Aria's Point of View.
I sit on the edge of Ezra's desk in his apartment.
"I'll make it up to you." He says. Ezra just told me he couldn't come to the halloween party we had planned to go on.
"I know you will." I smile and put my hand on his shoulder. I wish Ezra could come to the halloween party tonight. We've been through so much to get to the point here we could go out as a couple, and now we still can't. "I just really wanted you to see my costume."
"Well," He looks to his bed where my costume is laying. "I can see it tomorrow..."
"Playing dress up for your man on halloween is one thing, do it any other night and you end up on a afternoon talk show."
He laughs. "Depends on the costume." He pulls me onto his lap. "Besides, I have a little bit of time now." I lean in to kiss him and slowly close my eyes.
There's a knock on the door. "Trick or treat!" My eyes shoot open. I pull away from Ezra.
"Great." I say.
"Early birds."
"Night of the living preschoolers." I get up and go over to open the door and hand them their hershey kisses, since apparently I don't get any halloween candy from Ezra. They might as well. I smile. There are four little kids standing outside my door hand three moms. "Happy halloween!" I say. I pass out candy to the kids, then my eyes lock with Ezra's. And I don't mean the eyes that're in my boyfriend's head. I mean identical to Ezra's eyes. I look at this four year old little boy. And he has Ezra's eyes. I look up. Maggie is standing there, her eyes cast down.
"Thanks!" A little kid tells me.
"Happy halloween." A mom says.
"Byee!"
"Thanks for the candy!"
"Sweet, chocolate!"
"C'mom mommy, let's go." Malcome, Ezra's son, pulls on Maggies arm. My mind spins.
"Malcome, go with Aunt Suzie, I'll catch up with you okay?"
"Okay, mommy." He looks up at me again. I want to scream. Those eyes. "I like your costum." He says and smiles, then runs to catch up with his friends. I'm not wearing a costum. But apparently I am.
"Maggie, what're you -"
"Is Ezra here?" She asks.
I look back to where he's sitting, writing, oblivious.
"Yes..." I don't know what else to say.
"Can I..." she stops and sighs. "I was hoping he'd answer the door and I could introduce Malcome to him as a friend of mine..."
"Without warning Ezra you had a son who happened to be his?"
She sighs. "I followed an impulse. I didn't really have a good plan."
"Maggie?" Ezra comes up behind me. "Hey, what're you doing here?"
I back away slowly. I don't need to witness this.
"Uhm, I just came to, um..." She looks at me, where I'm now sitting on the couch. "I came to see Aria."
"Aria?" He asks.
"Don't drag me into this." I cross my arms.
"What's going on?" Ezra asks.
"Ezra..." Maggie sighs. "I don't know how to tell you this..."
He looks to me and back to Maggie. "What?"
She struggles for a few long, dreadful seconds. "You have..." she starts. But doesn't finish.
"A son." I finish for her. I stand up and walk over to Ezra. "You have a son. His name is Malcome and he's four. Maggie didn't get the abortion."
Maggie looks down. "Do you want to meet him?" She asks the ground.
"No." Ezra answers. His face is white enough to where he could be a ghost for halloween without a costume. "Not now." Then he closes the door. He walks quickly past me and into the bathroom. I follow him. "Ezra..."
He goes in the bathroom but leaves the door open allowing me to follow. He falls to his knees and throws up into the toliet. I stand back. He stops gagging, flushes the toliet, closes the lid and leans on it, his face hidden. I stand in the door way waiting for him to speak. But he doesn't. He goes from being so shocked he threw up, to being dead silent, to sobbing. I kneel down next to him but, once again. Don't touch him or say anything. He looks up at me after what seems like a few minutes. "Please, please Aria, tell me that was a trick."
"Ezra..."
"Please."
"Babe,"
"Aria tell me that's not true."
"Ezra. It can be a treat. It doesn't have to be bad. You have a son."
"No." He shakes his head. "No I do not... I'm not a father, I..." He stops. I wrap my arms around his neck. "It's a lot to take in." I say.
"No. I'm not a father, it's not possible... I..."
"Ezra..."
"He has my eyes." He says.
"I know." I say.
There's another knock at the door. "I'll get it." I tell him. "And I'll bring you back a glass of water."
"Okay." He says. "But if that's my long lost sister you had better tell her to come back next year. I've had enough for one day." He cracks a small smile.
I go and hand out candy again. "Happy Halloween!" A middle school girl tells me as she walks away with a group of her friends. "Yeah." I whisper to myself. "Happy halloween."