The Halloween Hangup

Thunk.

Jane closed her trunk over her midnight Gotham City display for the community trunk-or-treat and picked stray lint off her black sweats. Then she looked around the parking lot at other young and old families closing up their trunks too.

Her brother James waved goodbye as he buckled in his two-year-old Spider-Man, Braxton. Of course, Jane's mom hovered around pregnant daughter-in-law Darla, wearing a Dr. Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirt over her distended belly. Then Darla quickly waved to Jane and pointed down at Mom.

"Hey Mom, come help me!" Jane called.

"Yes?" Mom pivoted, and Darla slipped into the passenger seat.

Two car doors closed, and the engine revved. James, Darla, and Braxton waved to Mom as they reversed their black SUV. Mom frowned and walked toward Jane. "I was talking too long again, I take it," she huffed.

"Sorry, Mom. They've got to go back home at some point." Jane tucked her mouse-brown hair back under her black hoodie and cat ears.

"But they're so far away! I never get to see my grandson or my future grandkids, unless--" Mom turned toward her daughter and patted her blackened cheek-- "you get married and start popping kids out."

Jane laughed while she lifted her mom's palm covered in black face paint. Mom glared at her blackened hand.

"Here, Mom," Jane held out my arm. "Just wipe it on my sleeve."

"You know, Darla says she knows someone to set you up with." Mom wiped what face paint she could onto Jane's hoodie sleeve. "He's recently divorced. Poor guy. His ex wanted to open the marriage, and he said no."

Jane reached down and picked up a few candy wrappers to distract her mother. "Maybe you and Dad should winter in Florida, so you see Braxton and the future twins more often."

"You're right!" Mom hugged Jane. "I can't believe I hadn't thought of that." She released her daughter. "I better go home and tell your father."

With relief, Jane watched her mother leave the parking lot. She leaned against her compact car and gazed at the moon. Why did everyone want to set her up? Especially with some divorced dude who still hadn't recovered from the betrayal trauma? But she was always the blind-date plain Jane. In her 20s, guys had always passed her over for the standout beauties, so now she was the first rebound blind date.

Jane then looked at her baggy, slapped-together Catwoman costume. Maybe she should buy nicer clothes. Tears streaked down her face, and she wiped her cheeks with her sleeves. The hoodie was dirty anyway.

Then she saw a black-gloved hand offer her toilet paper. A gruff voice said, "Here. Some zombie left this behind. I figure you can use it more than the zombie now."

"I suppose so. But are you sure it's from a zombie and not from a leftover bathroom trip?" Jane took the toilet paper and dabbed at her tears. Then she looked at a Batman in a well-muscled costume.

He laughed, but not in the fake Batman growl.

Catwoman looked up, and her Batman was gone.

*************

Mike strode away to find his teenage nephews who were picking up discarded candy wrappers across the parking lot. He was tempted to stay by the cozy-looking Catwoman who seemed so down-to-earth, but he needed to go home.

In fact, he wanted to cry himself to sleep after he'd seen the pregnant lady and the grandma chat. This would've been about the time his baby was due. But his baby was no more--along with his marriage.

Mike approached his beat-up truck and saw his two nephews already in the cab. Their phones lit up their pimply faces while they laughed at some YouTube short. He climbed in, and his nephews glanced up.

"Ready?" He clicked his seatbelt. His nephews nodded and patted their shoulder belts they'd already put on.