“Pumpkin season is my favorite season.” I listened to Antonia sign in the backseat and wished I enjoyed pumpkins as much as Antonia did, but I just couldn’t. Fall was my favorite season, but pumpkins were not high on my list. My parents had never let us participate in any Halloween related anything growing up and I still held a bit of resentment toward them.
I had begged and pleaded to be allowed to dress up and hang out with my friends, but I was never allowed for one reason or another. The few people I knew who didn’t celebrate Halloween did so for religious reasons, but my parents had never been to church a single time. Hence, I was angry and confused and just wanted an honest reason why I couldn’t celebrate with my friends.
So, to listen to Antonia ramble on about “pumpkin season” brought up all my past resentments. I could feel the heat building in my chest as I tried to will her to get the hint I was not interested in the season I was never able to participate in. I started to stew even more when she didn’t take my hint of not responding. My mood only got worse when the pumpkins started raining down from the top of the parking garage. Raining even though I knew there were no people on the roof. I had tried many times to get to the top of the garage so I could photograph the surrounding areas, but there was simply no way to get there without a crane. Maybe I should start believing in ghosts. Or maybe I could get Antonia to believe. Maybe it could be a sort of payback for my parents for the lack of surprise and costumes and overall doom October 31 brought every year. Maybe it was time for a certain kind of payback through nightmares.
Standing Room Only 