A Walk in the Park

Wrote this for class. Been stressed.

                       A Walk in the Park

By: Anjay Dhirmalani

 

I believe that I am sick. I never met my grandfather because of cigarettes, isn’t life just one big cycle? I couldn’t shake these thoughts today during my walk today. I was practicing blending into the sea of people around me, trying to find some entertainment or form of meaningful connection. It sometimes occurs to me that I am a cliché, another moth to a flame in a cold world, testing its own limits before it crashes and burns. I walked past a small pond and stared for a while, children played near the bank, turning sticks into naval fleets with their imaginations. The water reminded me of a dream I had the night before.  I pushed one of my ex-girlfriends into the ocean to see what would happen, and when she didn’t come up, I jumped in after her. I couldn’t find the surface. I wonder how she’s doing these days. I lit a cigarette and went on with my walk, the sun was starting to get low.

On the way home a man approached me. He was in shambles, ripped clothes, greasy unkempt hair. His smile revealed a mouth full of rotting teeth, and he smelled of cat urine. I didn’t want to be bothered, and I knew what he was going to ask me before he spoke. “Hey kid, how you doin?” He said it with care in his voice and I was genuinely caught off guard for a second, I hadn’t spoken to anyone in a few days and some social interaction was welcome.

“I’m alright I guess, kind of tired, how about you?” I asked.

“The same” he said, “Hey you mind givin me one of those things your smokin?” There it was, everybody wants something, but I only had one left and I knew that I would need it later.

“I’m sorry sir this is my last one”. His toothless grin turned into a tight-lipped stare, and I realized I had made a mistake talking to a homeless person on my walk through the park.

“In that case, you got any money I could borrow?” he asked, with a tone implying he would do more than borrow.

“Look I don’t have any, I’m sorry” I replied. I was being honest this time, I really didn’t have any cash at the moment. He looked me up and down like he was sizing me up, and he put his hand in his pocket. I nervously said, “I need to get home, I’m late for something very important”. I looked around, we were near the entrance of the park, the sun had just gone down past the trees and the streetlamps were emitting a dull orange glow. Most people had already left, but there were still a few in earshot of us. I could hear a siren blare in the distance.

“Alright”, he said “you do whatcha gotta do”. I nodded and began for the street, when the man shouted, “Stay safe out there kid!” I didn’t answer or look back I just kept walking. I think that I’m prone to interactions like these, I thought to myself as I unlocked the door to my apartment. It’s not that I didn’t want to help the guy out, and I’m sure he would’ve had some interesting stories if he wanted to talk rather than shake me down. I sat down and turned on the TV, trying to forget about the man in the park. Some important scientist was on the news, explaining how climate change is going to end the world. I believe our planet is sick, and we did it to ourselves. At this rate, even if I did have grandkids, what’s the point in fathering a doomed generation. I lit another cigarette and made myself a strong drink, before sliding into bed, the only place the world doesn’t bother me these days.