Discussing things that are unexpected can reveal some insights into how people view life. My favorite Halloween story is perhaps a typical behavior but unexpected response. I went to a haunted house, not something that I have ever enjoyed since then, but as a teen I figured that meeting some friends there would be worth an evening out. Waiting in line to get in, one of the girls from my homeroom asked me to go in together with her. My surface response was that she was pretty so it was an easy yes. More importantly, we were friends who liked talking at the beginning of the day so if this would be fun to experience with her. Then we got inside.

At the first surprise scare, her left arm immediately tucked under my right arm, nails digging into my skin. I was a gymnast so was happy to provide a flexed bicep to give her support through this endeavor. Having only two brothers, I did not get the chance to be there for a girl during some intense moment. All this I had expected when I agreed to walk through this fright house with her. It was her blood curling scream that caught me off guard.

I coach a girls soccer team now, and commonly tell them to stop screaming at mistakes and mishaps. I have two daughters and seven grandchildren so commonly now experienced their playful screams. I would react differently to this now than I did back then. Up until that night, this kind of a scream had only been heard watching movies.

We proceeded through the entire walk of entering rooms, having someone jump out at us, and my friend screaming in my right ear. Upon exiting, I could tell I was partially deaf in that ear, like I had stood turned sideways in front of speakers during a concert. When she released my arm, she apologize for the marks left in my skin by her nails. We found some more of our friends outside the house.

One boy asked her, “How was it?”

She responded, “Not that scary.”

I burst in laughter and said, “You screamed the entire way through it.”

“That was nothing,” came the factual reply. “You should hear me when it is really scary.”

My laughter stopped. No thank you.

Hope you have a fun and Happy Friday.