A dragon with a stick for Halloween
Originally posted on my Facebook, October 30, 2012 at 1:44am
One Halloween, some years back, I packed my preschool son, Julien, into my truck and we made the drive from Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood to Third Street and Magnolia in Burbank, to the Burbank YMCA. My wife Jodi and the talented staff there where hosting a Halloween Party loaded with the promotion of healthy kid activities. I remember that, as I packed Julien into his safety seat he looked up to me and asked, "Do you think we can do it Papa? Do you think we can do it?" Julien was very excited to make this party at the YMCA. He was going to be in costume, sharing the fun of games and food with all his new found pre-school buddies. For several weeks Julien had told both me and Jodi that he wanted to be "A dragon with a stick" for Halloween. Not just a dragon, but - "A dragon with a stick!" In typical fashion at that time, both Jodi and I had let the weeks slip by and we had not purchased a costume for our son. Jodi became concerned that all the dragon costumes would be gone by the time we made it to a store and she started telling Julien that we would most likely have to get him something different to wear. She was preparing him for the worst, yet, hoping for the best. Julien began to worry, so, as a reminder, throughout that week he would ask me, "Do you think we'll find a dragon costume papa?" "We'll find one son. Don't worry." Admittedly, leaving getting the costume for the drive on the way to the party was, perhaps, a bit.., well okay, it was stupid on my part. "We'll get you a dragon costume, with a stick, for sure son." - what else could I say. So, that's exactly what I said to him as I pulled my truck into the costume store along the way. As I parked and pulled him from the car seat, Julien must have asked me seven times, "Papa, are you sure we're going to find a dragon costume?" "Yes, son. Of course, it's a costume store, that's what they do… Dragons with sticks. You bet! We'll find one." The walk around to the storefront from the parking lot was very long for Julien. He was so excited about getting his dragon costume, I could see the anticipation was eating him alive. The walk around to the storefront from the parking lot was very long for me. I was so irritated with myself for having put off getting my son his costume that the anxiety was eating me alive. Inside, a little voice started up in me - it blamed my wife for having put off the purchase. Go figure. As I swung the door open Julien blasted in and rushed the isles as I hesitantly hit a natural stride and slowly, doubtfully, made my way after the boy. "Oh, no papa, they're all gone. I don't see a dragon costume anywhere," he said as he made his way back to me. Panic seized me.., the area around my young son's eyes began to swell and turn red and the beginning of a tear was clearly detectible in the corner of his left eye. I sighed within and looked up out of reflex, like somehow the all omnipotent one would intervene and through miraculous intervention the clouds would part. angels would sing, and god would send me a pint sized Barney costume, or something, along with an appropriate stick - and, low and behold, right there at the top of the shelf I spied the last remaining dragon costume in the store. I spoke in a confident tone. "Son. Look," and I pointed up to the top shelf. And as I reached up and pulled down the package the color began to return to Julien's beautiful kid face. "Now there's no stick. But, I think I have something that will work for a stick out in the truck." Julien jumped and gave a little yell of excitement. "And, it looks like the size is right, and it'll fit you." He could hardly contain himself. I sighed an internal sigh of relief. Outside, of the store that is, I sat my young son on the edge of the passenger seat in the truck. I stood next to him with the door open and we ripped into the package. There, in the parking lot, Julien and I worked the little suit around his little kid body and it fit perfectly. He beamed with joy. I was just happy to not be a schmoe. I pulled the tiny dragon mask from the costume bag. I looked it over and mentioned to Julien that I thought it looked very cool and that "it was an amazing costume." As I handed the mask to him, he looked up, and with the most amazing conviction and sincerity he blurted out - "I knew you could do it papa! I knew you could do it!" All said and done, it's really not much of a Halloween story, but, I can tell you I will never forget the greatness that my four year old son filled me with at that moment. He was sure I possessed astounding atomic magical powers… And he yelled it again. "I knew you could do it papa! From procrastinating schmoe to Halloween hero in an instant - what's not to like about that? The look of amazement in his four year old face, along with the joyous glee he shared indicated to me that, in fact, I did somehow possess astounding atomic magical powers. Anyway, I have this great old picture with Jodi and Julien from a Halloween some years ago and thought I'd share a bit of the story that surrounds the photo.
There's a better YMCA Halloween story where my head gets split open by a candy cart and I ended up spilling blood over three floors of the Burbank YMCA, ending with twelve stitches above my right eye. At the time I was convinced I would end up looking like Frankenstein (for those who may say I started off looking like Frankenstein, I just beat you to it.). I might actually share that story for Halloween one of these years, regardless, in the photo posted with this story, my kid's the one in the dragon costume, and, yes.., my wife's the witch. Not that I call her that. She's the one wearing the witch costume in the photo.
(story by John Reneaud all rights reserved)
John -
