Little Witch

Dalia put her thin warm hand in mine.

"I don't want to do this mama, she pleaded with her sad little voice, her big dark eyes looking straight into mine. Why do we have to ?"

I could hear the fear in her voice and I felt like the meanest mom in the world.

"We just have to. That's why. So stop complaining. Your costume is wonderful and you know how disappointed Daddy will be if you don't wear it. You will be the best witch in the whole neighborhood. Daddy said we have to try and join in and show how happy we are to become true Americans. This is Halloween and this is what Americans do."

I must admit I was a bit frightened at the idea myself. We had arrived just one month earlier and there were so many new things to learn. After  living in  Celinia for nine years, where the noisy bombings thundering in the distance were becoming more and more frequent, we had at last decided it was time to leave. We were lucky to have been able to have that option.

My husband, Reno, is a doctor. He had lived in the  US since the age of ten. He had loved his life and his new homeland. He became an American citizen and was proud to have been given such an opportunity. However, when he finished medical school, he decided that he wanted to spend some time in his native land, and so returned to Celinia hoping to be able to get a job in the pediatric ward in the international hospital. Cellina was in dire straits. War was raging in the north, famine in the south. Reno had been with Doctors of Hope for five years. I was a nurse and still living with my family when we met.. We married, and thought it would be a good idea to remain in Celinia for a few more years before moving to the U.S. When Dalia was born we were living near my parents who were completely delighted to fulfill their role of adoring grandparents. However things did not work out as we expected, and when Dalia turned eight we decided it was time to leave the country. Reno is an American citizen and things were politically dangerous for him in Celinia. So in June we packed up a few belongings, said what we felt would be a temporary goodbye to friends and family, and left for Boston where Reno had been offered a job.

This was the first time I'd left my homeland.

. We hadn't yet made any friends but now that Dalia had started school we were begining to get to get to know people who smiled kindly at us and said hello when we met on the street. Some mothers spoke to me in the morning when I brought my shy eight year old daughter into her class. I felt strange without my usual long skirt and tunic. I knew I would get used to my new jeans and long sleeved tee-shirt with a picture of the Statue of Liberty beaming brightly on my chest. That too was a necessary part of belonginig. It needed to be done so that we could become a part of this new world and show our eagerness to be accepted. I always enjoyed adapting to new situations but had not encountered many. Some people like to hold on to tradition. I was attached to my roots but resolved to take them with me and replant them in American soil. I was sure I could bloom wherever I was planted. I thought it would be easy. However, in America on some days I am as frightened as Dalia was on Halloween. We are trying our best, but knowing how to behave in a new environment has many challenges.

"Tell me again about Halloween, mama ! Tell me what we have to do".

"Well, I said, trying to sound sure and enthusiastic, "Remember in Celinia we had a day to honor our saints. It was called the day of the dead."

"Yes. I remember. We took flowers to the cemetaries to decorate the graves of dead people and everyone was sad. So, go on."

"Yes. Well in America today, on the day of the dead, children wear scary costumes like ghosts and witches and spiders and go from house to house with a bag and say "trick or treat" and people give them candy."

"Oh," Dalia looked bewildered. "Why?"

Suddenly I started to cry.

 "My poor baby! I don't know why. There's so much I don't understand. This is our first Halloween. We will learn. We will learn. It will be fine. You'll see."

Dali adjusted her pointed witch's hat and smiled at me.

 "Don't worry mama". Sure we'll be ok. Look here comes Becky and her mom. They are smiling. They will help us get it right"

I wiped away my tears as Becky's mom came toward us. I extended my hand the way we usually do, but Becky's mom put her arms around me and gave me a warm hug. I felt kind of silly with my hand out as if ready to grab the air, but Maggie didn't seem embarrassed at all.

"Is there something wrong Serafina?" she asked with apparenly genuine concern.

I wasn't sure what to say. Behind Maggie there were other moms with little boys and girls from Dalia's class all in the kind of costumes we had see on sale at Wallmart. All carried shopping bags and babbled happily together. Seeing her classmates in their outlandish dress, Dalia started to laugh and ran off with Becky to join the others. Several moms joined Maggie and all gave me a warm hug. I got the idea, and with the third hug I was able to answer back with a hug of my own.

"Thank you Maggie", I said with a shakey voice. "I'm a little scared you see. This is my first experience with trick or treat." Magge laughed and linked her arm through mine.

"Com'on girl. This will be the experience of your life. Don't worry, Dalia will be taken care of by Becky and her friends".

She turned toward the women behind her. "Let's get moving, ladies. This is Seraphina and this is her first trick or treat. Let's make it fun." The other moms all applauded and the little troop started down the street…"We moms are just here to make sure all goes well. We just follow along. I guess you don't do Halloween in your country. I'll explain. Then next month we have Thanksgiving. I'd like to invite you guys…"

I felt reassured and happy as I watched my little witch, waving to me proudly, surrounded by her new friends.