Halloween on Oak Hills Drive chapter 4: 1987
August 28, 1987
"C'mon Angela! We're gonna be late! The movie starts in forty-five minutes and it's new!" yelled Tony up the stairs.
"I'm coming!" said Angela as she came down the stairs, grabbing her purse from Tony.
"It's about time Angela! Remember 101 Dalmatians? We had to sit all the way in front! My neck hurt for a week afterwards! That's not happening again!" he said.
"Relax Tony! We will get there in plenty of time! I want to make sure we get lots of popcorn and candy!" she said. Just then, Mona walked in the back door.
"So what is this movie about again? What's it called?" asked Angela as she was busy looking through her purse for a piece of gum.
"It's called 'Dirty Dancing' Angela…" he said as he rolled his eyes.
"My money's on something religious. Maybe a priest and a nun learn how to square dance…" said Mona sarcastically.
"Very funny Mother! C'mon Tony let's go…" she said as she dragged him out the door, Mona shaking her head as she headed into the kitchen.
Three hours later, a stunned looking Angela and Tony walked through the front door. They had barely said a word to each other after the credits rolled all through the ride home. It wasn't the most risqué movie they had ever seen- heck, the few minutes of that movie playing at that rundown motel near Jonathan's camp was more sexual. Their silence was caused by their racing thoughts of one another. Their thoughts were anything but innocent, reenacting many of those scenes in their minds.
"So how was the movie? Was my priest and nun theory correct?" mused Mona as she sat on the sofa reading a magazine.
"No… no it wasn't…" said Angela as she sat down on one of the side chairs. Tony came and sat across from her on the other side.
"So? Was it good? Was it bad? I mean it's Patrick Swayze for crying out loud!" said Mona.
"It was a good movie okay Mona!" shouted Tony as he sat very uncomfortably in the chair. Samantha came down the stairs a few moments later.
"Hey guys… everything okay?" she asked as she walked into silence, something she was unaccustomed to with the three adults in her life.
"Good question… they go to see one movie together and it's like they forgot how to communicate!" said Mona as she stood up in disgust and walked into the kitchen.
"Wow… so what did you see?" she asked as she sat down on the sofa.
"'Dirty Dancing'…" said Angela as she still couldn't make eye contact with Tony without worrying about blushing.
"Oh wow! Bonnie and I are going to go see that next weekend" she said as both Angela and Tony yelled no at the same time.
"What? It's PG-13! Everyone I know will have seen it!" pleaded Samantha.
"It's not that risqué Tony. All her friends will be seeing it" said Angela as Samantha gave Angela a big smile.
"Alright! You can go…" said Tony, knowing he was outnumbered and would eventually be convinced to let her go.
October 24, 1987
"Let's go everyone! I've got a huge list of chores to do and I need to get back! C'mon let's go!" yelled Tony up the stairs to the missing members of his family. He was met with multiple answers, everything from 'I'm coming' to 'relax Dad.' Finally, Jonathan came downstairs.
"Alright Jonathan! Someone is listening to me! So… you still want to be a Rubik's cube? That sounds like an awesome costume!" said Tony.
"No Tony… the kids in junior high will make fun of me… I need a really cool costume this year! Something people will not make fun of me for wearing…" he said.
"Jonathan you be what you want to be! As long as it's not something that's going to get you sent to military school with Walter…" he said with a chuckle.
"I was thinking of going as a zombie" he said. Just then, Angela came downstairs.
"A zombie? I thought you wanted to go as a Rubik's cube? You'd be so adorable in that costume!" gushed Angela as she came over and gave Jonathan a hug.
"Mom! No way! I don't want a cute or an adorable costume! I'm in junior high Mom! Tony, can you help me make my costume really gruesome?" asked Jonathan. Tony gave Angela a quick glance. They had been having more nighttime chats the past few nights over how to handle Jonathan's new found independence and recent struggles to fit in.
"Sure buddy! We can figure something out! C'mon Samantha let's go!" he shouted once again up the stairs. Finally, she came downstairs, rolling her eyes at Tony.
"So what are you going to be this year?" asked Angela, hoping to break the tension.
"If they have my size at the store, I'm going to go as Baby from 'Dirty Dancing!'"she said.
"Over my dead body!" yelled Tony as Angela got in between the father and daughter.
"How about we head to the store and see what they have for everyone? Tony and I need to get costumes too for the party" she said as she put her arm around Samantha and headed out the front door. Jonathan followed them out as Tony took a few deep breaths and headed out behind them all.
Tony drove the van to the Halloween store and found a spot in the parking lot. They all headed into the store. Jonathan immediately dragged Tony towards the zombie section, while Samantha dragged Angela to the movie section.
"Okay Tony! The gorier the better!" he said as he looked up and down the aisle.
"Let's just find the costume first and then go from there. How about this one?" he asked as he pulled out a generic zombie costume.
"That's kinda babyish Tony. There's barely any blood and guts on it!" he said with disgust.
"Well we can always put some embellishments on it! Let's just not go overboard and have you sent back to the principal's office! Or worse, your Mom and I being called back!" he joked as he messed up Jonathan's hair.
"Okay Tony! But let's get the fake blood and brains! Can't be a zombie without those!" he said as he ran to get more accessories.
Angela and Samantha didn't have to go far to find the 'Dirty Dancing' section. There seemed to be a hundred different costumes for all the characters. They found Jennifer Grey's iconic light pink dress but they didn't have it in her size.
"Come on! They have it in every size but mine! That's not fair!" she pouted.
"Well how about one of the other characters? Or not…" she said as she looked at some of the other women's costumes and the lack of clothing. She knew Tony would have a fit if she was to wear any of them and to be honest, Angela wouldn't allow it either.
"Maybe there's something else for a costume. I still have to figure out my costume this year. Now that the agency is doing well I can actually go back to our… I mean the party" said Angela.
"Well if I can't be Baby then you should! Look they have your size and everything! And you and Dad already know the movie since you saw it over the summer! Dad can be Johnny!" she practically squealed.
"Oh no! I can't be Baby…" she said unconvincingly as she pulled out the costume and looked it over.
"Yes you can! Dad just needs black jeans and a black t-shirt! You two would be so cute together! It beats the last costume you two coordinated! At least this one people under fifty will understand!" laughed Samantha.
"Alright… I'll see if I can convince your father. C'mon let's see if they found anything yet!" said Angela as she put her arm around Samantha and headed to the front.
Tony was looking over some costumes up by the front as Jonathan finished up finding all the paint and accessories he needed. He saw Samantha and Angela walking towards him, a smile coming across his face. He loved the way Angela took Samantha under her wing and treated and loved her like she was her real daughter. He had also come to the realization after the whole Frankie debacle that he loved more than that; he loved Angela. He was in love with her; there could never be anything serious between him and any other woman.
"Dad… Dad… Dad!" shouted Samantha as Tony finally snapped out of his daydream.
"What? You don't have to yell! Did you find something Sam?" he asked as he saw the 'Dirty Dancing' costume in Angela's hand.
"No… they didn't have my size. I think I'll convince Bonnie to go as one of the Pink Ladies from Grease. However… they had the costume for Baby in Angela's size… so you know what that means Dad…" she said with a satisfied smile on her face. Tony, on the other hand, looked like a deer in the headlights.
"So Samantha thinks since I'm going as Baby, you should go as Johnny…" she said, enjoying the look of shock and fear on Tony's face. Things had gotten even more flirty and intense between them since the whole Frankie ordeal and her confession to Dr. Bellows. It was terrifying and thrilling all at once to have come to the conclusion that she loved Tony. She had on some level known it for years now, but to be able to say it out loud to someone felt… freeing.
"You… you're going… as Baby?" he stuttered as he looked from the costume back to Angela.
"Yes… I mean we both saw the movie so we at least know who we are supposed to be. It could be fun! I'm sure there will be dozens of us at the party so we will just blend in…" she said. She was momentarily lost in her own thoughts of Tony holding her close, swaying to the music of the soundtrack she embarrassingly knew almost by heart.
"True… I guess we could go. Do they have a costume for it?" he asked.
"You only need black jeans and a tight black shirt!" said Samantha.
"And you've got both of those already in your closet. We might need to shrink them though. Patrick Swayze's clothes fit very snuggly…" she said as she pictured Tony in the tight clothing. She had to stop herself before her face started to flush even more.
"Mom! Look at my costume! It's going to be so gross when Tony and I put the finishing touches on it!" he said as he practically threw the costume in her face, helping to bring her back to the present moment.
"Not too gory Angela- no more trips this term to the principal's office!" joked Tony. Angela just rolled her eyes as she grabbed the costumes and headed to the register. She quickly paid for their costumes and headed back to the car.
October 31, 1987
Tony put the final touches on his costume. Once the shock of the two of them going as a very sexually charged couple wore off, he started getting very excited for the party. He took a look at himself in the mirror. He was able to find a short sleeved black shirt and black jeans, which he did end up putting in the dryer to make them a bit tighter. He was able to find a pair of short black boots at a thrift store a few towns over. He knew he'd never wear them again so he didn't want to spend good money on a new pair. He had slicked back his hair to look as much like Patrick Swayze as possible and then headed out of his room.
Angela was also putting the final touches on her costume. The dress was shorter than she had anticipated but it did manage to show off her legs. She found a pair of light pink flats to wear. Her hair wasn't Jennifer Grey's but she was able to scrunch it up to a similar style. She checked her makeup again and gave herself a once over in the mirror. She grabbed her purse and headed out of her room.
"Wow Angela… you look… you look beautiful! No one's going to put Baby in a corner tonight…" he said with a smirk as they met in the hallway in front of their rooms.
"I should collect a dollar for every time someone says that to me tonight! I'll be rich! You… you look very… nice too Tony. Black is your color…" she said as her eyes ran up and down the length of his body.
"Shall we head downstairs?" he asked as he held out his hand to her. They headed downstairs and were welcomed with whistles and some clapping from Samantha and her new boyfriend Jesse.
"Looking good you two! Best costumes there I bet!" said Samantha.
"Yes Mr. Micelli and Mrs. Bower- you look very nice tonight!" said Jesse.
"How did the two of you coordinate costumes so quickly?" asked Angela as Tony got her coat.
"Well I was already thinking about being Michael J. Fox's character from 'Back to the Future.' The science behind the movie is fascinating and way ahead of it's time so…" he started to say as Samantha cut him off.
"So I decided to be the girlfriend! So is it alright if we watch a movie here tonight? Jonathan should be home soon so the dweeb won't leave us alone I'm sure…" she said with a roll of her eyes.
"Yes that's fine but lights on and Jesse leaves at ten on the dot, not a minute later! Make sure you lock up and no one else is allowed in, do you hear me?" asked Tony.
"The neighbors heard you Tony…" said Mona as she walked through the back door. She was dressed as a 1920's flapper, including the headpiece, high heels and matching jewelry. Her dress was quite low cut in the front and extremely short.
"Mother! Again with the low cut, short dress! Really…" she said as she gave her a disappointing look.
"I can and I will say the same for you Miss Dirty Dancing. Tony will be fighting off a line of guys wanting to keep Baby in a corner all night, if you catch my drift…" said Mona.
"Let them try…" he said under his breath, just loud enough for Angela to hear. She had to suppress a smile that was forming on her lips as she tried in vain to keep her composure.
"So Mona you coming with us or you have a better offer?" asked Tony as he took her jacket and helped her into it.
"Yes and yes… but I guess I should get a ride there. If I need one home, I did something wrong…" she said as she headed out the door. Tony and Angela just shook their heads as they followed her out to the car.
They arrived a short while later at the party. Mona walked off as soon as they got there and neither of them saw her again the rest of the night. Ironically, they found a table in the corner and sat down. They counted at least five other couples dressed as Johnny and Baby but no one looked as good as they looked, at least according to them.
"Can I get you a drink?" asked Tony as he helped her sit down.
"A martini please!" she said as he headed over to the bar. He grabbed their drinks and sat back down.
"There's a dance contest later! We should do it!" said Tony as he took a sip of his beer.
"Why not? Maybe we should practice…" she said seductively.
"Maybe we should…" he said as he stood up just like in the movie and escorted Angela to the dance floor. They spent a few songs dancing with each other. Tony noticed a few men staring at Angela, his jealousy creeping in. He properly twirled and spun her around to avoid starting a fight. Angela noticed some women practically drooling over Tony. She couldn't help the jealousy that was rising inside.
"Excuse me… may I have this dance?" asked one of the men Tony had seen staring.
"If she's going with him, can I have a spin with you Johnny?" asked one of the women from the crowd.
Both Angela and Tony looked over at the man and woman, then turned their attention back to each other. They both couldn't help but think about the Ferguson's wedding. Geoffrey with a G had been a distant memory since earlier this year but they were both brought back to that pivotal moment when Geoffrey stepped into their lives. Angela said a silent prayer history wouldn't be repeating itself.
"Thanks but no thanks… you can't split up Johnny and Baby" he said as he pulled her closer to his body.
"C'mon buddy… give us poor guys a chance to dance with the prettiest woman in here!" the guy said.
"Look buddy… she's here with me tonight. Maybe another time…" he said.
"I don't see a ring on her finger… so don't you think it should be the lady's call?" he said as he put his hand on Angela's lower back.
"Kindly remove your hand or I will remove it for you! You heard the man, I'm taken!" she said as she turned around to look him in the eye. The guy just stood there, not believing what he was hearing. Finally, Angela turned back to Tony and planted a passionate kiss on his lips, taking both their breaths away. By the time they came up for air, they were alone once again.
"Wow… that was… something else!" said Tony as he willed the blood flow to return to other parts of his body. Angela could sense, and feel, that Tony needed a bit of space between them so she led him off the dance floor and back to their table. She ordered them another drink as they sat and listened to the band.
"Thank you for standing up for me tonight and staying with me…" she said as she silently acknowledged what they were both thinking.
"Of course Angela! We came here together and we will leave here together. I may not be the smartest guy in the room but I ain't dumb enough to make the same mistake twice…" he said as he picked up her hand and placed a gentle kiss on top. She smiled at the gesture and squeezed his hand back in return.
"Looks like they're about to start the dance contest… shall we?" he said as he stood up and helped her to her feet.
"Lead the way Johnny…" she said as they walked hand in hand onto the dance floor.