Halloween on Oak Hills Drive: Chapter 2 1985
August 22, 1985
The weeks after the family's visit to Jonathan's camp sped by until it was time to go pick him back up. Mona decided to stay home this trip and Samantha had a sleepover with Marci so it was just Tony and Angela making the solo trip. They went through every topic imaginable to avoid talking about the huge elephant in the room. Finally, when the topics became ridiculous- from the weather to the type of laundry detergent he uses- Tony decided to pull the metaphorical bandaid off.
"I still can't believe it was us all those years ago…" he said wistfully.
"I know… I appreciate you not telling anyone. It would be all Mother and Samantha would be talking about for weeks. They'd be planning our wedding by Halloween!" she chuckled.
"Tell me about it! They'd have us married, on a honeymoon and having our first kid together… Mona Jr!" he laughed.
"So I guess it will be our little secret then… it's kinda nice, only us knowing. I've never had a secret like this before… at least with someone I'm still in contact with!" she chuckled as she thought back to her college days with Bryan, Bryan Thomas.
"Oh this sounds juicy! Inquiring minds want to know!" laughed Tony.
"Oh it's nothing too juicy. Just typical college stuff… you're telling me you don't have a few skeletons in your closet?" she asked, deflecting the conversation back on him.
"Of course I do! It's the one closet I never clean out!" he laughed, causing her to laugh at the corny joke.
"Well maybe one day those skeletons will find their way out… Halloween will be here before you know it. Any ideas on your costume this year?" she asked.
"No idea! Dracula was such a good one last year! Will be hard to top!" he said.
"I'm almost positive I'll get another invite to the Starlight Lounge for Wendy's party. Last year was so boring. I kept avoiding a creepy Batman the entire night!" she said.
"A creepy Batman? Not the caped crusader! What would Robin say?" he chuckled.
"So if I do get invited… any chance you'd like to accompany me? To protect me from the masked crusader…" she said.
"It's the caped crusader Angela! And… sure why not! We can get a babysitter once the kids are back from trick or treating!" he said.
"Great! I mean great… it will be good to have a night out!" she said. They both smiled at one another as they continued the drive to the camp.
October 26, 1985
The Saturday before Halloween was the day the family set aside to go costume shopping. Angela had received her invitation to the costume party a few days earlier and confirmed with Tony he was still willing and able to go with her, which he was. The family gathered around the kitchen table eating breakfast as they discussed their costumes.
"So kids, what are you thinking about for your costumes this year?" asked Angela.
"So Marci and I are going as Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy's characters from The Breakfast Club!" squealed Samantha as she continued to eat her pancakes.
"Oh that sounds like fun!" said Angela as she sipped her juice.
"How about you Jonathan? Any thoughts on what you will go as?" asked Tony as he sat down with his plate of pancakes.
"Pee Wee Herman!" said Jonathan with a mouth full of pancakes.
"The dweeb dressing up as a dork! Original!" laughed Samantha as Tony gave her one of his famous dad stares.
"Sorry…" she said as she went back to eating. Just then, Mona walked in the back door wearing a very revealing black dress. The sleeves were off the shoulders and very low cut in the front. She had on white, elbow length gloves plus a long white shawl draped over her shoulders. She was carrying a gold candlestick in her hand as she twirled around, showing off her figure.
"Way to go Mona! Just getting back from a date?" asked Tony.
"Yes but I wanted to show off my costume for my party next week! I'm going as Miss
Scarlett from that new movie Clue that comes out in a few months" she said.
"Like the board game Grandma?" asked Jonathan.
"If my date plays his cards right… Miss Scarlett in the bedroom with the…" started Mona as both Tony and Angela shouted out her name.
"Alright everybody! If we are going to get costumes today we better get there soon!" said Angela as she was anxious to change the subject and get the children out of Miss Scarlett's way.
The family jumped into Angela's jag and headed to the Halloween store. Once inside, Angela recognized the saleswoman from last year. She suspected that the four of them looked even more like a family this year than last year.
"So Samantha and Jonathan, you head to the sections to find what you need for your costumes. Tony and I will be looking around for our ones" she said as the kids took off towards their section.
"So any thoughts as to what you wanna be Angela?" he asked as they walked down the different aisles.
"I don't know… something less… revealing than last year I think…" she said. She had to stifle a laugh as she saw the very blatant disappointed look on Tony's face.
"Well maybe a little revealing or… alluring…" she said as she couldn't help the lower octave that came out of her mouth.
"Umm… well hopefully you find something that fits… I mean fitting… I mean something that you'd like to wear. Is it getting hot in here?" he asked as he took off his jacket.
"Why don't we split up and see if we can find something. I'll meet you up at the front" she said as she headed down another aisle, secretly loving the effect she had on him.
'Pull it together Micelli! She's your boss, not some girl back in Brooklyn! She's outta your league! She's your… Ingrid…your first kiss, your first love…" he thought to himself.
It was at that moment that he realized the perfect costume. He practically ran down the aisles looking to see if they had what he was looking for. He knew he didn't need much but some additional accessories. He nearly jumped for joy when he found what he was looking for. He found Samantha and quickly paid for both their costumes. He wanted his costume to be a surprise.
Meanwhile, Angela was at a loss for her costume. She passed mermaids and witches and a whole section that could have been called 'Mona's Corner.' Nothing caught her eye, which was causing her more frustration.
'Think Angela! What costume looks appealing? Which one would look good on me? Which one would Tony like to see me in… oh Angela stop it! He's your housekeeper! He'd never go for someone like me! I'm as far away from his type as Brooklyn is from Connecticut… yet, we still did manage to find each other after all these years…" she thought to herself.
It was at that moment that she realized the perfect costume. She searched the next section and found the costume she was looking for, with some additional accessories she could pick up after work one night. She quickly headed up to the cashier. She saw Tony already paid for their costumes. She quickly found Jonathan and took his costume.
"Why don't the three of you head over to the pizza place next door? We can grab an early lunch!" she said as she tried to discreetly hide her costume underneath Jonathan's. Tony eyed her suspiciously but ushered the kids out the door. She quickly paid for the costumes and joined them at the pizzeria.
October 31, 1985
The Bower/Micelli household was up earlier than normal, all four family members excited for the day. Tony decided to hold off changing into his costume until he and Angela were ready for their party. They were able to convince Mona to hold off her Halloween night and watch the kids since they wouldn't be out too late. Tony was cooking breakfast for everyone when Samantha and Jonathan came into the kitchen.
"So what do you think Dad?" asked Samantha as she twirled around. She was dressed in head to toe black- a black oversized sweater, dark patterned skirt, leggings, shoes and a large black purse she must have borrowed from Angela.
"Who are you supposed to be again? The mortician's daughter?" he asked, half joking, half serious.
"Dad! I'm Ally Sheedy's character from The Breakfast Club! Marci is going as Molly Ringwald's character! Get with it Dad!" she said as she sat down.
"Yeah she's the freak!" laughed Jonathan as Tony gave him a look.
"He's right Dad! Although if you call me that outside of today, you will find out what the inside of the school's garbage can looks like!" she said.
"Alright enough you two! Make sure you are both home after school to go trick or treating!" said Tony.
"Okay Tony!" said Jonathan as he did his best Pee Wee Herman impression. He was dressed in a gray suit, red bow tie and white shoes. Tony thought he looked adorable but would never say it.
"You, Steven and I will get a head start this year and yes, I know Samantha, we will stay at least four houses ahead of you and Marci…" he said as he rolled his eyes. Angela came down just as breakfast was being cleaned up.
"Good morning everyone! Happy Halloween!" she said as she sat down and took a sip of her coffee.
"Morning Angela!" "Morning Mom!" they said in unison as they kissed Angela before heading out the door.
"So we still good for tonight? Mona's all set… surprisingly!" laughed Tony.
"Yes! I'll be getting the early train and should be home before dinner. I can't wait for the party tonight! Your costume all set?" she asked.
"Yes it is! Perfect! We should be back by then and we can all have dinner together before the party!" he said, his excitement over being able to spend the night with Angela coming through loud and clear.
Angela couldn't help but laugh at his excitement. If she had been honest with herself, she would have shared with him her own excitement. The night she bought the costume, she could hardly sleep. Ever since their night at camp, well actually their first drunken kiss, she found herself daydreaming about him. It started out innocently enough- he was gorgeous so it made sense her mind would often picture him without a shirt or imagining what his arms felt like wrapping around her body, but the dreams she'd been having lately were different. They were domestic- helping fold the laundry, doing the cooking together, going on vacation as a couple. The dreams weren't just about lust, they were about love. She shook her head and tried to focus on the present moment.
"It's a date then! I mean… some adult time away from the house without the kids… okay I should get to work!" she said as she took a final sip of her juice as she took her cups to the sink. She headed out the door to her car to head to the train, hoping she could focus enough to actual get some work done.
By dinnertime, both kids were running on pure adrenaline as they raced through the front door with huge bags of acquired candy. Tony dragged himself through the door, exhausted from the hours of trick or treating. Angela came through the front door shortly afterwards, greeting the family as they all sat down for dinner. Tony perked up as he thought of his costume and spending the night with Angela. Once dinner was finished, Tony and Angela headed upstairs to change and get ready.
"Alright kids! Let's pick a scary movie to watch and pig out on candy while your parents are ditching us to party!" said Mona as she sat down on the sofa, Jonathan and Samantha sat down on either side of her.
"Only a few pieces of candy and then regular bedtime!" said Tony as he overheard the conversation on his way down the stairs.
"Who are you supposed to be Tony?" asked Jonathan as he looked at Tony.
"Humphrey Bogart from Casablanca!" he said as he spun around, his raincoat spinning along with him. He was wearing a white button down dress shirt and tie, plus his signature fedora hat.
"Who?" asked Samantha and Jonathan in unison again.
"He's a famous actor from… never mind! It's kinda an inside joke with… someone" he said. He was barely able to finish his sentence when Angela came down the stairs. She was wearing a cream colored suit and skirt combination with white gloves, a small blue purse, heels and a hat similar to Tony's only tan and black.
"What is this a Halloween or an oldies party?" asked Samantha as she looked over Angela's costume. Neither Tony nor Angela heard her words as their eyes were glued to one another, running up and down each other, taking everything in.
"Casablanca…" they both said together as they started hysterically laughing. They both were almost doubled over as three sets of eyes looked over at them in disbelief.
"What's so funny?" asked Jonathan.
"Well we are both dressed as characters from the same movie and didn't discuss it ahead of time!" she laughed.
"Great minds think alike!" he said as he grabbed her coat. He held hers open as she stepped into it, taking a few extra moments to enjoy the closeness of one another.
"So Humphrey… shall we?" she said in a sultry voice.
"After you… Ingrid…" he said, the smiles never leaving their faces as they headed out the door.
By 10:00pm, the three of them had fallen asleep on the sofa, candy wrappers covering the sofa around them. Mona started to stir as Jonathan kicked her in the ribs. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She gently woke up both kids and helped them up the stairs to their rooms. Once they were all tucked in and back asleep, she headed downstairs. She heard the car doors shut and footsteps coming up the pathway.
As usual, curiosity got the best of her when the front door didn't automatically open. She snuck over to the front window and peaked out just in time to see Tony place his hand on Angela's face and pull her into a deep, passionate kiss. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and thought for a moment she was still dreaming until they finally pulled back. Their arms were still wrapped around each other as Mona stepped away from the window.
"Hot damn! Humphrey and Ingrid at it again… wait a minute. Ingrid? Ingrid? Ingrid!" she practically yelled as the realization finally dawned on her.