I can't be late but I've been left in charge of the office, everyone else has slipped out, but the phones have to be manned until 6pm! Halloween tonight and I've promised my little girl that we'll pick up one of her friends and go over to my mums, then I'll let her call on some of the neighbours that I know, to "trick or treat". I have to get home before seven anyway because Ryan, my husband is on the night shift, and he needs to get to work.
Samantha is 8, she is our second child, Rebecca is our first daughter, her heart stopped two weeks before she was due to be born, I gave birth the next day. I have the plaster cast of her feet on the landing, I can't pass it without crying and I can't move it either. Sometimes I think Ryan thinks I'm daft, but I've seen him standing with his hand on that cast, and I know he feels the same.
Just when I'm about to grab my coat the phone goes and it's a tenant with water coming through their landing ceiling, just five minutes later and it would have gone through to the emergency call out service! I'm ringing round until I find one of our plumbers who's answering his phone, then I have to call the tenant back, so it's gone half six before I find my way to the car. No time now for a sandwich with Ryan, I'll just have to grab Samantha and hope my mum's got something nice for me to eat.
Avoiding the town there's a shorter route, it's only a single track road over the railway crossing, down beside the cemetery, over the river and back out on to the main road practically opposite our estate. I'm hoping there isn't a train coming and that I don't meet anyone on the narrow part past the cemetery, because I'm bad enough reversing in daylight. I get across the level crossing, the yellow lights start to flash in my mirrors distracting me, so that I don't see the large box in the road and have to stop violently! Stopped now, with the only light the vague flicker of the level crossing behind me I feel uneasy, it takes a real effort to get out of the car, but I don't believe in ghosts, it's all nonsense! The box is large and heavy and it takes all of my strength to move it, I'm glad now that I didn't just try to barge it out of the way with the car.
Despite myself I'm spooked though when I think I can see someone sitting in the back of the car, I almost start to sprint for the relative safety of the railway track, but I can see the train moving away now. Get a grip on yourself woman.... I approach the car nervously and peer in, of course it's empty, driving away my nerves disappear, I feel suddenly very warm and relaxed.
Ryan and Samantha are ready when I pull up outside the house, I see the lounge light go out before the front door opens. Ryan gets in beside me and I check Sammy has her belt done up in the back before driving away. We drop Ryan at factory and we're soon at my mums, Sammy chattering happily to herself even before we pick up her best friend Stacey. At my mums there is soon a crowd, six or seven little girls from around the street, they all look great in their Halloween costumes. I find it a bit embarrassing but they going from door to door, gathering treats, I still know most of mums neighbours from when I was at home so it's not so bad.
Later mum makes me cheese on toast and we talk about how we didn't bother with Halloween in my day, it's just a stupid American thing we've copied, pure commercial rubbish. Samantha, Stacey and a new friend they seem to have made are crashing about upstairs, screeching and howling but mum doesn't mind, I just hope they haven't draped themselves in her sheets or something.
I wake Ryan up with a cup of tea at about 12 on Saturday morning, he's still tired but he remembers to ask how Halloween went for me and Samantha. Calling Sammy, she rushes into the bedroom and leaps on to the bed, "it was great dad, I've got lots of chocolates!" Ryan's asking me now "who was the little girl you had with you when you picked us up? Her costume was fantastic, I had to keep telling myself it's Halloween! I'm not sure what he's talking about, "it was just me in the car Ryan" I say. Samantha just looks at me for a moment, a puzzled look on her face, what she says next will always stay with me! "Becky was in the car mum, she's so funny, she told me she's my sister, and she told me to tell you and dad not to worry about her any more."
