by Wendy V. Smith (February 2011)
The September when I was five years old was a very exciting time. I could finally use that new lunch pail Mom had bought me, wear that new dress Mom had made and walk with Wayne and Buster down to the end of long driveway and wait at The Gate for the school bus.
“Why is this called The Gate when there’s no gate here?” I asked Wayne that morning.
“There used to be a gate. See over there?” Wayne pointed to a wide old rusty gate leaning on the fence. “It broke a long time ago, so I guess Dad just took it off and left it there.”
“Here it comes!” I squealed seeing the big orange bus come over the hill towards The Gate.
“GO HOME BUSTER!” Wayne commanded. “GO HOME!” Buster obediently started to make his way back up the long driveway, stopping only to watch us safely get in, before continuing on to the house.
“Good morning, Wayne,” said a jolly man sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Morning Hector,” replied Wayne.
“And who’s this young lady with you? Is that Wendy?” Hector smiled a great big smile. “Your first day of school, eh!” I just nodded. “Brand new lunch pail I see.” I nodded again. “I’ve got a special treat for you to celebrate your first day of school.” Hector reached into a box beside his leg and pulled out a little brown paper bag and handed it to me. “Here! Now go and get a seat and don’t be chewing that in school.”
Hector was a chubby round faced happy man with bright red hair and sky blue eyes. I sat down beside Wayne and opened the little bag, amazed that he knew my name and that it was my first day school.
“Whaddya get?” asked Wayne, trying to see past my fingers into the bag. “Wow!”
My eyes grew big as I saw five cherry red gum balls and a whole roll of orange flavoured Life Savers.
“Can I have one?” Wayne asked. I handed Wayne a gum ball just as the bus stopped at Lorna Sullivan’s house. Lorna and I had been friends since the day they were born, not that either of them could remember that day.
At the end of every day, Buster was always waiting in the front yard. As soon as he would see the bus, he ran down the driveway to meet us.
The Saturday before Halloween was my birthday and I was allowed to invite Lorna over for a little party. Mom made a big cake and we blew the candles out together. Everyone had to be careful eating birthday cake, because Mom would hide nickels and quarters in the cake wrapped in wax paper. Sometimes there might even be a 50-cent piece.
Halloween Day was a school day so Hector pulled little brown bags out of a box by his foot and handed everyone a “treat” bag, filled with Halloween Kisses, Lick-a-Maid straws and Pop-Eye Candy Cigarettes, and sometimes black-balls that made your teeth, tongue and lips black.
Mom had been helping Wayne and I with the Halloween Costumes for weeks. I was dressing up a Wicked Witch and Wayne was going as a Cow Boy.
“Hurry up and finish your supper,” Mom said on Halloween night as she started to clear off the table. “Its a half hour drive into The Bay and its almost 5:30 and you have to get your costumes on.”
“Why do we have to go into The Bay to Trick-R-Treat?” I asked, shoving potatoes into her mouth.
“There’s not enough people out here,” said Wayne. “We could drive around for an hour and only get to five houses. If we go to The Bay, we can park at Aunty Jo’s house and walk to 100 houses!”
“Wow! We’ll get lots and lots of treats,” I squealed. Aunty Jo was Dad’s sister. She and Uncle Jake lived in The Bay, short for North Bay.
“Has everyone gone to the bathroom?” Mom asked just before the children piled into the car. “There’s no stopping once we’re on the way.”
“I went,” said Wayne.
“I don’t have to go,” I said. She was so excited that she didn’t want to waste time going to the bathroom.
We were parked at Aunty Jo and Uncle Jake’s house by 6:30 and it was already almost dark. Aunty Jo and Uncle Jake were waiting to walk around with us.
“Trick-R-Treat!” Wayne said to Aunty Jo who was the first to throw handfuls of candy into our loot bags.
“Wendy, you’d better go to the bathroom,” Mom warned. “You won’t be able to go once you out Trick-R-treating.”
“I don’t have to go Mommy.” I couldn’t wait to get more treats in my loot bag and there was just no time to pee. “Come on, let’s go!”
Mom stayed to visit with Aunty Jo, while Dad and Uncle Jake took Wayne and I from house to house. As the loot bags got heavier and heavier, I realized that I should have gone to the bathroom. But if I said anything, we would all have to turn around and go back to Aunty Jo and Uncle Jake’s house and the Trick-R-Treating would be over. Wayne would be so mad. So, I decided to not say a word and hold it.
The next few houses seemed like torture. While I walked or ran, I was OK. But when I had to stand still as the candy dropped into the bag, one… by… slowly one, it was all I could do to not pee right there on the spot. The end came when, as the last candy dropped into my bag, I couldn’t move. I crossed her legs as tight as I could to stop the pee and if I uncrossed them, I’d be in trouble. The lady who had just dropped the candy into my bag saw that I was frozen in place.
“Come on!” Wayne said.
“What’s the matter, dear,” asked the lady.
“Nothing,” I said in a strained voice.
“What are you doing? Come on!” Wayne said again.
Then the lady noticed that my legs were crossed tight. “Do you have to pee? What’s your name?” she asked.
“Yes. Wendy.”
“Well come on in Wendy and use my bathroom. I don’t mind.” I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. If I’d uncrossed my legs there would be no stopping the pee.
“I can’t,” I said, totally embarrassed now.
Dad and Uncle Jake were waiting on the sidewalk chatting but now were wondering what was holding us up. To Dad’s surprise, the woman who was talking to me, picked me up and carried my stiff body into the house leaving Wayne, just as surprised, standing all alone at the front door.
“What’s going on?” Dad asked Wayne as he quickly walked right into the house to look for me and the lady.
“We’re in here – in the bathroom,” he heard the woman call. Dad followed her voice into the bathroom to find me sitting on the toilet peeing.
“I’m sorry Daddy!” cried. “I couldn’t wait. I was going to pee my pants.”
“Why didn’t you say you had to go?” asked Dad.
“I didn’t want to go home yet,” I cried, tears running down her face. “My bag isn’t full yet.”
Dad thanked the woman and apologized for the wet footprints that we’d left on her floor. Uncle Jake was waiting at the door with Wayne.
“If you had of wet your pants, we would’ve gone home!” Wayne said, very annoyed. “Now stop crying.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Uncle Jake givingme a hug. “You’ve got so much candy, you’ll never be able to eat it all.”
“We’ll go to a few more houses,” said Dad. “Then we’ll head back. It’s getting late and you kids have school tomorrow.”
Wayne was satisfied and I was relieved, in more ways than one.