Page 4 of Another Love, Another Time

Every year, all the families get together to celebrate Halloween.

There is usually a party and hayride where everyone dresses up, and we all do a little bit of trick-or-treating.

One of the requirements for attendance is that people have to dress up.

This year, Aunt Connie said that everyone would be judged on handmade partner costumes.

She also said whoever won the prize would be happy because it was going to be a good one.

“I don’t think any of them are going to win us that prize,” I tell Auggie while we are on FaceTime.

“Have you asked your mom what the prize is? Can you snoop in her room or around the house?”

“You know her room is like Fort Knox.” I respond and he chuckles.

“Well, we need to narrow down our options. What are your top three favorites?” I prod.

“I like the Joker and Harley Quinn, Fred and Wilma, or Top Gun. You know, we would definitely get your dad’s vote if we did Top Gun. You know that’s his favorite movie.” He winks at me.

“Yeah, but I only have fifty dollars to spend on a costume. How much do you have?”

“My mom only gave me a twenty-dollar budget for my costume, but I have some money saved up from my allowance.”

“Do you think that you could get your grandma to help make us the costumes?”

“Yeah, if I help her. You would have to get your mom to send your measurements.”

“So, Top Gun?”

“Yeah. We also need the aviator glasses. We can’t do it without the glasses.”

“You’re right, so it’s decided. Do you have any black boots to wear with the costume? We have to win, Aug. You can be Maverick, and I’ll dress up to be Goose. I’ll even wear a stache.” I giggle a little, imagining myself with a mustache.

With Auggie’s brown hair and his blue eyes, he will look just like Maverick. “That will be epic! Yes, you have to get a mustache.” I write down the list of items that we will need to get.

Once I get off the phone with Auggie, I go over to my grandma’s house to ask her to help me with the costumes. She said she will if I help her.

~~

Halloween is finally here! I can’t wait to see what everyone is wearing. Aunt Connie said the parents will be judged separately from the kids. The adults get to judge the kids’ costumes, and the kids get to judge the adults.

My grandma helped me make our flight suits.

We even got the patches like in the movies.

I know we’ve got this in the bag. We just got to Aunt Connie’s house after a six-hour car ride.

As soon as the car stops, I grab the bag with the costumes and run inside the house to find Auggie.

We are currently getting dressed in the downstairs bathroom.

The party doesn’t start for another hour, but I want to make sure the jumpsuits fit and that nothing needs to be fixed.

I know my costume fits; I tried it on as soon as we were done with it.

My grandma showed me how to make adjustments just in case.

Auggie puts his on, and it fits perfectly.

He grabs his aviator glasses and smirks. “Do I look like Maverick?” he asks.

“I’ll let you be the judge.” I turn him to the mirror.

He says, “You can be my wingman any time,’ and we both laugh.

“When are you going to put on the mustache?” he asks after a while.

“Probably not until the party starts. My mom has to get my hair fixed so I look more like Goose.”

He grabs my pinkie, and we are silent for a minute. Whenever we do this, my heart always feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest.

Our moment is interrupted when we hear people coming downstairs.

I wonder if he did what I asked him to do.

“Have you talked to Logan? Do you know what he and Melissa are coming as?” Logan had unfortunately been paired with Melissa.

Poor Logan. Since the birthday party, I haven’t spoken with Melissa.

We have been to a few family things together, but I steer clear of her.

“No. He wouldn’t tell me, but he didn’t seem excited about it either,” Auggie replies.

“I hate that your mom works with her dad. Ugh! I know the only reason your mom started inviting them was because they are my mom’s family. I feel like we are stuck with them.”

“Oh, she’s not that bad. I heard she gives great gifts.” He looks at me and smirks. I roll my eyes. “Too soon?”

“Yes, too soon! You little brat.” Still, I’m smiling back at him. “Did you do what I asked?”

“Yes, but I think you’re still wrong.”

I just shrug my shoulders and smile. “I guess we’re about to find out.”

Halloween: Auggie, Age 11

After tons of pictures and the judging of the costumes out of the way, we can finally get on the hayride. It’s my favorite part. River and Logan went to get some hot cocoa. Logan’s dad makes the best. He went with her, and I’m saving our seats.

Melissa sits down next to me. She has since changed out of her costume.

While knowing she was eavesdropping, I told Logan that River and I would arrive as Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Guess what she and Logan showed up as? Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

River and I had a good laugh. Melissa was not pleased, especially when we won the kids' costume contest. River said she wanted to be the Wilma to my Fred. Not going to happen. The prizes were hanging neon light signs that say, “Come in” or “Go away.” I know River loves hers. I can’t wait to hang mine up too.

“Hey, Auggie,” Melissa says as she scoots closer.

“Hey, Melissa.” I try to scoot over a little bit to put some space between us. “Why did you change out of your costume?”

“It was getting cold, and my costume wasn’t very warm.”

“Oh, yeah. It is getting a little chilly.” I look to see if Logan and River are coming yet, not knowing what else to say to her.

The trailer is getting fuller with some of the other partygoers. I need to figure out a way to still save seats for Logan and River. I pull off my coat and go to lay it down so I can save a spot for one of them when Melissa goes to reach for it. “What are you doing?” I ask.

“Oh, I thought you were giving it to me because I said it was getting chilly.”

“No. I need to save Logan and River a seat.”

“Oh.” She turns her face away like I hurt her feelings. I kind of feel bad, though not bad enough to apologize. I look back over to the shop door to see if I can spot River or Logan.

“Why don’t you want to be my friend, Auggie?” She catches me off guard.

I turn to face her. “What? We are friends, Melissa. We hang out all the time.”

“Not like you and River do.”

“I see you more than River. You are family, after all. Besides, River is my best friend.”

She scoffs. “Why can’t we be friends like you and her?”

“Look, Melissa, I know what happened at my birthday party. I appreciate the gift, but what you did to River was not right. And then you show up tonight dressed as Wilma after you overheard Logan and me. You have to get along with River. She is my best friend. That’s the only way we will be friends. ”

Just then, I see Logan and River heading in our direction. I turn to Melissa and notice she has backed off. “I will try to be nicer,” she whispers.

“That’s the thing, Melissa; you can’t just try. I don’t know why you both don’t get along with one another, but she is my best friend, and I will always choose her.”

With that, Logan takes the seat between Melissa and me. River hands me a cup of hot chocolate before sitting on the other side.

“What took you guys so long?” I ask them both.

“My dad had to make another batch,” Logan answers while taking a sip. He must have gotten one for Melissa since she has a cup in her hand now.

River elbows me and whispers in my ear, “What was that?”

“I’ll tell you later,” I answer as she narrows her eyes at me.

~~

The hayride is normally my favorite part of this weekend, but the whole ride, Melissa interrogates River.

I really hope this is not her attempt at being nice.

And with the directions from River’s dad, River also has to be civil.

It is a tense ride for the four of us. If I couldn’t see how disgruntled River is getting, I would be laughing my butt off.

Gosh, this ride will never be over. Logan and I start talking about baseball.

Finally, the ride comes to an end. The three of us are ready to jump off the trailer and find something else to do, but before we can take off, Uncle Chris asks Logan and me to help carry more wood to the bonfire.

Not wanting to hang out with Melissa a second longer, River trails behind us and starts carrying wood too.

Since my mom brought the ingredients to make s’mores, River puts marshmallows on the pokers for each of us. We make another trip to get wood, and by the time we get back, River has our s’mores ready to eat.

“Thanks, River,” we both say with full mouths.

She cocks her head to the side. “You wanna tell me what you and Melissa were chit-chatting about?”

“It’s nothing, really. She just wanted to know why she and I were not better friends.”

She scoffs. “What? What did you tell her?”

“I told her that I know what she did at my birthday party with the costumes tonight. I don’t know why you both don’t get along, but if she doesn’t start being nice to you, we will never be friends.”

“Oh, so I can thank you for the conversation.”

I shrug. “She said she was going to try to be nice. She’s trying.”

Logan laughs and shakes his head. “I’m so glad I’m not a girl.”

“You think I asked for this?” She scowls at Logan.

“No. Not at all. It’s just that girls always have so much drama. I’m just saying I’m glad I’m a boy.”

“Look, I don’t know what it is. Even before the birthday incident, we didn’t get along the best, but I could talk with her. Now, I just feel like I’m wasting my breath because I couldn't care less what comes out of her mouth.”

Logan looks over and nods his head toward the shop. “Melissa is heading over this way. Looks like she has a friend.”