Trick-or-Treat

Growing up, my cousins and I spent a lot of time playing in the horse pasture.

Hidden deep within the thickest brush were marijuana plants growing in five gallon buckets. The plants were marked off with two strands of barbed wire to keep my papaw's workhorse from eating uncle Ronnie's crop. I stood at the base of the buckets, my head tilted back toward the sky as I looked up at those towering plants. Their wispy green leaves swayed in the breeze. Ronnie definitely had a green thumb; no matter what he grew, he raised nice, healthy plants.

Ronnie sold and smoked the marijuana he raised. He kept a red Tupperware container under the couch filled with rolling papers, hemostats, and marijuana. I can still picture him sitting on the couch with that red container in his lap, watching television while he rolled a joint.

One of my favorite memories is trick or treating with my cousins. We piled into the back of Ronnie's white station wagon, empty grocery bags in hand and ready to fill them with candy. Ronnie parked on the edge of the road while we ran from porch to porch, filling bag after bag. He always remembered the houses that gave out the best treats, full size candy bars and cans of pop. There wasn't a set time for trick or treating in the early 90s. We stayed out long after dark. When the candy ran out, porches went dark, and we headed home.

The sharp scent of smoke drifted through the station wagon, escaping through cracked windows. Old rock played on the radio. Ronnies joint glowed red as he took a hit. By the end of the night, I had three full bags of candy, enough to last until next Halloween.

Ronnie passed away a decade ago. I know everyone's judgments are different, but the memories of my uncle will always have a special place in my heart. He enjoyed life, never dwelling on negativity and never holding a grudge. I'll always appreciate his calm presence, his willingness to hand me money, and his readiness to drive me wherever I needed to go, even if it meant riding shotgun and catching a contact buzz.