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“There’s just so much to do. And it’s not your fault you’re busy, you deserve your own life, but I don’t know how to do it all. Getting Christopher’s costume ready, mine, the candy, then figuring out how to fit dinner, trick-or-treating and giving out candy all into this one evening.”
Eddie was trying to organise everything for that night and making a list of everything he had to do in the next few hours, he was feeling overwhelmed with it all. Carla had come by to bring him the costume Christopher and she had picked out a few weeks earlier. She’d brought it home for a few small adjustments. She put a hand on his forearm to stop him for a second.
“You don’t have to do it all.”
“Giving out candy after coming home from trick-or-treating is our tradition, I don’t want to give it up. Especially since soon enough Christopher will want to go trick-or-treating with his friends and I’ll be left all alone at home passing out candy without him.”
“What I meant was, maybe it’s time to invite someone else into your tradition. Don’t you have a handsome close friend who can cook and would be all too happy to spend Halloween with you both?”
“What are you implying?”
“Nothing. All I’m saying is, it might be easier to get it all done if you ask for help. And you might even end up with someone to keep you company once Christopher starts going without you.”
“It’s way too last minute, Halloween is tonight.”
“Sure, Buck would never just drop everything to come spend time with you two. Just like he’d never spend his free time building a skateboard for your kid.”
“Fine, I’ll call him and ask.”
“Good. I have to go, have a nice night.”
Carla hugged him and went home. Apparently, her husband had something planned for them and Eddie was happy she’d get to enjoy a nice evening. With all she did for him, she deserved to be taken care of too.
An hour later Buck was into his kitchen, cooking dinner. As soon as Eddie asked him if he was busy, he’d said he was on his way, with a costume, and would pick up Christopher from school on his way. It was such a relief for Eddie to hear, and knowing he was getting help tonight allowed him to get some things done. He found Christopher’s trick-or-treating bag at the bottom of a drawer and he started putting all the candy in a bowl for passing out.
“Diaz boys, dinner is ready!”
“Please, Buck, never say that again,” Christopher said as he sat at the table, eager to eat so he could get ready to head out.
“What? That dinner is ready? No problem, next time I’ll do the Halloween prep and let your dad cook dinner.”
“No! Diaz boys. You have to keep cooking, please. You should move in and cook all the time.”
“My cooking is not that terrible, you two are exaggerating,” Eddie protested, though he stayed all smiles.
“Wow, protesting the veiled insult at your cooking skills instead of saying anything about the suggestion that I move in, you really do love having me around.”
Eddie’s mouth gaped open and Christopher laughed. These two were definitely messing with him. They must’ve made a plan on the drive home. He’d be angry if he didn’t love them both so much. But the idea of them getting along so well and conspiring against him actually made him melt a little inside. As though they were a family.
“Alright, time to get back to serious business,” Buck said. “After dinner, you two should go trick-or-treating. I’ll hold down the fort here and you can join me when you’re done.”
“Are you sure? Don’t you want to come with?” Eddie asked.
“No, you don’t need me. Enjoy some father-son time. I’ll be here, waiting for you when you get back.”
They finished eating and Eddie and Christopher both went to their rooms to change into their costumes before heading out. They had a great time and it felt just like it did every other year. It was why traditions were so comforting, giving you the illusion that the good moments in life could always stay the same.
“Dad?” Christopher said about halfway through their run.
“What is it, Chris?”
“I love spending Halloween with you, but next year I think I want to go with my friends instead.”
“I figured it was only a matter of time.”
“You’re not upset?”
“No. I wish you could stay my little boy forever, but I love watching you grow up like this. I’m so proud of you, Chris.”
They hugged it out then kept going. As promised, Buck was waiting for them when they got home. He pretended they were just another group of trick-or-treaters when they arrived, and added some candy in Christopher’s bag. While Eddie sat down at the kitchen table to check what they got, Christopher stayed at the door with Buck to give out candy to other kids.
Eddie joined them once he was done, candy in hand, and they spent the rest of the night eating almost as much candy as they passed around. He wondered how his son would ever sleep. He could hear him banging on the bathroom counter as he brushed his teeth, a sugar rush hitting him strong.
“Thank you for tonight, Buck, it really helped having you here,” Eddie said once he’d come back from tucking an over energised Christopher into bed. He was a little surprised to find his friend still there, but he was happy to see him.
“You know you can always call me, no matter what.”
Buck stood from the couch and walked closer to Eddie, maybe a little closer than most people usually got.
“I know. But I feel bad always having you help us. You have a life too.”
“What if spending time with you is what I want from life?”
Eddie couldn’t resist anymore. On an impulse, he reached for Buck’s head, cupped his face with his hands, pulled him closer and kissed him. And when Buck’s arms wrapped around his waist, Eddie knew a new phase in their relationship had just begun.