Unhealthy Coping Mechanism

Chapter 7

Frank's trip to Pennsylvania started off the same as countless other business trips. He dragged his suitcase to his car, cursing the loose wheel that kept sliding on the driveway and giving the remains of the pet pajamas tied to the handle one last tug to make sure the knot was still tight. Sam clung to him the entire time, forcing him to walk stiff-legged. "Okay, buddy," he said as he gently pried the fingers off his pants. "Daddy's gotta go to the airport before traffic gets ugly."

"But I don't want you to go." Sam buried his face against his dad as he wept and hiccupped.

Frank cast a pleading look at Harriet.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before sweeping up Sam in a maneuver that was half hug, half reverse football tackle. "He'll be back soon."

"Promise?"

"Unless the chocolate is too delicious." At his son's renewed sniffling, he hastily added, "Kidding! But I will make sure to bring you back a whole lot. I heard they even let you customize your own bar. Got any requests for fillings?"

"Marshmallows and caramel and peanuts and—"

Frank laughed. "A little bit of everything. Got it. As for your mom," he wrapped his arm around Harriet and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before whispering, "I've got a special dessert in mind for you."

"Sh, not in front of Sam!" She kissed him back and cupped his cheek in her hand. "But that does sound nice. Just make sure it stays special, okay? Don't go making this a regular thing."

"I won't. I promise."

As Frank drove off into the early morning, Harriet took Sam inside. "You didn't sleep too good either, huh?"

"Nope," he said with a yawn. "A T-Rex almost ate Dad, and then I woke up."

"Sounds like we both need a pick me up. How do pancakes sound?"

###

After she fixed them both stacks of blueberry pancakes piled high with strawberries and whipped cream, Harriet dropped Sam off at school. Inflatable ghosts wailing among dozens of pint-sized pumpkins greeted the kids as they gushed about their costumes and gossiped about which houses handed out the best candy. Sam looked ready for Halloween night already thanks to his slouching walk and typical Monday moaning.

Harriet figured she might as well embrace the holiday spirit too as she made her way to Walmart. Hopefully, she'd be able to help her dad find the sweet spot between spooky and scary. The last thing she needed was another dog skeleton incident. Poor Sam hadn't stopped sobbing until she'd taken him to every single house in the neighborhood to assure him all of his canine friends were still alive.

The grim reaper welcomed her to the Halloween section with a bright red flash from his eye sockets and a dip of his scythe. Even without Sam by her side, Harriet steered away from the ghouls leering out from the more intense aisles. She was more than five times Sam's age, yet even she shuddered at the sight of the decomposing zombie masks and the far too realistic-looking plastic rats snarling at anyone who dared to come near them.

Thank goodness for the tamer aisles aimed at kids and anyone else who'd rather not have nightmares until Christmas. Candy corn-toothed jack-o'-lanterns grinned at black cat candy bowls as the Monster Mash played from a handful of motion-detecting toys. Terrifyingly corny decorations flew into her cart alongside bloated bags of candy. Reese's cups, M&M's, and jolly ranchers sent the wheels squealing under the sugary burden.