Eighteen years ago on Halloween, the long-anticipated but still surprising happened in Richmond, Virginia. No, it wasn’t a visit from The Great Pumpkin, though some who’ve spent a little too much time out at Ashland Berry Farm in the pumpkin patches may try to tell you otherwise.My sister Mary was nine and a half, and I had turned eleven just five days before the events that changed our family forever transpired. My grandma helped us finish getting ready to go trick-or-treating after my dad drove my mom to the hospital.
Nikki, my friend from our neighborhood, and her dad offered to take us trick-or-treating. There weren’t many houses on the street where we lived, so he was going to drive us to an apartment complex where we could get lots of candy. We climbed into the backseat of Mr. Wilcox’s car with our pillowcases ready.
The temperature was comfortable even after dark, so he put the windows down and opened the moon roof. He blasted “Monster Mash” from the stereo and kept it on repeat as we went from one door to the next collecting tons of candy.
We’d been out for a while trick-or-treating and had become so accustomed to the “Monster Mash” blaring that we were surprised when it stopped suddenly. He called us over to the car. I wondered if something was wrong. As we walked across the lawn, we saw him on his car phone.
A moment after hanging up, he shouted out, “Guess what girls? You have a new baby sister!”
A huge smile spread across my face, and I stood there in a semi-shocked state. Mary and I took a moment to let it sink in that our baby sister had been born.
From then on, my mom talked about how we went out and all we got was candy, but she brought home the real treat.
It’s hard to believe my cute little baby sister who I loved to help take care of has grown up. Fortunately, some things about her remain the same as when she was little. She still wears costumes regularly (though now she limits her decorative attire to dance performances and special occasions). She loves to dance, listen to music, laugh, and make others crack up. She has a good sense of humor and a definite mischievous streak. She knows how to have fun and tends to look on the bright side of things.
Theresa, you have definitely brought a great deal of joy to our family over the years! We love you, my dear—always have and always will.
