A Ghost in the Window

Ding dong!

Crud, the doorbell was ringing while I was giving Caden a bath. Who was calling on us this late in the evening? I suspected yet another visit from Obama supporters. That's the fun part of living in a swing state.

I called to the Tank to answer the door. He was in the basement trying to fix the wheel of my jogging stroller. The ball bearings had fallen out (no, I don't take him offroading!) and though the stroller is only 3 years old, the manufacturer no longer supplies parts since they have discontinued that model. Of course.

By the time the Tank opened the door, I was certain the visitors would be gone. From the bathroom, I could hear him call out "Thank you!" before closing the door. We must have left the lights on in the car and some passerby was kind enough to alert us, I thought.

Then the Tank handed me a small bag of Halloween candy and toys he'd found on the porch. There was a note inside explaining that it was a secret buddy game. Someone had "boo'd" Caden and now it was his turn to pass it on and "boo" 2 other kids. There was even a ghost image to put up in the front window so other people would know we'd already been hit. The Tank said Caden's boo buddies were hiding in the bushes, hoping to see him pick up the surprise but when the Tank opened the door instead they took off running around the side of the house. He couldn't tell which probable neighbor it was but tried to call out thanks after them.

I remember this game being played last Halloween. I thought all the ghosts in the windows were part of some school project because every house with a child had one. Eventually we were boo'd, the day before Halloween. It was too late for me to put together a goodie bag to pass on even if I could find a house that hadn't already been boo'd. I was grateful Caden had been included but saddened that he must have been the last kid in town to put a ghost up.

Not this year. I had seen NO ghosts so far. In fact, I had forgotten about the game. I hung Caden's ghost in our bay window with a lump in my throat. I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually drove around the neighborhood to confirm my suspicions that this year, Caden was one of the first to be boo'd. Yep, less than a half dozen ghosts were posted. I wish I knew the identity of Caden's secret buddy so I could hug them again and again. They have no idea how much it means to have my son included like any other kid on the block. I'm generally thankful to have him be acknowledged at all but to have him be so accepted was unexpected and humbling. In our home, thanksgiving is coming over a month early thanks to our ghost in the window.