Halloween morning she woke me up rubbing me gently, but said, “Got a big day ahead of us, better get a good breakfast,” then left me to shower and shave alone. She was already dressed when I got out, so I did the same, and we went about our day much more normally. Honestly, I was kind of thankful for the break as it was becoming a bit much for me to keep up with. As every guy will tell you, sex every day is a great fantasy, but having to perform that often takes a toll on you after a while. And Lord knows, the last thing I wanted was for sex with the woman I wanted to marry someday to become a chore.
Thursday classes went uneventfully, though I was dreading having to stay up late drinking on a school night, then struggle through classes tomorrow. I almost laughed at how I could hear my mother nagging me in my thoughts, knowing she was totally right, but even if I hadn’t already agreed to go, the simple fact that I wanted to make a good impression with her family meant I had to go. I was expecting us to drive back to her place together, though by the time I finished my last class and got back to our apartment I found a small flat box with a note on it.
It read, ‘By the time you read this I’ll already be at the party. In the box is your costume. Come soon, we’ll all be ready and waiting for you. Love, Jessica.’ That was very oddly phrased, but I didn’t think anything of it, instead opening up the box. All that was in there was the face of this green creature with tusks. It would completely cover my face so that I could look out of its eyes, but that was it. I shrugged and closed the box, then searched through my closet for something nice to wear with it, settling for a simple black button up long-sleeve shirt and black slacks. I figured those would accentuate the mask, especially in the dark.
Then I jumped in my car and drove out to the family home on the cape. Traffic wasn’t too bad, but I still got stuck behind some little old lady that only drove at five under the speed limit, so it took about an hour, and that meant I arrived a little bit after sunset, the start time of the party. Even though their house was practically a mansion with a driveway able to accommodate a dozen cars, I still had to park on the side of the road behind a line of them. This was going to be a busy party, even more than I’d expected, so I grabbed the box with the mask, locked my car, and walked towards the house.
“Mike, you’re late,” said Jessica’s father who was waiting to invite me in. On top of his head was a mask, ready to pull down over his face once he was ready to don his disguise, and he had a flat black robe covering the rest of his body.
“Sorry,” I shrugged, then followed up pathetically with, “Traffic.” He just nodded, then invited me in.
“Everyone else had already arrived, so we can go inside.” Then he pulled down his mask which was exactly the same as mine, so I pulled mine on also, and followed him inside. He closed and locked the door, even using the deadbolt, making me feel more than a little uncomfortable. I just played it cool, trying to ignore the trapped feeling creeping through me. “So Jess told you about what’s expected of you, right?”