The Atoms Family
Chapter Four: Brian's Halloween
Author: Belize Lane, high school student writer
I looked over at my sister to see if she was still asleep. She was sprawled out on her bed breathing heavily with the sheets crumpled by her feet. She was so peaceful when she was asleep. If only she didn't have to wake up and start yelling at me again. I turned back to my drawing. A head... legs... a cape.... My Halloween outfit was almost finished. I set my drawing on the nightstand and noticed another piece of paper with fancy writing that was definitely Mom's.
Good Morning,
Please come to the living room when you wake up. Your father and I have something to discuss with you. Don't worry, it's nothing terrible. Hope you slept well. Mom
I tapped Andrea on the shoulder. I might as well wake her up so I didn't have to talk to my parents while she got to sleep. "Wake up." I nudged her, and she rolled over, murmuring for me to leave her alone. I finally got her up, and we made our way groggily to the living room, dreading the big oak door. The living room was only used for family discussions, and they were never good discussions.
Once the "good mornings" and the "how did you sleeps" were over with, Dad started the conversation. "We are going to have a Halloween party." He glanced at Mom and she nodded in agreement. "It's time to become a normal family again."
Andrea and I sat there in shock. There was no way we could have friends over to our house. Our parents knew as well as we did that Grandpa was an embarrassment. He couldn't even find the bathroom by himself. We tried to explain this to Mom and Dad, but it only made it worse. They had settled this beforehand, which meant there was no way to change their minds. We were going to spend the week before Halloween making the house safe for Grandpa and we were having a big Halloween party.
I realized Mom and Dad were still talking. "Brian, did you hear that? We have to make sure we always know where Grandpa is. We don't want him wandering off." Mom looked at me sternly, and I felt like Grandpa had become my responsibility. It wasn't my idea to have him here in the first place. Andrea gave me the same look, and I knew there was no use in arguing.
The first few days Andrea and I child-proofed the house with locks. We put funny white things on all the cabinets so I could barely open them. You had to twist and pull to get to the dishes or the silverware. I thought it was dumb, but at least we wouldn't come home and have broken dishes all over the floor like before. Grandpa had tried to set the table, and he forgot he had to hold the plates or they would drop.
Our next task was to make sure Grandpa knew where the bathroom was. We painted the door a bright shade of red. He couldn't miss it, we thought. But, as Andrea and I found out when we found a wet spot on his special chair, we were wrong. Next we tried making a sign with big, boldly printed letters that read BATHROOM. We had not realized that Grandpa was no longer able to read. Our final idea was to draw a picture of a toilet.
"Slow down, the seat's going to look all wobbly," Andrea nagged over my shoulder as I drew the toilet. I glared back at her. We both knew what this meant: Maybe Grandpa will finally be able to use the bathroom, but all our friends will laugh at us. Who else has a bathroom with a red door and a picture of a toilet with BATHROOM printed above it? No one!
Next, I had to draw Grandpa's clothes so he could dress himself. I had to draw a picture of his underwear so he knew to put it on first. None of my friends would be allowed in that room. Mom knocked on the door while we were drawing. I ran to answer the door but Andrea was closer. She cracked it just enough to let Mom stick her head through.
"It looks good, guys. Thanks a lot." She smiled, but we could tell she wasn't just there to say that. She had a funny glint in her eyes. "Brian, can I borrow some of the cloth from the Halloween outfit you're making?" She eyed me hopefully and I couldn't turn her down. "Sure Mom." She started to leave.
"Wait," Andrea called her back. "Why do we have to take all the decorations and placemats out of the kitchen?" "Good question, honey. Well, Grandpa has some trouble eating, and we don't want him to get distracted. I think if we move all the beautiful placemats Brian made and the painted angels you gave me last year, he should get less distracted." "How will we decorate for the Halloween party?" I asked, looking up from my underwear drawing. "You guys can use anything you want from the basement. Decorate all you want, just leave the kitchen empty. The party is tomorrow at 6." She left before we could respond.
Andrea took my hand, and for once I didn't refuse. "This is terrible," she said as she lay down on the floor of what used to be her room alone, following the crack on the ceiling with her eyes. For once, I felt like she was looking up to me. "Don't worry, Andrea, we'll figure something out." But I had no idea what I was talking about. I was just as worried as her.
The next afternoon came way too quickly. By the time the doorbell rang, I had forgotten about Grandpa altogether. I had been too busy finishing my costume and decorating the rooms with shiny plastic pumpkins and paper skeletons that hung from the ceiling. It looked good, but I was too busy nervously watching the clock to care. Tonight everyone's going to laugh at me. Tonight is the last night I'll have any friends, I thought. Who wants to be friends with someone who has pictures of toilets and underwear all over? Andrea walked into the hall, talking nervously to one of her school friends. Behind her, a big group of girls crowded in the door. I took a deep breath. There were so many people! How could Mom and Dad do this to us? Why couldn't we be a normal family?
"Brian?" The four friends I had invited were here, all dressed up in capes and boots and masks. "Hey." I tried to act cool, swinging my cape around. "What's up?" We stood there for who knows how long. Andrea and I looked at each other awkwardly. I knew they were all looking at us funny. The guests looked around at the locks, the colored doors, the pictures and the empty kitchen. What should I say? Should I pretend nothing is different, or should I explain about my Grandpa?
What should Brian do? 
Click here to tell Brian what you think he should do. You will see how your peers advised him, too. Then you will see what he decided.