Halloween: The Official Movie Novelization

9

Per Allyson’s request, her mother had made reservations at Ristorante Bellini, located at the short end of an L-shaped strip mall. Despite the modest surroundings and a parking lot in need of resurfacing, Bellini’s had an intimate candlelit ambience and pleasing Italian fare. Framed paintings of the Italian countryside along with several old-world-styled maps decorated some of the walls, but their table was in the main room, Allyson’s favorite, near the wall of lit candles. All the glowing candle flames not only gave the room a calming vibe and warmth but also, for Allyson at least, each flame represented a symbol of hope, comfort from the various storms of life, burning bright.

While Allyson enjoyed the chicken parm and other dishes, her real reason for choosing Bellini’s for her celebration dinner was the atmosphere. She always felt relaxed and unhurried at Bellini’s. No matter how busy they were, the staff remained calm and efficient. With enough space between tables and booths, she never worried about ducking a serving tray or having to pull her chair extra close to the table. Bellini’s had a way of making her lingering anxieties fade away.

Mostly, the restaurant offered an opportunity for Allyson and her mother to put on pretty dresses—Allyson’s accessorized with her gold Honor Society stole—and enjoy a special evening as a family. And what better way to introduce Cameron to everyone than on a celebratory occasion with good food in pleasant surroundings.

Cameron had pushed Allyson’s Honor Society trophy—a modern, laser-inscribed clear obelisk—to the far end of the table, opposite the side where the server had set an extra chair for Laurie, to avoid an accident. After intermittent text notifications from school friends kept popping up on her cellphone, Allyson flipped it face down and slid it over to Cameron to place beside her trophy. They’d finished their meals, for the most part, with an occasional bite from their cooling dishes, and everyone was laughing, having a good time. But Bellini’s soothing atmosphere hadn’t been put to the test, because Allyson’s grandmother—a potential source of conflict with her own daughter—hadn’t showed. Allyson focused on the positives of Cameron not freaking out over meeting her parents and their nonjudgmental acceptance of him, rather than on her grandmother’s absence.

As Cameron told them about his family, Allyson reminded herself, Stay in the moment.

With a broad smile, Ray said, “You’re telling me! You know I went to school with your father. He used to sell me Peyote.”

“Dad!” Allyson said, mortified.

“It’s true,” Ray said. “I learned a lot about myself from tripping with Lonnie.”

“Didn’t say you were lying,” Allyson continued, keeping her voice especially low compared to her father’s outburst. “Just—embarrassing.”

“Your father has no filter,” Karen said.

“What?” Ray said, feigning innocence.

“Come on, Ray,” Karen said, chuckling, “that’s like a massive over-share for our new friend.” She turned her attention to Allyson and Cameron sitting together on the opposite side of the table. “Do you two have any special Halloween plans?”

Allyson shot Cameron a look.

“I hear there’s a teen activity at school,” Karen said, teasing. “What is it, a costume party or something?”

Karen and Ray smiled knowingly.

Cameron deferred to Allyson, who rolled her eyes at their lack of subtlety. “Obviously, you guys know about the costume dance,” she said. “But how?”

Karen shrugged. “Moms talk too.”

“What are you dressing up as?” Ray asked them.

Cameron looked to Allyson. “Should I tell him?”

“Sure.”

“Bonnie and Clyde,” Cameron said.

Ray clapped his hands together, pleased. “Classic!”

“That’ll be cute,” Karen said. “That’s fun!”

Enzo, their server, swung by the table to top up water glasses, creating a lull in the conversation. Everyone smiled, faces aglow in candlelight, Ray and Karen sipping from wine glasses. It was a companionable silence. Finally, Allyson could hold it in no longer. She had to know. “Mom, have you heard from Grandmother?”

“No,” Karen said. “I haven’t—not recently.”

“She said she would join us,” Allyson said. “She came to my school. We had a nice talk.”

“I don’t know, Allyson,” Karen said. “Maybe something came up.”

The look that flashed across her mother’s face told Allyson that her mom knew she’d been caught in a lie earlier, but she projected sincerity this time, as if to make up for the earlier deception.

“So, you didn’t get into an argument or try to scare her off?”

With a definitive shake of her head, Karen said, “Nothing of the sort.”

“Hand to God?” Allyson asked, teasing.

“With a fist bump,” Karen replied.

“Cross your heart?”

“Hope to fry!”

“Pinky swear?”

“With a round of hand jive.”

“I have the old polygraph in the trunk of the car,” Ray said. “I could wheel it in—if Mrs Bellini doesn’t mind.”

“Dad!”

Cameron leaned toward Allyson, back of his hand covering his mouth. “Your dad keeps a lie det—?”

“He’s joking.”

“What?” Ray said with a shrug. “I can’t play?”

“Okay,” Allyson said to her mom.

“Okay?” Karen asked. “So, we’re good?”

“One question,” Allyson said with a nod. “Where is she then?”

Karen’s mouth opened—

And Allyson heard her grandmother’s voice as she approached their table: “Jesus,” she said, a little breathless and twitchy, sniffling. “There you guys are. Where were you?”

Karen swiveled around to look at her mother, concerned but also a bit exasperated. “Mom?”

Laurie ignored her for the moment and addressed Allyson. “I went to the high school. Couldn’t find you guys. But either way… I’m here.”

Glancing at Karen with what might have been a silent plea for forgiveness, she turned her attention to Cameron. “And you must be the new heartthrob. What’s your name?”

“Cam—” Caught off guard by the sudden attention, Cameron started over. “Cameron Elam. Nice to meet you.”

Laurie extended her hand.

Cameron rose a bit from his seat to accept and shake it.

“He’s got a firm handshake,” Laurie said, nodding her approval. “Not wet and clammy like Ray’s.”

Rolling his eyes, Ray said, “Wonderful to see you, Laurie. We’re getting to know Cameron here and we’re having a nice little celebration in honor of Ally—”

Allyson’s peaceful state of mind began to exhibit a few cracks. She hadn’t expected rainbows and unicorns when—if—her grandmother showed up, but she’d hoped everyone could remain civil for one night.

“We’ve all got something to celebrate tonight, don’t we?” Laurie said, circling the table to place her hand on Karen’s shoulder. “How was the ceremony?”

“It was very nice,” Karen replied. “Want to have a seat, Mom?”

“I’m good.”

Laurie dipped her finger into Karen’s wine and tasted it.

Taken aback, Karen whispered to her mother, softly enough she hoped Allyson and Cameron couldn’t hear, “What are you on? You promised you weren’t drinking anymore.”

The comment wasn’t soft enough to escape Allyson’s ears, but her senses were attuned to the prospect of tension between her mother and grandmother. For his part, Cameron acted as if he hadn’t heard, but she couldn’t be sure. Maybe he’s just being polite.

“I’m not,” Laurie said, with no attempt at discretion and seemingly unaware that her behavior indicated otherwise.

Allyson thought of the expression “liquid courage” and wondered if her grandmother had decided she needed a drink or two to get through a social situation with her own daughter.

“But I think I should,” Laurie continued defensively. She sat in the chair between the two women and faced Allyson. “This is a celebration, right?”

Karen turned to Ray, maintaining her low tone. “And she wonders why we don’t reach out.”

But you’re both making it worse, Allyson thought.

Laurie reached across the table and picked up Ray’s glass to sample his wine. After she moved the glass away from her mouth, Laurie noticed the disapproving stares from everyone at the table, including Allyson herself. Allyson wanted to scream at her grandmother, Why are you doing this to yourself—to us? You’re going to ruin everything!

“I’m used to it,” Laurie said, her voice rising. “I’m a bad mom when I don’t show up, and a bad mom when I do. You don’t know who I am.” She shook her head and her voice continued to rise. Abruptly, she stood again. “I don’t know who the fuck I am.”

Now the stares came from Bellini patrons at nearby tables.

“Stop it,” Karen said firmly, palms planted on the table. “Reset. Let’s start over.”

“Yes, I agree,” Laurie said. “I want a soda water with a lime. I mean, if I look the part… Right?” Turning away from the table, she called out to the server—any server—in a loud, commanding tone. “Hello? Waiter?” When no immediate response was forthcoming, she sighed to indicate her vast disappointment in Bellini’s staff. “Does anybody work here?”

“Stop it,” Karen said again, frustrated to the point of gritting her teeth to keep her own voice level. Her forced smile bordered on terrifying. “There’s water right here.”

“I said, ‘a lime’!” Laurie exclaimed, as if that slight misunderstanding demonstrated in microcosm the entirety of their troubled relationship.

“We were just about to get the check actually,” Ray said.

“Shut up, Ray,” Laurie said brusquely. “I’m here because I love my granddaughter and want to celebrate. I’m here on this planet—in this moment—because I love her.”

Cameron stared, mouth agape.

“Mom!” cried Karen.

“That’s enough, Laurie,” Ray said, exasperated at last. “Get a hold of yourself!”

“Mom,” Karen said, overlapping Ray’s admonishment. “Mom!”

A hush fell across the restaurant.

Tranquility shattered, Allyson thought, lowering her head. Hard to remember I ever felt relaxed here. And it was all her fault. Trying to force her mother to invite her grandmother. Inviting her grandmother without telling her mother. What could go wrong?

She wanted to hide under the table.

Breaking the abrupt silence, Karen spoke to her mother in a tone that had the air of finality. “Remember what you said? You said you were going to put your past behind you. Do it now.”

Embarrassed, or maybe defiant, Allyson could no longer tell, her grandmother couldn’t look Karen in the eye. But when she spoke, her voice dropped to a pained whisper. “I can’t.”

After the rollercoaster of emotions, Allyson’s eyes filled with tears. It was too much. First, she’d been disappointed that her grandmother hadn’t shown up, followed by a warm sense of relief that she’d come—better late than never. Then everything crumbled into more disappointment as the family gathering hadn’t turned out anything like she’d hoped. And if that hadn’t been bad enough, now she had to deal with public embarrassment in front of Cameron and the entire evening crowd at Bellini’s—all before her grandmother even had time to take a bite of food at their table. She wondered if she could ever show her face in Bellini’s again.

Without saying another word, Laurie turned and walked out.

Not wanting to face Cameron, Allyson looked through the window to follow her grandmother’s retreat across the parking lot toward the busy boulevard. A moment later, Allyson clutched the edge of the table. Her grandmother stepped off the curb without even acknowledging traffic. A car swerved. Multiple horns blared.

Laurie caught herself, stepped back up onto the curb, as if only then realizing where she was and where she’d been about to walk. Something in Allyson jarred her out of her own embarrassed paralysis. Scooting out of her chair and ignoring the voices of her family calling after her, Allyson hurried through the door, across the lot, and made her way across the street—after checking traffic—to join her grandmother by her pickup truck.

Without a word, she wrapped her arms around the older woman, who hugged her back as fiercely. For the moment, Allyson’s embarrassment was gone. Her grandmother was safe. Right then, nothing else mattered.