In 2008, I was invited to a Halloween party in a very last minute way. I had to find an outfit and quick, but I was also too broke to buy something off the shelf at a store.

  At that time I was a security guard for a company that will remain nameless. I was working a contract at a liquor store and they had decorations for Halloween all over the place. One of the decorations was a cheap dollar store witch hat. I asked the manager if I could borrow it for the night and bring it back tomorrow and she said yes. So I had a witch hat. Now I had to figure out the rest of a costume.

  I had mid-long curly hair (except when I swept it back straight with gel when working) and I thought “Maybe a sort of semi-goth metrosexual sorcerer look then, that could work with my hair…” Again, I had to come up with something quickly and cheaply.

  So black pants, tight red shirt, long leather jacket and a silly cheap witch hat. It wasn’t really working though. Something was missing. I then asked a friend of mine to paint my nails black. She warned me that it was actual nail polish and not the sort that you easily get rid of, but I shrugged it off. So I had my nails painted black and my look was ready.

  At the subway station while on my way to the party, a group of teenagers kept looking at me. One of them eventually approached me to ask if I had been in a movie or something because one of the girls from the group was sure she’d seen me in one. It was terribly flattering and I thought “Okay, I guess this means I managed to pull off a decent look for Halloween then!”

  So I went to that party and had fun. But not as much fun as I had for the following weeks. Like I said, I was a security guard. I had some hours at the liquor store, but I left that contract because it wasn’t full-time and it often impeded me from taking better work shifts on call. I was then working on call. Basically I called when I wanted hours and they sent me wherever I was needed, and the days I wanted off I simply didn’t answer the phone for them. And now as to why I had so much fun.

  Those black nails, they made clients really uncomfortable! I would show up, well-shaved, hair slicked back, in uniform, looking normal… And then completely on purpose just so they could have a good look at my black nails, I’d stretch my hand to them to shake theirs as I said “Hello, I’m the security guard for the day.”

  I was very amused at how such a stupid little thing made them react. Their eyes would go wide for half a second, or they’d even look worried at times. And since I wasn’t on any permanent contract, none of the clients would ask of me that I remove my nail polish. I was only there for the day. They couldn’t say anything to me.

 When the novelty of clients’ reactions wore off, I eventually removed the polish with much difficulty. But it was really funny while it lasted.