its a scary place

"I just hate this time of year." Betty did her best to keep the words under her breath as she washed the last of the dishes.

Ed  sat at the kitchen table with his coffee. He looked at her and then back to Ollie who was shoveling in an apple crisp with ice cream.

"What?" Honestly, Ed hadn't said much of anything, lately..other than to do what was asked of him. He had no idea how much needed to be fixed around here. God knows, the last time the toilet was flushed in the basement.

Yes, it was a hard life, but he felt fortunate to be here with Ollie. Although, they had kept it hush hush with the Ollie's caseworker. He hoped they didn't regret that.

"Oh, Halloween." She was in a tizzy, scrubbing on an old pot.

"What about Halloween?" Ed didn't think this was a bad neighborhood. Most knew everyone. Most places weren't like that. He was amazed there wasn't any drug trafficking or any other trafficking, for that matter.

"It..just..frightens..me." Betty swelled a frown as she turned to him. "I want Dewey to stay home, but I know he won't." She hugged herself tight. "I afraid he'll get shot."

Ed thought he might go cross eyed from her shattering words. Why would she say something like that?

"He's not..he's not the color..of..of Ollie." She was closed lip, but then admitted. "Actually, I've always worried about it, having a boy like him. I want him to grow up..and ..."

"Well, a lot of teen girls have been targeted, lately." He didn't want to give them a color, but they also lived in bad neighborhoods, too. He watched the news. No matter who it was, it got him in a throat of emotion every time, when he saw a face on the news, as another causality in the city.

Still, Betty was awful grim, as if she would be in a state of a slow death for the rest of week, waiting for something awful to happen to her teenage son.

"You, got anything planned?" He shot Ollie a look.

"What?" Ollie glared back a bit alarmed with a mouth food of comfort goodness. "I could..just..stay home..and hand out candy." He managed to say after he swallowed.

"I don't even hand out candy, anymore." Betty told them, most did trick or treating at the businesses, around town over the weekend. No one really came on their street.

"Maybe, we could go to a haunted house." Ed hated the idea of doing nothing on Halloween, especially with Ollie.

"I'm not going anywhere." It sounded to be set in stone with Betty, as she hugged herself.

"All right." Ed nodded. The next thing he knew he was taking Brick and Lily trick or treating in the neighborhood. "But..you..said.." Ed winced, more confused than ever. He guessed he'd have to see how Halloween panned out.