Chapter 10

The original plan was to take all the kids on a Halloween hayride around the pond and through the dark spooky woods. The kids were dressed in a variety of costumes and were ready to hop on the hay wagon, but it started raining, so Don and the kids were stuck in the house. Don can easily drive any tractor or ATV on the farm, but as they discovered, inside a closed vehicle, he’s incapable of sitting behind the steering wheel. The panic attack is just too great.

Don sat in the sitting room of “Lanh’s Bunk House” the apartment he built for his bride, he sat with Arlo who was dressed in a superman onesie, resting peacefully in his arm, a burp rag on his shoulder, and a bottle of a warm formula for his tiny nephew at the ready in his hand. Around him, nieces and nephews of varying sizes dressed as two ghosts, a witch, a football player, Captain America, and a “cowboy girl” played a free-form game of tag.

Don had made a rule that any child that couldn’t spell “it” couldn’t be “it” so it was fair to tag them, but the title of “it” wouldn’t transfer to the toddler. The rule worked out well. The little ones like Captain America, Liam, and the ghosts, Ahn, and Him-chan, could play, but they couldn’t be singled out because of their size. Squeals, giggles, and joyful cries of “Who’s it?” and “She’s it!” rang through the house even though only football player Chip, good little witch Chau, and “cowboy girl” Sophia could claim the title of “it.”