A Halloween to Remember - a story

Born the day before Halloween, I seem forever connected to that particular holiday. My deceased wife and I hosted Halloween parties for years. One unplanned Halloween party proved the strangest.

A Halloween to Remember

Halloween was on a Friday, so we planned the big bash for Saturday.  Not all our guests got the message, as three revelers showed up for the Friday night party. Born on the day before Halloween, I seem forever destined to be connected to that holiday.

Anne and I married early in 1980 and decided to host a Halloween party that year.

Jakob, an Israeli expatriate doing stonework around our house for us, showed up as a cowboy.  He was soon followed by Nancy, a geologist dressed, strangely enough, as an Indian princess.  John, another geologist, showed up a little later, his only costume a mask. 

Nonplussed, Anne and I broke out the alcohol.  There was a championship boxing match on television that night - Oklahoma City's own Sean O'Grady versus James Watt, a Scottish boxer.  The fight occurred in Glasgow, Scotland, and saying there was a bit of home cooking is a mild statement.  After a few rounds Watt head-butted Sean, resulting in a horrible cut over his eye.  Watt should have been disqualified, and O'Grady declared the winner.  Instead, the local judges ruled the amount caused by a punch rather than a head-butt. 

Those days, there was no rule about excessive bleeding.  To say that little blood was strewn around the ring would be a true understatement.  The crew looked more like the inside of a working slaughterhouse; all the viewers, including myself, were in shock and totally aghast.  The fight was soon called, and Watt was proclaimed the world champion. 

We went on to drink, carouse, and celebrate into the wee hours; Anne and I were in slight shape for the Halloween party that continued as planned the next day. 

I met Sean O'Grady at a Christmas Party in Oklahoma City a few years later.  The room was crowded, and I stood against a wall, sipping my whiskey.  When O'Grady spotted me, he pushed through the crowd, looked me straight in the eye, and said, "You look just like "Little Red" Lopez." 

He wasn't smiling, and I could tell from his expression and the clench of his fists that he was getting ready to hit me.  Having seen his devastating punching power on more than one occasion, I immediately raised my right palm. 

"Believe me, I'm not "Little Red" Lopez.  I'm one of your biggest fans." 

Sean smiled and we proceeded to have a friendly conversation.  It seems Lopez had beaten the teenaged O'Grady, and he had never forgotten or forgiven.  I have posted a picture of "Little Red" on my photo page to show that I look nothing like the former boxer. 

That was the first Halloween party I hosted, eventful like everyone else.  I have another Sean O'Grady story, but I'll save it for another day.

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Born near Black Bayou in the little Louisiana town of Vivian, Eric Wilder grew up listening to his grandmother’s tales of politics, corruption, and ghosts that haunt the night. He now lives in Oklahoma, where he continues to pen mysteries and short stories with a southern accent. He authored the French Quarter Mystery Series set in New Orleans, the Paranormal Cowboy Series, and the Oyster Bay Mystery Series. Please check it out on his Amazon author page. You might also like checking out his Facebook page.