"Hey Mom, have you seen where I put my mask? Trevor's waiting."
"No Honey, I haven't. Try the laundry room. Oh, and could you tell your father to dust the living room while you're at it? I don't want Angie thinking we live in a pig sty."
I walked downstairs and turned into our living room to see my father sitting on the couch watching ESPN highlights.
"Hey Dad, Mom said to dust the living room before Angie gets here. I'm surprised you're not in costume yet. Weren't you and Mom going to go as House and Cuddy again?" My Parents' go-to Halloween costumes, my father and mother bear striking resemblances to the characters from the hit TV show, with my mother sharing Lisa Edelstein's wide smile and olive complexion. In my father's case it might just be the bags under his eyes and his constant five o'clock shadow.
"Not this year Sam, with your mom's old college friend coming to town the girls are planning their own outfits and I have the night off. Tell the truth I'll be much happier here in my comfy armchair than chasing after those two hens all night. Angie always had a knack for bringing out your Mom's wild side." I hadn't actually met Angie. She and my mom were inseparable in college, and they loved spending Halloween together. Almost as soon as they graduated my mom found out she was pregnant with me, and between my parents quickly deciding to domesticate, start their professional careers, and settle down, the two friends had drifted apart. They still texted and called occasionally, and when I started college myself last fall the pace of their communication increased to the point where Angie decided to fly up from Florida to visit for a couple of days and celebrate the holiday together like old times.
I walked into the laundry room and managed to find my Zorro mask underneath a pile of clothes. Coming back out to the living room it seemed my mom was unimpressed with my father's half-hearted attempt to dust and watch sports simultaneously and had put him to work setting up the guest bedroom instead.
"Oh good, you found it. So, what are you and Trevor up to this year? Got any fun parties to attend?" my mom asked me with a cheery smile.
"Well you know Trevor. I'm sure he has a plan in mind." I said evasively. Truth be told I already knew his plan, and it didn't include one of the boring high school affairs.
"Great! Angie won't be here for another hour or two so you might not see her until tomorrow morning. Your father will be here in case you need anything and you have my cell. Normally I would say I'll be home before you get back, but Angie texted me before her flight took off to plan to shut down the Halloween Bash this year." She grinned.
The Halloween Bash is my mom's company's annual Halloween party. Roughly 50% of the working population of our town are employees at Asher Pharmaceutical, and their yearly Halloween get-together had grown to become an unofficial town celebration, complete with DJ, full wet bar and dance floor.
"Okay, no problem Mom. Have fun." I smiled back, then walked out the door and down our driveway to Trevor's car where he was idling.
"Hey Man, what took so long? 2 more minutes and I was gonna go-go gadget swat team your ass." Trevor joked as I swung into the passenger seat. Trevor had been my best friend since 6th grade. Despite the fact that he was going to the local community college to build up college credits while I was going to the state school 30 minutes away we were still tight. He was short, unathletic, with thick glasses and an inordinate amount of confidence that never ceased to amaze me. Despite my extra 6 inches of height and athletic build he'd always been the ladies man, acting as my wing man from time to time just to help me keep up. Even in his ridiculous Inspector Gadget costume I wouldn't bet on myself to be the one to get lucky that night between the two of us.
"Just bracing myself for your master plan. Did you actually manage to get tickets?" I asked. I only half believed him when he had told me what we were going to do the day before.
"Of course man, I told you. My cousin Stan works in accounting. Every employee gets a ticket for themselves and a plus one. Stingy bastard made me shell out $50 for the pair and to borrow his company ID card but it was worth it. Since all their employees are over 21 they don't even bother to card you when you come in, and the company is so big no one will know I'm not him." He held up the two pink Halloween Bash vouchers in triumph. I had to admit it was a good plan. Asher Pharmaceutical likes to give plenty of free drinks out as a reward for their employees. Trevor just turned 20 and I was still 19, and, while we'd drank alcohol before, the cocktails served at the Halloween Bash were a far cry from our usual cheap booze.
"Excellent! You never cease to amaze Trevor."
"That's why they pay me the big bucks. Now, go-go gadget party wagon!" And with a whoop we were off.
Twenty minutes later we pulled into the main parking lot of the Asher campus. Everywhere around us people in costumes spilled out of vehicles making their way toward the conference center building where flashing lights could be seen and thumping bass felt.
"Hey dude, did you bring the mask?" I asked.
"Yeah, right back here." Trevor reached behind us and pulled a duffel bag from the backseat. Inside were a white half mask as well as a shoulder-length black wig and dress coat.
I held up the mask. "Do you really think this is gonna be enough for no one to recognize me?".
