Never one to miss an opportunity to play dress up, especially during my favorite holiday, I planned to debut my “zipper face” costume. Strike one: not finding the premade kit at Spirit of Halloween. Strike two: the process not working out like the numerous videos said it would. There was no strike three because I saw the writing on the wall and pivoted.
Fortunately, my sister had been painting my face since I was a child and she regularly runs a face painting table at events year round, so she literally helped a sister out by painting half my face and adorning the painted half with gems. I glittered my lips.
Although only half my face was painted, the main reason my friends didn’t recognize me was due to the wig. I learned years ago that if I wanted to be incognito, all I had to do was hide my locks. When I greeted people, they recognized my voice, which proves how much I normally talk during dance class.
During the middle of the dance showcase, Mom called my sister, requesting that we pick up some evaporated canned milk. As my sister speculated about what Mom had planned to cook, all I could think of was the looks we’d get in costume, under the harsh fluorescent lights of a grocery store. She was dressed as “Pumpkin Spice” with me dressed like “Half Moon.” Both characters of our own imagination.
The joke was truly on us: turned out that Mom hadn’t actually needed any evaporated milk. She didn’t bother to check the pantry to see if she had any. She figured since we were out that she’d have us pick some up. Typical. At least the mac and cheese was delicious as usual.
I consider this Halloween event my “traditional” celebration since I’ve attended it every year since I started pole dancing in 2022. The other two events will be my first time attending. I’m planning on reusing previous costumes since I love getting my money’s worth.
Now that I’m an adult, I hardly ever eat candy. All the treats are drinks and having a good time with friends.