The Night I Met the Doctor
So this weekend is Halloween.
Fall has always been my favorite season and Halloween my favorite holiday.
Though we don't really have seasons here in Florida, the air is a bit cooler and Hobey was always peppier on
his walks to the park this time of year.
Over the years we've had a few
Halloween parties. Some wild and some not so much. Several good and a few fuzzy
memories to go along with them. But I think my favorite, for two very good
reasons, was last year’s party. I wasn't particularly excited about hosting it
but Mrs. RM wanted to do it as one of our friends’ birthdays falls on October
31st. It was a smaller party attended by a few new and a few old friends. Not
an outlandish event but nonetheless quite enjoyable. Mrs. RM was dressed in one
of her "cleverly thought out" costumes which I never understand. She
had on a runner's outfit on with tiny bottles of rum stuck all over it. A
"Rum Runner" Siiiiiiiiiiiiiggggghhhh. I, of course, being over the
top with excitement about the newest Doctor Who was decked out in my new 12th
Doctor costume.
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| "Coach" Hobey & K9 Mike (Identity protected) |
As it turned out, it was our
baby's last Halloween with us and that is the first thing that makes it
special. I'll never forget the image of our friend Mike in his doggy costume laying
on the floor with our Hobey. Priceless.
The second thing? ....
I got to meet The Doctor.
I was fortunate to have spent my formative
years in England. My father was in the military and we were stationed a little
less than 100 miles northeast of London. I guess it stuck with me. I love
British humor and the accent. If I thought I could pull it off without looking
too much a Wally, I'd still talk with one I left there with. I love fish
n' chips and the proper sort of football. (it's the one with the circular ball
played with your feet) (COYS!)
And..... I love Doctor Who.
What do I Love about Doctor Who?
A super genius alien that regenerates instead of expiring, traveling through
time and space in a craft disguised as an old police call box that's bigger on
the inside, with one or more companions!?! It's silly and it’s serious.
Outlandish and introspective. Over the top and subtle. Incredibly stupid and
extremely clever. But mostly, to me it's British, it's my childhood.
The party was going well. Good
food and drink, conversation and laughter, Hobey doing his best to grab
attention and treats as frequently as possible. Occasional interruptions by
trick or treaters at the front door. In years past, Mrs. RM handled the trick or
treaters while I held Hobey as he was large dog who loved greeting anyone at the
door and could be a bit frightening to the wee ones. But as he was very much
into his senior years and mobility was no longer his strong suit, he couldn't
get the door very quickly. So we were sharing the duties of passing out candy that
night. A knock at the door brought Mrs. RM (who happened to be closest at the
time) to greet the tots, candy bowl in hand, fawning over them and
commenting about or trying to guess their costumes and so forth, which is what
adults do I guess. I overheard Mrs. RM asking something about Pee Wee Herman so I
turned my head to see what the costume was and that's when I saw it… A bow tie.
The wee lad was all of four foot five in his little jacket and bow tie,
trousers that were too big and rolled up a tad, looking every bit of Matt Smith's doctor
number eleven. I retrieved my sonic screwdriver from my coat pocket, flashing
the bright red lining all at once announcing to him "I know that face! I
know who you are!" His eyes were as big as saucers as he reached into his
coat for his sonic. He was so excited he began dancing around flashing his
sonic and talking a zillion miles an hour about Doctor Who this and that. He
was speaking so fast all I could make out was that he REALLY liked Doctor
Who.
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| Mr. RM as the 12th Doctor. (Identity protected) |
A thought about Dr Who fans... about those of us that like Doctor Who, sci-fi and comics and other
"nerdy" stuff… Maybe we're a bit off the main line. A little shy, a
little bit socially awkward, a little bit insecure. Secret extroverts buried
deep inside an outward introvert. Always on the lookout for others who might be
a little like ourselves so we can feel as though we belong. That we're part of
a larger whole. That we're not that strange or different. Maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe that's just me, or maybe that's the way we all feel inside sometimes.
I don't know, just a thought.
As the mini Doctor's talking and dancing
continued, I glanced up to see his parents clearly enjoying the
spectacle from the end of the driveway. Another quick flash of the sonic followed
by handfuls of candy being dropped into his bag with a "Happy
Halloween!". Then the door closed and he was off to the next house. And
that was it. Well, not entirely. Actually, it was the rarest of things. A
smile. Not just a smile on my face but a smile in my heart. Deep down where
it really counts. It was a connection. Sharing a bit of yourself with a like-minded
soul. It was like reliving all the wonderful bits of childhood in a
flash.
Or maybe I'm reading too much
into it. Deep down I suppose I'm nothing more than, as Claude Raines so eloquently
put it in Casablanca, "a rank
sentimentalist"
But that was it. That was the
night I met The Doctor. No, it wasn't Capaldi or Smith or Tenant or (I would
have just died) Tom Baker, or any of the others. But it was The Doctor.
And so the calendar has brought
us through another October. We're well into the second series with the 12th
Doctor. I've updated my costume a bit with tartan trousers, a hoodie and
even a pair of knock off Ray Bans to double as the much maligned "wearable
technology". (I'll still keep my sonic close at hand in the coat pocket.)
No party this year. Haven't even
put up any decorations yet. No Hobey here to dress up and help greet the trick
or treaters. But I did manage to talk Mrs. RM into getting the full size candy
bars to hand out this year which to me is very exciting. She knows my heart.
Knows I'm hoping he shows up trick or treating again this year. She tells me
not to get my hopes up. Kids can be fickle. Maybe he's not even into Doctor Who
any more. People move house all the time. Maybe his family moved away.
Who knows?
But me, I'll put out a few
decorations, dress up in my Doctor Who outfit, fill up the bowl with treats and
hope.
After all, it's fall. It's a bit
cooler outside, and I miss my dog! And my heart could use a good smile. I guess it's a bit like the TARDIS... bigger on the inside.
Mr. RM.... I'm proud to be your companion!
Where shall we go next?
Where shall we go next?
