Halloween

We decorated the office in a pirate theme this year. About fifteen staffers came in costumes ranging from a very vampy pirate mistress to a granny with big, um, breasts. I was going to wear my pirate wench costume (not vampy but historically acurate, with real lace up corset and long skirt) but I chickened out. Brian from Enforcement said, "So, I thought you were wearing a costume today?"

And I said, "I am. I am a fifty-year old single mom of a toddler and that's pretty scary." He laughed so hard I used the line all day.

All afternoon little kids came trick or treating. Ben's preschool came and when he saw me he let go of his rope loop (an interesting method of getting the little kids to walk with the group-- a long clothesline with little loops tied at about 18 inch intervals and each kid holds a loop) and then cried when he had to go back to school. But they actually got him to wear his costume: James from the Thomas the Tank Engine series. His pal Malcom was the actual big star, Thomas. Haj was too overwhelmed by the whole affair and stayed back at school with the babies.

So, I thought about the Friend of Court being a pirate ship, and wondered what the payors of child support thought of that as they came to the window to kvetch about the amount or negotiate a pay off on a delinquent account. Apparently, not one voiced objection to the irony. Not even the guy there for a custody evaluation whose fingers were tatooted "NECK" on the left hand and "RED" on the right hand in such a way so that if he made fists and held his hands out in front of him you could have known he spent a lot of time working in the garden.

It was good to have the little kids trooping through all afternoon, it reminded us all of why we were there. Maybe it even reminded the payors.