Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Dad said.

“Yes,” Amy said, “I’m not scared. You need to stay here and give out treats. It’s important to the little kids around here, remember? I was a little kid just last year.

“You’re still my baby.”

“I know, and I always will be. When I’m forty-seven I’ll still be your baby. But in the rest of the world, I’m old enough to go trick or treating with my friends, no parents, remember? You promised.”

“But when I promised, a year seemed like a very long time from then. Did we skip some months this year?”

“Funny Dad. You promised me that when I turned ten, I could go with friends. We will be careful, you know all my friends, Jenny and Bert and Jane Pike and Ted Ramsey. I promise we’ll stay together and be back at Jenny’s house at eight, then Jenny’s Dad will bring us all home.”

“I remember… I just miss going with you.”

“I’m sorry Dad, I can’t stop growing up. But I promise, I’ll always be your little girl.”

“I know.”

“Then, are you OK now?”

“Well…”

“Come on, tell me what…”

“I won’t get any candy…”

“What?! That’s it? That’s the problem?”

“Well… I always dressed up and had my own bag when I took you trick or treating, so I got all those different kinds of candy too. Now I’ll just have the leftovers of what I bought.”

“Dad!!!”

“I know.”

“Tell you what, I’ll share all my candy with you, if you stay here and be the grown-up. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Later: “How did it go telling Amy she wasn’t allowed to eat all her Trick or Treat candy herself ?” asked Gramma

“I got it covered!” Dad said, smiling.