Halloween 09

Halloween Miami Beach, Florida

Always the biggest parade of fun on Lincoln Road.

And this Halloween my friend Lynnia and I were given tickets to see the Color Purple by dear friend Cheryl who would be out of town.

I was eagerly looking forward to it; Lynnia has a great spirit who loves to dress and together we would kill, joining the yearly lavish fun Halloween parade on LIncoln Road after the show. My outfit was wild. Long gold loose pants, a fringed shawl given to me by my friend Clara and over that I wore a red velvet and gold trimmed cape topped off with a straw and gold sequined top hat. Fun was ahead. I will tell you the secret of my cape; you know how they wrap material around a bark of a Xmas tree, well I turned it into a cape.

Cinderella took the bus and heads turned at the bus stop looking at me, but it was surely the easiest way to get there.

Lynnia arrived decked out in a harem costume and by the way out of the thousands in the audience only 5 dressed for Halloween. Are we five that out of the norm? I guess we are! I noticed she did not look as well as she usually does.

The curtain went up and the colorful purple show began. They were doing a great job on stage when Lynnia let out her first sneeze. I knew it was the kind of sneeze with more to come. Now we all know about the flu and protecting ourselves. And me? I am laughed at in my family when anyone shows any signs of a cold, I run and say, “don’t come near me!” Then she stared to sniff, so I turned and asked her, the question of the night. “Are you sick?” “Yes, she said, I just don’t feel well.” Oh my goodness, she actually is sick.

How would I get through the rest of the evening with a person who is coming down with a cold while I am trying to be compassionate towards her? First I moved as far to the end of my seat away from her as I could and when she spoke I covered up my nose and mouth with my red velvet cape. All I could think about was that I was already incubating. The curtain came down and with that she said, “I don’t feel well and want to go home, do you mind, she thinking that our fun night together was ruined and I would be upset. “Oh no, I don’t mind, go home and take care of yourself.” And let me breath please. So the Harem Queen departed. Relieved, sat and watched the second act and here is my review. I loved the movie and watched it many times, it broke my heart and filled me with emotion, the cast so brilliant. I do not understand why they would turn that story into a musical loosing the heartbreak of the book and film. But the characters did what they were told and all did a great job.

All the time I wished I was on Lincoln Road parading around on my own stage.

It finally happily ended and I scooted up the aisle. I would take the bus again to Lincoln Road and avoid the hassle. Walking up the still empty street I ran into my neighbor Rosalie and her husband. We exchanged greetings and she asked if I would like a ride. I was thinking if it would be just as easy for me to go by bus when suddenly I felt something loose on my foot; my gold sandal shoe had just broken. There I was without a right shoe limping; no way to keep it on when I said, “Yes, please I would love a ride,” I removed my shoes now walking completely barefoot. Who cares if I am barefoot, just let me get to Lincoln Road hoping that Rosalie would move swiftly.

It took no time at all to get the car and then the traffic came, the traffic, the traffic. Unimaginable bumper to bumper crawling at a no speed traffic as I quietly sat in the back seat. What if I had been on a bus after having waited for one to come? What is more, I know Lynnia would have only considered a cab to Lincoln, the meter ticking away at hundreds of dollars at this very moment. I sat back happily.

Rosalie was driving only caring about my bare feet. Our shoe sizes did not match and while I was insisting I did not care if I walked bare footed, I just wanted to get to the party scene, she was insisting that she would have to find me a pair of shoes in her closet to fit. She thought about her flip flops; she would run upstairs and get them for me; and so she did along with a plastic bag for the broken shoes. Now this is one fine lady.

I took off on foot, now glad to have the shoes; it was nearing midnight and I could hardly wait to get to the place I REALLY wanted to be on Halloween.

It is hard to describe a true nightmare. There were thousands and thousands of people shoved together in frightening masks and sweaty costumes, pushing together, and only moving just a few steps at a time. Lynnia’s cold? Nothing could compare to being locked in to the masses of people with no outlet coming in either direction. Surely, I would not have survived in bare feet. This went on for blocks, thinking that the next block would have to be better but it only got worse; I never saw anything like it. People actually having fun pushing each other drinking, cursing and sweating more. Have I lost my spirit? Is this what I loved so much for years and years or were there simply the triple amount of people who usually come out or just more sweat?

Somehow, I made my way to Ghiardelli ice cream parlor. I needed a reward. Strawberry ice cream with whipped cream, wonderful as I sat matching the ice cream with my frozen face; the outfit I was wearing now feeling heavy and uncomfortable loosing all of its glamour especially in flip flops. I sneaked down a side street and made my way to the bus home. As I got to the bus stop, it pulled away. Another one came, a mom with her kids giving them hand sanitizer and wipes sat next to me.

Peace and quiet my room finally; throwing my worn out attire on the floor getting into my wonderful bed. Oh Lynnia, I do hope you feel better today and thank you Cheryl for the tickets. Next year I will go to a retreat.