It's the Great Pumpkin, Uncle Mike!
By
"Hey, Mike," Roy greeted his crewmate, "thanks for coming."
"No problem, Roy," Mike answered.
"Uncle Mike," Jenny cried from the top of the stairs, "Chris,
Uncle Mike is here," she yelled as she ran down the stairs jumping from
the third one up knowing Mike would catch her as he always did.
Mike caught her easily and she wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him
tight. "Hello, Uncle Mike," she said
"Hello, pumpkin," Mike greeted her and set her on her feet.
For the first time Mike noticed that the little girl was dressed in a pink
tutu and tights, she wore a plastic and rhinestone tiara in her blond curls.
"Or should I say 'Princess'?" Mike amended. Jenny pirouetted
before them giggling. Chris appeared at the top of the steps and greeted
Mike with the same enthusiasm his sister had shown but refrained from throwing
himself at him. Chris was dressed in a cowboy out fit, complete with
holstered gun and cowboy hat.
"You're not dressed, Uncle Mike," Chris said looking at Mike appraisingly.
"What do you mean," Mike asked puzzled, he was dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt.
"You don't have a costume on," Chris said.
"Yeah, Uncle Mike you gotta, have a costume to go trick-or-treating,"
Jenny, said in support of her brother.
"You do?" Mike asked slightly taken aback thinking the kids where
pulling his leg. Apparently they were not as both nodded solemnly.
"I don't have a costume to wear."
"That's okay, Uncle Mike," he was glad to hear Jenny say reassuringly,
then his heart sank as Chris added: "We'll find you something."
Jenny nodded her agreement and Mike exchanged glances with Roy who was looking
amused. Roy was dressed in his own costume and Mike suspected he would
get very little help from him. Roy and Joanne were on their way to a
Halloween party and Roy was dressed similarly to his son, he wore a western
shirt with jeans and cowboy hat. He wore no gun declaring that he had
seen the results of one to many gunshot wounds to carry even a pretend gun.
Mike wondered just what he had gotten himself into. He had gone trick-or-treating
before with his sister's kids and had not had to wear a costume. But
both the DeSoto children seemed determined that he should wear one.
"I know," Chris said breaking the silence, "Dad can we use
your old coat?" Chris asked Roy hopefully.
"The one you mother has earmarked for Goodwill?" Roy asked.
When Chris nodded he continued, "sure, but what are you going to do with
it?"
"Uncle Mike is going to wear it," Chris replied.
"Yeah, he'll be a bum," Jenny said seeing immediately where her
brother was going, "I'll get my makeup kit!" she said as she raced
up the stairs.
"Make up?" Mike wondered aloud, "a bum?" Chris had
run to get his father's old coat. It was one Roy had had for years and
had become worn and slightly ratty looking. The last time Roy had put
it on Joanne had insisted he take it off and wear another coat saying that
it made him 'look like a bum.' Now Chris brought the coat to Mike and
insisted that he put it on. Mike did so. As Mike was slightly
larger than Roy the coat did not fit well. Chris was delighted, however
Mike was not.
Joanne came down the stairs with Jenny while Chris was admiring the coat.
She herself wore a cowgirl out fit, a western style skirt and blouse with
Cowgirl hat. She even wore cowgirl boots. Joanne smiled at Mike
greeting him. Jenny carried a small case in her hands. She approved
of the coat as Chris had and dragged Mike into the kitchen. The DeSotos
bade them good-bye and left for their party. Mike was beginning to regret
having volunteered to sit with Chris and Jenny and take them trick-or-treating.
He had heard Roy commenting to John about having trouble finding someone to
watch the kids and take them trick-or-treating the day before and had volunteered
to do so. Little did he know that he would be transformed into a bum
for the occasion!
Jenny had him sit down in a chair at the kitchen table. She got out
her make-up and began to apply it to Mike's face. When she was done
she stood back and smiled her approval. Chris also praised the results.
Jenny handed Mike a mirror and what he saw in it surprised him. He looked
like a bum, or at least what would pass for one on a dark street. Young as Jenny was she had artistic ability
that was plain.
"Now we can go trick-or-treating," Jenny declared happily.
Mike agreed and they left the house going door to door trick-or-treating.
They joined numerous other costumed children and adults in the fading light. Several blocks from their house was a vacant
lot. The lot had been turned in to a pumpkin patch complete with strategically
placed bales of hay. Jenny stopped and stared at the patch. Chris
stopped and looked at the patch also. He rolled his eyes, he knew what
was coming.
"Look," Jenny said in awe, "a pumpkin patch."
"Yeah, Jenny," Chris said trying to push her along, "It's a
pumpkin patch."
"Do you think it's sincere enough?" Jenny asked.
"No, I don't," Chris replied, "come on Jen, let’s go."
Mike had listened to this exchange in puzzlement. Not being an avid
Charlie Brown fan he had no idea what Jenny was talking about. The two
children moved on and the subject was dropped, Mike forgot all about the pumpkin
patch.
An hour later they arrived back at the DeSoto's home. Chris and Jenny
settled in to count their loot and watch the Charlie Brown special on TV.
Sitting on the couch Mike had a hard time staying awake. The night
before had been a rough one and he had not been able to get much sleep that
day. He dozed through most of the special and only awoke when the closing
credits were running. He chastised himself for sleeping on the job.
He got up to go into the kitchen and get himself a glass of water. When he returned to the living room only Chris was there.
"Where's Jenny?" he asked Chris.
"Bathroom," Chris replied distractedly as the second special came
on the air. Fifteen minutes later Jenny had not returned. Hoping
she was not sick Mike climbed the stairs to check on her. She was not
there. The bathroom was empty, her bedroom was empty, and all the rooms
on the second floor were empty. Mike did not panic, he was too much
the professional to panic, but he was extremely concerned. He hurried
back down the stairs and began searching the ground floor of the house.
Chris noticed that he was searching and wanted to know what was wrong.
"Your sister's not in the house," Mike said as close to panic as
he could come with out actually being there. He ran his hand through
his hair. How could she have disappeared? Where could she possibly
have gone?
"I know where she is," Chris said answering the unspoken question.
"Where," asked Mike.
"The pumpkin patch," Chris said sounding cryptic to Mike who had
forgotten all about the pumpkin patch.
"The pumpkin patch?" Mike asked.
"The one in the vacant lot," Chris said clarifying.
"Why would she go there," Mike asked as he put the old coat back
on in preparation for leaving the house to go to the pumpkin patch.
"Because she thinks the Great Pumpkin is going to appear there,"
Chris said disgustedly.
"The Great Pumpkin?" Mike asked as they left the house and began
walking toward the pumpkin patch. Chris explained about the Great Pumpkin
and how, according to Linus Van Pelt, he came to the most sincere pumpkin
patch each Halloween bearing toys. He explained that Jenny believed
in the Great Pumpkin and had been talking about finding a sincere pumpkin
patch for days now. Chris was sure she was at the pumpkin patch now
and he was not mistaken.
Mike and Chris hurried down the sidewalk to where the pumpkin patch was and
found Jenny sitting on the ground in front of a bale of hay.
"Jenny," Mike called out to her as he approached her stepping over
pumpkins to get to her.
"Shh," Jenny said, "You have to be quiet or he won't come."
"Jenny, you shouldn't have come out here without asking me," Mike
admonished.
"Shh," Jenny said unrepentant. "Sit down, Uncle Mike,
he might still come."
"No he won't Jenny, " Chris began but Mike stopped him.
"Jenny we need to go home," Mike reasoned.
"Can't we wait just a few more minutes?" Jenny pleaded with him.
Mike sat down next to Jenny on the ground, his long legs stretched out in
front of him. Now that he had found Jenny and knew that she was safe
the adrenaline was draining away leaving him feeling tired. What was
a few minutes in a pumpkin patch. It was a nice night. Why not
stay just a few minutes?
"Okay, Jenny, but just few minutes," Mike replied.
"Thank you," Jenny as she climbed into his lap, he wrapped his arms
around her and she leaned into his chest. Chris, sighing heavily at
the absurdity of it all, sat down next to Mike. Both kids were tired
from all the excitement and soon both were asleep, Jenny on Mike's lap and
Chris leaning against his arm. Mike was just plain tired and was asleep
almost as quickly as the children.
"Hey, you," Mike heard as he felt a very ungentle tap on the sole
of his shoe. "Hey, wake up," the voice said, it sounded familiar
but Mike could not quite place it. Mike slowly became aware once more
of his surroundings, when he was nudged again he opened his eyes and looked
up into a familiar face. Officer Pete Malloy of the LAPD stood looking
down at him, Officer Jim Reed stood beside him.
"Pete, Jim, what are you doing here," he asked still groggy.
"Mike?" Pete asked crouching down to get a better look at the "bum."
"The question," he said, "is what are you doing here?"
"Waiting for the Great Pumpkin," Mike said ruefully. "I
guess I fell asleep."
"I guess you did," Pete said sounding amused. "Who are
the kids?"
"Jenny and Chris DeSoto," Mike replied. Hearing their names
called the two children began to wake up. "I'm babysitting them
for Roy and Joanne," Mike explained.
"Sitting in a pumpkin patch?" Jim asked surprised and amused.
Just then Jenny began to cry loudly.
"Now he won't come," Jenny wailed and began to sob into Mike's chest.
"Who won't come?" Pete asked.
"The Great Pumpkin," Chris said in disgust. Mike held Jenny
close and tried to comfort her.
"It'll be alright, Jenny," he said soothingly.
"No, it won't," Jenny wailed, "He won't come."
"Maybe not this year, but there is always next year," Mike said
trying to comfort the little girl.
"But I wanted him to come this year," Jenny wailed.
"Well, he didn't and he won't so there's no use crying about it,"
Chris told his sister matter of factly. The three men were astounded
to see the effect of Chris's words on Jenny. She stopped crying, wiping
her eyes and giving a few last hiccups.
"You're right, Chris" she said standing up from Mike's lap.
"Let's go home," she said to Mike.
"A very good idea," Pete said pointedly as he and the others also
stood. Mike agreed and taking Jenny's hand began walking in the direction
of the DeSoto home. Pete and Jim walked away in the other direction.
When Roy and Joanne arrived home they found a 'bum' lying on their
living room couch sound asleep. The children were in bed sleeping soundly
as well. Roy explained about the Engine crew having been more out than
in the night before and surmised correctly that Mike had not gotten much sleep
that day. Joanne retrieved a blanket from the closet and covered Mike
with it deciding it was best to just let the sleeping bum lie.
The End
