hannah the a.m.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I was a stay at home mom. No IRS tax paying job to speak of, I spent my time volunteering at schools, cooking, cleaning and doing the occasion load of laundry.

Every September was the beginning. My birthday, followed closely by Ashley's, then Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The weekend of Ashley's birthday was always fun. It was the beginning of fall and Haunted Houses were open. We had a ritual, have a party, go out to dinner and take all the screaming little girls through the houses.

About six years ago, I decided I loved Haunted Houses so much, I would work in one. It would give me something to do, and a little extra cash for Christmas. One had opened about five miles from our house, a sister haunting of one of our favorites.

Ashley and I went down, filled out applications and began scaring people every weekend in October. It was a blast. Yes, Ashley's first job was with her mom scaring people.

About mid way, Hannah decided she wanted to come too. She was nine. She had an old clown costume, put on some scary make-up and would sit on the floor, then jump at the customers. She was so little, they really didn't think an actual kid would be working in a haunted house that when she jumped, it would scare the living sh*t out of them! We all had a blast, talking the next morning about who was really scared, how our side of the house was better, and we all even won some cash for being the "scariest".

The ironic thing about that first year was Chanell worked there too. Long before Ashley ever actually met her.

Now, the next year, I had gotten a full time job in retail and couldn't work the house. Ashley and Hannah did though. The third year, Ashley had moved on, but Hannah still returned. And the next, and this year as well.

Last night, she started her sixth year at the house. The owners love her, the manager loves her, they remember the little nine year old in braces with the clown suit. I let her drive up there (remind me to post the driver's permit chronicles) and watched walk down the gravel path to the house.

When she got home, she in the way she always does says/sings "I have sooooo much to tell you!!" Seems when she arrived, Paul and Gonzo (owner and manager) asked her if she wanted to be the assistant manager of house A. She will be responsible for giving people breaks, handing out the prizes for being the "scariest" and keeping people in line.

She is beyond excited. I am happy for her as well. She is already a little hoarse and has a nice lump on her arm (the standard injuries for jumping in the dark and screaming all night), but is loving every minute of it.

Everyone is growing and changing. Six years ago I was a stay at home mom with both my children at home, September brought the onset of the best season of the year.

Tonight, I move into my apartment. The times they are a changin'