Mariella and Miguel: Halloween or All Hallow's Eve by Marian Casillas, Ed.D.

 

Serenely sitting in the radiantly sunlit solarium Mariella and Miguel silently savor their afternoon merienda (snack) of tea and empanadas (turnovers). She daintily eats a sugar-free lemon, gluten-free empanada with Orange Ginger Ayurvedic Herbal Tea. He heartily devours his favorite, a traditional pumpkin empanada with Black Tea loaded with three packets of cane sugar, just like his abuelita (grandmother) always prepared for his after-school snack when he got to her house to wait for his parents to come pick him up after they got off work.

After finishing their merienda, Miguel takes a flyer out of his back-pack and places it in front of Mariella. She reads out-loud the bold letters: “College Costume Party”.

“I’m going,” he excitedly informs her, “How about you?”

“I’ve got lots of homework to catch-up on!”

“Come on, it’ll be fun. I can help you catch-up on your homework later on,” he insists.

“I guess,” she shrugs.

“Great, it starts at 7:00 p.m., so I’ll pick you up at 6:45 p.m. The costume contest will commence at 8:00 p.m. It would be great if we both won.”

“But I don’t have a costume.”

“You always look like an angel, I’m sure you have a dress that you can go as a princess. We’re all beloved children of God, but you are especially a beloved daughter of Our Lord The King of the Universe and Our Lady The Queen of the Universe.”

What a most spiritually beautiful expression, she ponders, but for some reason can’t bring herself to say it out loud.

Instead she inquires, “What will you go as?”

“Oh, that’s top secret!” he cleverly remarks.

She thinks to herself, he probably gave it away with that clue. He’s most likely going as a spy or a secret agent.

 

On the evening of the College Costume Party Miguel boldly knocks on her dorm room.

She opens the door and is delightfully surprised to see a most daunting, but definitely debonairly dressed Miguel. The chest armor accentuate his muscular physique. The entire costume from head-to-toe, including wings, sword and shield, made him look like a true warrior, defender, and protector. He pulled off the costume authentically, like he was born to wear it.

She thought, I wonder how long he’s been working on perfecting his costume, and all I had was a day’s notice.

“How could I not have guessed? Of course, you would go as Saint Michael the Archangel – Miguel San Angelo.”

“Every All Hallow’s Eve since I can remember, I’ve been dressing-up as Saint Michael the Archangel and hopefully I’ll still be dressing-up for the Nursing Home Costume Contest.”

“You mean every Halloween,” she interjects.

“I prefer to refer to it as the traditional day of All Hallow’s Eve, the Eve of All Saints Day. Halloween has been corrupted by the secular culture and gotten too commercialized. I think we need to Make All Hallow’s Eve Great Again!”

Mariella cringes; was that a Trumpian remark? She wonders and worries.

He notices her discomfort and quickly changes the subject, “And didn’t I tell you, you would look beautiful dressed like royalty?”

“Thank you for the compliment,” she sincerely acknowledges his genuine and courteous comment, “I found all the accessories at a thrift store; plastic jewelry, the arm length white gloves, and even the tiara. The evening gown and high heel shoes are all mine, they’re from when I was a bridesmaid at a wedding.”

“It’s not the attire that makes a woman beautiful; it’s the inner beauty of her soul shining through all the accoutrements, as she radiates from inside her heart to all those around her.”

She looks at him with a quizzical look, not sure what to make of him.

He continues to disarm her reticence and reluctance and gallantly offers her his arm, “Mademoiselle Mariella, your carriage awaits.”

If he’s trying to win me over, I think it’s working, she bemusedly surmises.

As they enter the College Costume Party, they are overwhelmed with the razzle-dazzle of all the costumes being displayed by the students.

“Do you dance?” she asks, as Tejano music begins playing over the loudspeakers.

“Yes, my mother taught me to dance; she didn’t want to have a socially awkward son.”

Miguel sheaths his sword and takes the string on his shield and hanging it on his neck he throws it behind his back as it expertly falls between both plastic wings.

He holds out both of his arms and they begin to dance all around the dance floor.

His mother taught him to dance well. She wonders if there’ll also be a dance contest, maybe they can win that, since seeing all the various costumes she doubts she stands a chance of winning. Miguel might win though!

As if reading her mind, he declares, “It’s not about winning a contest; it’s about having a good time. Are you having a good time?” he inquires.

“Yes.” She has to admit it; she really is having a good time. She’s having such a good time, she wasn’t even thinking about all her homework that is accumulating as they dance. She remembers, that he did promise to help her with her homework. What about his homework?

Again as if reading her mind, he bursts out, “Forget about your homework, enjoy the music and the dancing.”

“How did you know I was thinking about my homework?”

“You just looked distracted and a bit distraught, so I surmised you must be thinking about that. Don’t worry, I promised to help with homework,” as he twirls her around.

The music abruptly stops and the emcee announces the start of the costume contest. All those wanting to be judged will remain on the dance floor and the rest will be seated.

Mariella commences to go find a seat and sit down, but Miguel takes a hold of her arm and urges her to remain on the dance floor. She reluctantly remains, thinking it’s a lost cause.

The contestants are instructed to line up and to walk in front of the table where the judges are seated.

Miguel unsheathes his sword with his right hand and holds his shield in his left arm.

He takes the lead in the line and Mariella follows him.

Mariella notices that most of the students are sitting down and there are only a few costume contestants, she wonders why?

One by one the judges wave off the contestants and soon there are only four students left standing: Saint Michael the Archangel, a Princess, a devil, and a witch.

 

“Wake-up Mariella, you’ll be late for class,” her roommate reminds her as she dashes out the door.

“Was it just a dream like a make-believe fairy tale, or did I really attend a College Costume Party dressed as a Princess?”

Sleepily, she looks in the direction of her desk and sees a 1^st Place Trophy, brightly gleaming in the sunlight.