Page 42 of Maybe Some Other Time

Chapter seventeen

Lovers’ Lane

T he kids ran circles around the adults in the church parking lot.

Thelma, bundled in a thick, cozy sweater with deep pockets that she had picked up at the thrift store, stood beside the propped-open trunk of her Impala, handing out candy to dressed-up kids who played her game.

It’s the funnest thing! She had seen it at a dollar store and knew it would be swell with the kids at church.

Megan had laughed, but agreed that Ring Toss was big with kids and helped Thelma purchase it for Trunk or Treat.

She admitted that the entire concept of the event confused her at first, but seeing it in action put things into perspective.

It’s just a neat way for families to gather before Halloween.

Pastor Liz encouraged all adult participants to dress up in costume and to decorate their cars.

So while not every trunk sported a game or interactive experience, many held whole animatronics and miniature “spooky” scenes, such as a witch’s hut where a green lady brewed something in her cauldron.

That was a big hit for all the girls dressed in witches’ hats and carrying brooms.

“I am willing to admit that I was wrong once again,” Gretchen, dressed up in her work gear as her costume to amuse the kids, said after she and Thelma had a moment.

Gretchen had shown up fashionably late—too late to meet anyone but right on time to launch into helping Thelma set up her decorations and to compliment her black cat ears and whiskers.

Aren’t we a sight? A black cat and a construction worker.

“I didn’t think I’d be very comfortable here. It being a church event and all.”

Thelma cocked her head in amusement. “Really? But everyone here is so accepting!”

“Sure, and I’m not used to that.”

Me neither. But Thelma wanted to keep the mood light, so she said, “Give it five minutes before people come over here to say hello.”

The crowd was steady for the first hour.

Parents with kids often came dressed up in a theme and, sometimes, Thelma recognized what they were.

The people who knew her best asked about Gretchen, including Mick, who was dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. A character Thelma instantly recognized because Megan claimed Belle was her favorite “Disney princess” since childhood.

“I totally guessed your type,” Mick said with their performance voice. It had taken Thelma a few interactions to realize that Mick had two sides—the drag queen and the everyday guy—but now she easily treated both the same. “You like them a little rough around the edges, don’t you, doll?”

She said that while spinning her fan in the shape of a book at Thelma’s face. Right on time, too, because she blushed. Gretchen was too distracted with awkwardly giving a pair of twins some candy to hear.

“Gretchen is quite fetching, don’t you think?” she teased Mick right back. “I could have met a worse neighbor.”

“Girl, why don’t hot tomboys fall into my neighbor’s yard? It’s not fair. But I’ll refrain from flirting if it means you’re getting some. Remember, we don’t care about sex before marriage in this parking lot.”

“Now, now! That’s not what the teachings say.

” Thelma had read up on them quite thoroughly, not just to know what was what with this sect of Lutherans in 2018, but to make sure it was even her right path for continuing her relationship with God.

“Marriage is supposed to be the ultimate goal of any courtship, homo or hetero.” She was quite proud of herself for using shortened terms like homo and hetero.

“Sweetheart, just saying, it’s not a sin around here. Have some fun while you consider marriage, by all means.”

Thelma lightly smacked Mick on the muscular arm before greeting a pack of children from the neighborhood. They weren’t part of the church, but any kids wandering by were welcome to check it out as long as they were accompanied by a parent or guardian.

“Hey!” Thelma almost dropped some kid’s candy when she saw Pauline and a man approach, grinning. They were both dressed in regular autumn clothing but were already in the spirit of complimenting kids’ costumes. “We made it! Thought we’d drop by, after all, since we were in the neighborhood.”

Thelma flung her arms around Pauline, whom she hadn’t seen in two weeks due to the latter traveling to see her husband Ethan’s family for Canadian Thanksgiving.

“So good to see you!” Thelma backed away, knowing that now was the time to introduce the person helping her.

“Gretch, this is my friend Pauline. The one I told you about.” She suddenly struggled to think of something to say.

“Pauline, this is Gretchen. My, uh, neighbor.” As one extended a hand to shake the other’s, Thelma amended, “We’re dating. ”

Pauline’s eyes widened as Gretchen missed their hands’ connection.

“Is that so?” Pauline glanced at Thelma as if that was quite the thing to admit. “You’re a lucky gal, Gretchen. Thelma here is quite the catch. She’s got all the charms of a ‘50s housewife without the husband.”

Gasping, Thelma took Pauline’s arm and whispered, “She doesn’t know about the you-know-what! She thinks I was in a cult!”

“In a way, hon, we all were.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Gretchen said from beneath her hard hat. “Thelma’s mentioned you before.”

“Oh, lovely! We know each other from…” Pauline looked to Thelma for prompting.

“From the school. Yes, Pauline attends events there, and we’ve bumped into each other enough that we hit it off as friends.”

“Yes, at the school.”

As Pauline side-eyed Thelma, the man introduced himself as Pauline’s husband, Ethan.

Thelma said they could have some candy if they played the game, and after some half-hearted ring tosses, walked away with chocolates and their heads bent toward one another.

Pauline promised to stop by again when it died down once more.

“You are…” Gretchen said after a mother and her two kids moved on, “in your element.”

Thelma knew she lit up brightly enough to illuminate the entire parking lot. The power could go out right now, and we’d all still be able to see! Because Gretchen had cut to something that was still a part of Thelma after all this time.

“Thank you. I do love kids, you know. I’ve even done story time at the library a couple of times! The director thinks I might have a “permanent” Wednesday afternoon position soon.

“Awesome. Yeah, they really take to you. I have no idea what that’s like.”

“What can I say? I’ve always got on with children.”

“Including your own?” Gretchen almost immediately reclaimed those words. “I mean!”

“No, it’s fine.” She said that, yet inside she combusted to think what it would have been like to bring her children to something like this.

Robbie was a master trick-or-treater, and Debbie had just been old enough to join her big brother for the first time in 1958.

I was already thinking about their costumes in the spring…

Browsing patterns in the shop. Chatting with Irene about what was practical and what was wishful thinking.

Comparing notes with the other mothers on Hemlock Street so nobody would be dressed the same.

We put on a show every year… It was Robbie’s favorite holiday after Christmas.

Knowing that they could have done something like this with church friends the weekend before Halloween would have only added to the memories.

“I think part of the reason I wanted to do this so badly is because I can’t be with my kids this year.

Or, maybe…” She didn’t finish the thought. Ever again.

“Sorry to bring it up.”

“It really is fine. I’ve been thinking about them all night.” Especially when she saw a girl in a fairy costume or a kid dressed as a cowboy. “My son loved Gunsmoke and all Westerns…”

“Uh… Gunsmoke? You mean that really old show?”

Thelma slightly bristled. “Yes. The really old show.”

“To be fair, you don’t get a lot of Westerns these days.”

“Suppose that’s true.”

“Doesn’t Robert love Westerns?”

“He does. Big Zane Grey fan. He’s basically in charge of that section at the library.

You should see him talking to patrons about his favorites and sending them out the door with a bag full of old, torn-up Westerns!

It was the biggest hit outside of Romance at the library sale this summer!

” Thelma laughed. “It was the happiest I had seen him since I got here. Now, if he would just fix his posture when talking to people… honestly, does he have to slouch and crouch like that all the time? He’s not that tall.

His father was taller and never slouched! ”

“Uh…”

Thelma knew that Uh so well by now that she used it as her cue to know she was getting too deep into her old identity.

“I’m going by the pictures I’ve seen. My grandfather, you know.

William Van der Graaf.” She sighed. “Yes. My grandfather.” She peered at Gretchen.

“Did you know that’s Robbie’s middle name? ”

“I’m one step closer to stealing his identity. Thanks.”

They ran out of candy before the end of the night.

So did their neighbors, leading to the decision to pack up their trunks and shut down their corner of the lot.

Gretchen helped lock things up and ensure that nothing had gotten away from the car before she suggested that they take a walk around the grounds.

“This is a date, after all.” Thelma couldn’t argue with that.

She informed Pastor Liz that they would be taking a break before coming back to help finish up the event.

Once they had the leader’s blessing, Thelma and Gretchen stole along the side of the church, careful not to trip over the brickwork as they found a dark tree-lined path leading from the back door to the children’s play area that was abandoned this late in the evening.