I am listening to the sound of my shoes as I walk down the main street of my town. One of them is making a squeaking noise. It�s not really bothering me, but I know other people can hear it too. I don�t much like being the centre of attention. I think I will buy a new pair later this afternoon. These are about done anyway.
I just came from my new bank, The Bank of Nova Scotia. I always felt like me old bank was always trying to rip me off. On more than one occasion it seemed like there was more money taken of my account than what there should have been. I mean, I know about service charges, but I don�t believe that was the problem. Maybe it�s just me.
I go back to listening to my shoes, the constant, steady �Squeak�squeak�squeak��
I watch people looking at me. A little boy giggles as I walk past him. His mother tells him to �Hush up!� as she yanks the boys arm, pulling him away from me. I laugh at him quietly as he is being dragged away and I stick my tongue out at him. He puts on a grumpy face and they disappear around a corner.
It�s a nice day. There is a fresh breeze blowing only enough to move the hair from the front of your face. It�s almost warm out and there is not a cloud in the sky. The leaves in the trees are changing colour and some are slowly falling to the ground. You can smell October creeping up. Soon the kids will be out trick-or-treating, collecting bags full of candy.
I remember almost every year I went out for Halloween. When I was younger my parents took me out around the neighborhood while my grandmother would stay home and pass out the treats. She used to dress up as a witch. She could make it work too. The first time I saw her I was scared to give her a hug before my parents and I went out. I cried until my mother picked me up and took me outside. A couple of other years she dressed up as other things, but dressing as the witch was her specialty. It just looked so real.
When I was twelve, my parents let me go out alone. I told them that I�d be okay and that I wasn�t scared. Although I was just a little, even if I had some of my friends with me.
I notice a guy walking towards me. He has a five o�clock shadow starting to appear. His hair is blonde, cut to his eats and flowing in the slight breeze. He is opening his mouth. I am ready for him. He starts to talk. �Hey, man, your shoe is�� �Yeah, thanks I know!� I shoot at him. I half smile as he walks past me. You weren�t expecting that now were you, Mr. State the Obvious.
Two of my friends came over around 4:00PM. We all got dressed up together. Sam Bryson was dressed as a Dalmatian, while Jenny Ennis was Raggedy Anne. I was a Fireman. My mom said that we all looked very cute. I could feel my cheeks turning red as I blushed. �Mooooomm!� I groaned.
�What? You do. I can�t help it.� She said between laughs.
She got us all to stand together as she took pictures of us. We all made funny faces at her and the camera. I used to be the �King of Funny Faces�. I had this face I�d always make that involved me stretching my mouth with my thumbs, sticking out my tongue, making my nostrils big with my pinkie fingers, pulling down my eye sockets with my index fingers and rolling my eyes back until all you could see were the whites. Sometimes I still do it in a mirror just to see it I can.
I gave my mom and dad a hug. My grandmother stood by the door. I ran over and gave her a hug and kiss, too. She wasn�t a witch this year. I could hear my mom whispering something to my dad, but I couldn�t quite make out what she was saying. My friends and I made our way out to the front yard and figured out which way we would go first.
�I hear Marcus Avenue has a lot of good houses. Why don�t we try there first?� Sam Suggested.
�Sounds good to me.� Jenny agreed.
They both looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders. �Well lets get going then, we got some bags to fill.� And we laughed and ran toward Marcus Avenue.
I looked back while we were running and I saw my father slipping out the front door. Mom must have asked him to keep and eye on us when they were whispering earlier. I was a little bit relieved knowing that he would be around, just in case.
I felt so big, like a grown up, being out with out any parental supervision, aside from my dad hanging way back so my friends and I don�t notice him. Jenny and Sam were holding hands as we walked. Sam said that he and Jenny were �Going out� a few weeks earlier. I remember asking him what that meant.