There are some people who you just click with. You know what I’m talking about. You know each other now, but it’s like your souls have known each other forever. We all have a handful of those people in our lives. Some are family. Some are friends. Some might be strangers you meet on the street. You don’t have to talk about it. You don’t have to vindicate it. But you know.
One of those people for me, is my niece, Hannah.
March 27, 1998 was a busy day for my family. My cousin Wendi was getting married, and Hannah was getting ready to make her entrance into the world. So what did I do? I skipped town to go to a concert with my friends.
Yes, over the years I’ve caught a lot of grief because of that from Wendi, and boy do I have stories to tell about her, but in my defense, Hannah wasn’t due just yet, Wendi changed her wedding plans last minute, and I’d had concert tickets for weeks. Yes Wendi, I know, that’s no excuse. I’m selfish. I’m a horrible person. Geez.
When I got home, well past midnight, the house was dark, except the dim light dancing in the windows, cast from the television set. But I had a feeling. And back then we didn’t have cell phones. (Can you even image that Hannah? How did we survive?)
I walked through the front door, and Dad was asleep on the couch, snoozing away, as peaceful as can be. Well, I promptly ruined that by shaking him awake. “What are you doing girl?” he snarled at me, his voice gruff. Dad’s a little grumpy when he first wakes up.
“Did she have her? Did she have her?” I asked with excitement.
“She did. Everyone’s fine. How’d you know?”
“I just knew,” I said.
And I did.
I tell that story to Hannah all of the time and she rolls her eyes. She doesn’t believe that one, because she thinks I’m full of nonsense. And I am, but not about that. I also tell her all the time that I’m a little bit psychic. And again, she rolls her eyes. But I knew when she’d arrived, and I knew before I laid eyes on her that she was my girl.
I was right.
She’s a lot like me, and I love that. One of her favorite things to do is to annoy her sister. I can relate. She loves animals, books, and movies. She’ll do anything I ask her. If I want to swim, go walking, watch a movie, bathe my dogs; anything, Hannah wants to do it too. She’s the best shopping partner anyone could ask for. I’ll take her with me to shop for all things; clothes, groceries, even dog food. I’ll even offer to buy her things. I’ll point things out. “Do you want this? Do you want that?” And most of the times she says “No thanks.” She just wants to hang out with me. She’ll never know how much that means to me.
So when she asked me why I hadn’t written a story about her, I was taken aback. She said, “You’ve written about everybody else. Why not me?” She asked me that because she knows how special she is to me. And the answer is…I can’t put my finger on it.
I don’t know why we click like we do, it’s hard to put into words. I say she’s a lot like me, but the truth is, she’s very much herself. She’s quiet in a group of people. She’s realistic, and calm. The exact opposite from me. She’s beautiful. She’s generous. She’s graceful. She’s Hannah.
But I do have a favorite story about her, so here goes.
When Hannah was in second or third grade, her school let her dress up in a costume for Halloween and wear it all day.
“I want to be something scary!” She was so excited, that’s all we heard about.
She talked about it for a week. And Jason was up to the task. He painted her face white, her lips red, bought her a cape, black clothes, and topped it all off with plastic fangs, making Hannah the happiest little vampire to ever board a school bus that Halloween morning.
That afternoon, the bus dropped her off at my parents’ house, and of course I was there to see the costume I’d heard so much about.
As she walked in the house, I didn’t get a smile or a hug. Just a “Hi Keli,” and a dejected little face as she set her plastic fangs on the coffee table. Something was wrong. Where was my little monkey who latched onto me at sight and wouldn’t let go?
She set down her things and went out to sit on the porch. Oh, she was a sad little vampire who didn’t have any fangs.
“Oh no no no!” I thought. “This won’t do at all!” I had to fix this.
I snatched up her fangs and took them outside. I sat in the rocking chair beside of her.
“What’s wrong?” I pried.
“Nothing” she mumbled in her little voice.
“Come on Hannah, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing”, she insisted.
“Put your fangs in,” I said as I handed them to her. “I want to see that scary costume.”
She obliged, but there was no joy. No smile.
We sat in silence for a while, rocking in our chairs. Her spooky little cape gently rippled in the light breeze.
And then I knew.
I could see it in my head. All the other little girls in her class dressed as princesses, fairies, and all things beautiful, and Hannah, who had wanted to be different, found herself as the outcast.
“Do you want to be a princess?” I asked.
Her head whipped around to me, and her eyes widened. “Yes!” she said quickly as she nodded her head.
“Come on then.”
I grabbed her hand, and we hopped in the car, fangs and all. We were on a mission. There was only an hour to go before trick-or-treating time and we were burning daylight. My first stop was of course Wal-Mart, but being so close to “go” time, pickins were slim. There was nothing even remotely resembling a princess costume left. I hit every store in our town, but to no avail. And with each failure Hannah seemed even more dejected. She didn’t say so, but I could tell.
I was starting to panic myself. I’m anything but a princess, so unless it’s pre-made, I’m up a creek. I have no idea how to even begin to put together a make-shift princess outfit. On a whim, or you might say, a desperate last resort, I whipped the car into our local drug store. We headed toward the Halloween aisles, not daring to hope, but trying anyway.
And there it was.
Like it was fated to be hers.
The most breathtaking yellow princess costume I’d ever laid eyes on.
It even had a crown.
It was glorious.
Hannah’s face broke into the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.
I snatched it up and we practically skipped to the counter. I would’ve emptied my bank account for that cost
ume at that moment, but luckily for me, it was 75% off because it was Halloween Day. I seriously love that store!
Without a moment to spare, we rushed to Mom and Dad’s house, washe
d off her vampire makeup, and like Hannah’s very own Lady in Waiting, I helped dress my princess.
I’ve never seen a happier kid get into a car to go trick-or-treating, or a prettier one.
But, just so you know Hannah…you’re sensational with or without the fangs.
