Halloween Was Scary For Odd Reasons

Halloween

(note: the boy i work with i talk about in this piece has brain damage and water on the brain and many other ailments. He has a tendency to run toward cars, open others homes, etc.  He can accidently self-harm. So when I was asked, "want to take him out trick or treating i was a bit nervous.
Here's how it went:





I am thankful that my charge stayed in his wagon with most of his clothes on all night. 
I am thankful his mother tried to get him to wear a costume to fit with the whole halloween theme. It was a costume of Bam Bam, complete with a bat, from the Flinstones. He kept it on for about, oh, 82 seconds before taking it off because he does not like the feel of certain fabrics. After he hit me three times with the bat and tossed it away I decided we'd be going batless. 


I was thankful she found a shirt he would wear instead. 
I was thankful I only had to get short with the mom once when she said, "oh, get out of the wagon for this!" and I said, "ma'am. The deal is we're walking around the neighborhood and he's staying in the wagon so I/we dont have to run after him if he should leave the wagon. And so I don't have to walk facing him the entire time.. just in case." 
"Scott, it's just for this one or two houses." 

"It's Dr. Scott," I said. OK, I made up that part. 
I said, "please, let's go for consistency and a routine." 
And so he stayed in... and remained in. And when I'd hand him the plastic pumpkin-shaped container of candy he'd throw it... so I held it. 


So I am thankful that Halloween went well beyond the muscles complaining that I was carrying a wagon of a boy in one hand and his candy in another... 
I am thankful he allowed me to eat some of his candy, out of a transportation tax I assessed. 


Lastly I am thankful that while sometimes my bosses at jobs get on my nerves if the worst problems I have are moments like that I think i'm doing pretty well and am pretty lucky.   

And I am thankful for all the cool costumes I saw and the nice folks handing out candy. With the possible exception of the guys who built a fire that seemed to go 30 feet in the fire and had 3 folks in 3 separate places way too near the fire handing out candy. Now THAT was the scariest of the night... I was watching carefully that my charge didnt get out and go run toward or away from the fire.