Matt is in the AP art program in school, and this year, all the AP art kids did a "Haunted Hallway" the night before Halloween. Parents brought their children, and for a few bucks (all going to charity) the kids went through the art wing of the school, venturing into the different classrooms and being scared by the high school volunteers. If I do say so myself, Matt's room was the best. Matt's part was to play the mummy and stand in the corner and suddenly come alive,scare the group standing before him and chase them from the room, so the next group could enter and see the performance from the beginning.
We brought Evan and Josh in, but Evan was way to old for the activities, and Josh was on the fence. So we didn't hang around or anything, Matt was mostly there on his own, just like all the other completely independent high school students. When Matt was done with mummy-ing and the haunted hallway he came home and he told me all about some of the more stand out people he had met that night.
Matt told me the one time he broke character was while one unenthusiastic mother declared the event boring right in front of Matt and her small children. Matt said he broke character and gave the mom a lecture about lightening up and creating some mystery for kids so they could have a childhood. (snicker, I adore my son) Matt told me about a couple of fabulous moms too, but mostly he told me about one little boy, who came to the event in his own mummy costume and loved Matt's act. After the act, the mother asked if she could take a picture of Matt (the huge mummy) with her little boy, so Matt obliged. Then the little mummy kept coming back into Matt's room, so Matt made him the assistant mummy and included him in his act. According to Matt the little mummy hung out and scared visitors with him for quite some time. Isn't Matt the best (sweetest, tenderest, most thoughtful, warm hearted) teenager ever?
Wait folks, it gets better.
It turns out that the reason the little boy wore a mummy costume was to camouflage the surgical mask he had to wear across his mouth because he has leukemia. Matt wasn't clear about the rest of the story, but I suspect it involves a bone marrow transplant or maybe chemo.
I know, I know, (shaking my head) Matt is a saint, I am quite sure of that.
The mom was so grateful for what Matt gave to her son that night that she contacted Matt's AP art teacher and asked him if it would be okay if she wrote something up for the newspaper and sent in a story with Matt's and little mummy's picture.
Oy vey. (Fighting back the tears) I couldn't be a more proud mother than I am right at this very second, if I was any more proud of my boy I would burst into a million pieces. It would be like he had his very own ticker tape parade. Which he totally deserves.
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