Intense

I know that I usually put forth some effort into writing a piece of fiction for Sunday Scribblings. Sometimes that fiction is good, sometimes it's less than good. But as I'm writing this, I just got off work. I delivered pizza on Halloween, and that experience was intense enough. Tonight you get non-fiction. You get a piece of my real life.

According to legend, Halloween is a busy night in the pizza delivery business. Apparently, all those people who are sitting at their front doors handing out candy to all the neighborhood children either don't feel like walking into the kitchen to make dinner, or they don't want to leave their homes unguarded to go out to eat. Enter the delivery guy.

Last year, I worked on Halloween and experience none of the intensity that I experienced tonight. In fact, last year I was sent home early because the store was absolutely dead. And I don't mean "the walking dead." That, at least, would have been interesting. No, I mean we had no business. People weren't calling, therefore my position that night was obsolete.

This year was a different story. Things started a bit slowly, but then really picked up steam around 5:00. I was scheduled to work from 4 to 8, but didn't get off 'til 10 if that tells you anything about how busy we got. But I'm not here to complain about the amount of hours I worked tonight. Yes, I'm tired. Yes, I'm hungry, because I worked through those prime dinner hours. But working six hours also meant that I got plenty in tips, so my complaints in that aspect are minimal.

My complaints about Halloween in general, however, are extensive.

I consider myself to be a cautious driver. I think the driver's ed teachers like to call it "defensive driving." I'm pretty consistent when it comes to being on the look out for other drivers or pedestrians, especially when driving through residential neighborhoods. But driving on Halloween is an entirely different animal. Driving through a neighborhood during the day is one thing, you're able to spot kids playing in their yards or joggers on the sidewalk. But for some reason, people throw common sense out the window when October 31 arrives.

I very nearly killed two young girls tonight. I don't think that would be an exaggeration. It was already dark. I was driving around one of those roundabouts that are so popular around these parts. I couldn't have been going more than 15 miles per hour (so maybe it is an exaggeration to say those girls would have been killed). Suddenly these two girls dart across the road, running from the center of the roundabout to the outer part of the circle, where the sidewalk actually was. I slammed on my brakes and shouted obscenities. Thankfully my windows were up, so their young ears could not be offended by what I was saying.

Let me point out two mistakes that these young ladies made. First, they ran into the road without first checking to see if a car was coming. Second, they were wearing black. So they were moving quickly and were difficult to see. To me, that's a dangerous combination.

I'd like to give out some advice to parents who are planning to let their kids go out next Halloween. Go with them. I don't care how old they are. After all the stupid crap I saw tonight, I'm pretty sure not one of them is mature enough to handle walking around in the dark on their own. And if they're old enough to think that it's lame that their parents or their friend's parents have to chaperone them, then there's a good chance they're too old to even go trick-or-treating. And if they're too old for that activity, they're probably getting close to the age where it's time for them to get a job. They don't need to walk door-to-door begging for free candy. They can save up their money and go to the store to buy their own candy.

Okay. I'm done now. The rage has subsided. Good night everyone.