shiver. I hope she shows up at least dressed warmly, Anderson has the trick-or-treating stamina of an Olympic distance runner.
Anderson scoots closer to me, eyes wide. “Did you hear that?”
I glance at him in his Spiderman costume. “What? The wind? ”
A scream or maybe a sob echoes through the air making me jump in my seat.
“THAT,” Anderson yells.
I nod and push to my feet, craning my head in the direction of the woods. Suddenly the flood light on the house snaps on and lights up a lady in a gown with her neck broken. Anderson screams, leaping behind me and gripping the waist of my pants hard. I nearly piss myself as she rushes out of the tree line straight at us.
“What the—”
“She’s back,” she sobs. Now that she’s closer I realize it’s not dead lady.
“Delia?” I squawk.
She rushes into my arms just as I’m able to fully take her in. Despite the gruesome makeup, she looks stunning. She slams into me, arms wrapping around my waist, face buried in my chest. I hold her tightly. “What’s wrong?”
Anderson steps out from behind me and wrinkles his nose. “You scared the shit outta me.”
Delia pulls back a smidge and looks at him. She gives the most pathetic smile and then hands him a sack. Anderson inspects it and grins.
“Rad.”
I grab her by the shoulders and ask, “What’s wrong? Why’d you come through the woods? Who’s back?”
She sniffles and wipes at her red-rimmed eyes. “My mom’s back.” Her voice is flat and not at all like how she normally sounds .
“Cool!” Anderson says. “Now can we go? I want to get to Mrs. Kipp’s house before all the king-size candy is gone.”
Delia snorts as I smack Anderson in the head, annoyed. “Buddy, I think Mom’s going to have to take you. Delia’s upset. This is a big deal.”
“Why?” he looks to her. “You said your mom’s home, not everyone gets to come home.”
He kicks some gravel. An invisible fist gut punches me so hard I nearly double over.
Delia shakes her. “No, he’s right. She can ruin my night but not his,” she says nodding to Anderson.
I tug her hand leading her to the house. Anderson follows us. When I open the door a rush of warm air hits me and I shiver it feels so good.
“Stay here. Both of you.”
Mom’s in the kitchen, emptying bags of candy into the bowl for trick-or-treaters. “Mom.”
She looks up. “You’re still here?”
“Delia’s mom’s back. Delia’s here, but upset. Can you or Dad take Anderson? I’ll hand out candy.”
Mom’s eyes go wide and she worries her bottom lip between her teeth before nodding. “Where is she?”
I lift my chin to the entryway. She drops the candy bag on the counter and brushes past me. I stay put. Anderson saunters in and waits with me. Mom talks in whispers making it impossible to hear anything. Delia sniffles a lot but eventually, they both come into the kitchen. She tucks herself under my arm .
“Let’s watch a scary movie and have popcorn. We don’t get a ton of kids so it shouldn’t be so bad on candy duty.”
“Come on Anderson, the Kipp’s will be out of king size soon. Gotta get a move on it,” Mom’s voice is overly cheerful. Anderson frowns.
“Fine-ah.” He looks at Delia. “I’m taking yours too, though.”
Delia grins and hands her sack to him. “Ok, but I get all the peanut butter cups and peanut M&Ms.”
He narrows his eyes at her but agrees and Mom whisks him away while hollering for Dad to join them.
Delia collapses on a stool at the kitchen island while I bust out a bag of popcorn to microwave.
“So, are you okay? What’d she say? Where was she?”
Delia plays with the candy in the big bowl. “She gave me some bullshit about past trauma and needing to heal alone.”
My eyebrows hike up my forehead. “That’s it”
She shakes her head. “No I mean, she had things to say, but she also just breezed right in and was all you look great! We need a picture of this costume and blah blah, like nothing was wrong. Like she didn’t fucking abandon me with a stranger in a strange town for months. I don’t know Lang, I just… I couldn’t be there. I couldn’t look at her.”
I rub her back while the popcorn pops.
“I’m sorry. I don’t really know what to say. And I know that the things people normally say in shitty times are useless platitudes.”
“Platitudes eh? Big word buddy,” she quips, a small smile tugging the corners of her mouth upward .
“Are you saying I’m not smart enough to know big words?” I tease.
She gives a small smile. “You’re a popular jock.”
“Ouch. I’m offended.” The microwave beeps. I tug open the bag and dump it in a bowl. “Come on brainiac, let’s find something to watch.”
We snuggle on the couch together. I want to ask her more but she doesn’t seem to want to talk about anything so I’m left flicking through horror movie choices while stealing glances at the plunging neckline of her dress.
“This one,” she says. I put it on.
She adjusts and lays her head in my lap. I play with her hair and wait for the doorbell to start ringing.