You and Me, Park?

His mother gifted him recess at the park for the first time in weeks. He hadn’t been getting good grades to convince her he needed any gratification until today’s math test. But finally, the boring days of no phone paid off with a “B.” It couldn’t have been a more perfect day to play with new friends and run in the hot grass while the wind blew him around like a dandelion. When he got there, he immediately began a game of tag with three other kids. 

“Be careful you don’t fall!” his mom yelled.

He heard her fair and square, but he couldn’t slow down with his opponent breathing down his back. He ran, staring at the boy while passing the blue slides and monkey bars, and turned his head, smacking himself into a pole.

“Got you!” The boy only laughed at him. Pain scattered throughout his face and he almost felt like crying when his head started to throb. Good thing his nose didn’t bleed out like it did the last time he played at the park. He never learned. “Come on! You’re it!” The boy slowly backed away trying to get a head start as if nothing serious happened. Of course, the kid didn’t know him, so why should he care if he hurt himself?

“Time out. I’ll play again in a few,” he said. And at that, the boy ran away to play with the others.

Fortunately, the pole stood on the other side of the playground, where his mother couldn’t see him. It would’ve been the end of playtime if she had seen him knock his head. With nowhere else calling his name, his attention went straight to the swings since no one accompanied them except one person. He slightly hesitated because he thought he might’ve recognized the stranger on the leftmost swing set. Sabrina? From afar he examined her face, the soft roundness of her nose and cheeks, and her abnormal choice of attire. How could she wear such a warm top and a beanie in this sunny weather? Sure there were gusts of wind, but only enough to cool someone down from the crazy heat. He’d always expected her to leave that beanie behind one day, but she wore it to school every day. Underneath it now seemed to be light brown hair, which she always tied into a braid. If anything bothered him more about her, it would’ve been her goody-two-shoes sense. She never slacked off, never talked back, never got an “F,” and never spoke enough. She only ever smiled in class, did her work diligently, talked to the teacher, and kept to herself. But now that he’d witnessed her out of class, nothing but curiosity struck him. He made his way over to the swings, deliberately choosing the seat right beside hers. He stared at her until she looked up from her shoes and smiled at him. He quickly looked away, pondering what to say. “I didn’t think I’d see you here,” he managed.

“Oh,” she smiled to herself. “I’ve been coming here more recently.”

He nodded, peering away to formulate something else. “You don’t talk a lot do you?” 

She shrugged, “Not when I don’t need to, I guess.” In the silence, she scanned around, observing the camp facility he’d never been in, and watching the kids play in the grass field. “Why’re you sitting here and not with them out there?”

“How do you know I’m with them?”

“I kind of saw you playing tag with them on the playground. I’ve been here the whole time.”

So that means she saw him when he got there. He used his legs to give some momentum to his swing. “Some people talk about you at school. Most of them think you’re–”

“Weird?” 

He nodded, relieved she got the hint. “You often sit closest to the teacher’s desk, and she’s always nicest to you. And you miss one day every week.”

“And I’m weird, how?” Her voice remained unchanged, that soft tone of hers that his school friends often ridiculed. Maybe she had no idea what they were saying about her. “I go to school and do my work like any good student. I find every lesson equally important. Didn’t you think today’s lesson was so fascinating?” Today’s lesson, today’s lesson, today’s lesson. What was it again? “You don’t think it’s cool to learn about Earth’s most famous landmarks?”

“Not exactly.” He didn’t care about landmarks at all. “Maybe someday I’ll visit one or two of them, but I have time to think about that.” She didn’t respond. Did he hurt her feelings? “What? I just don’t find interest in the things you enjoy. I’m not very curious about the Earth or history.”

“But what if you only had a month to live? Don’t you have any dreams or places you want to go?”

This time he put in effort to seek an answer. He’d always dreamed of a bike or a new electric scooter. If he didn’t have much time left, the park might be the only place he’d like to spend time. The friends he met there were always fun to play with since they didn’t know him, and vice versa. The only aspect of the playground he hated was the possibility that a friend might not come back to play another day. “I’d come to this park every day if I could. Maybe I’ll find a better park than this one someday.”

She laughed, “I see where your head is at. The park has a special meaning to you.”

“I mean…not really. This one’s not that special.”

“Let’s say they destroyed this park to make space for new homes and buildings. Wouldn’t you be sad about that?”

He imagined a huge crane smashing the playground into bits and pieces, and digging out every hidden treasure he’d ever buried there. He didn’t like the thought. “I guess it would make me angry. Why build something for the community that’s so beautiful and knock it down for more concrete? It wouldn’t make any sense to me, especially since no other parks are near.”

“See? Things don’t become special to you until they’re threatened to be taken away. That’s how I feel these days.” She sighed.

“Why? Are they going to take the park away?” He stopped swinging himself.

“No, silly.” He exhaled a breath, holding his heart. “Can I show you something I’ve never shown another? Except for my mom and dad.”

Where this was headed, he hadn’t any idea. “Sure?”

She proceeded to gently pull her light pink beanie off her head. He could finally see her full head and more of her brown hair, but–

“You see this?” She pointed to several bald spots on her head. She inverted her beanie to display a hat full of hair strands. 

“What happened?” He could feel his eyebrows drooping and confusion welling up his sides. “You have…”

She nodded softly. “Don’t tell anyone.”

He shook his head repeatedly, “No, I won’t. How long has it been? How much time do you have?” He quickly covered his mouth, unsure if asking might’ve been rude.

“I’ve only known for a month, but doctors say they can heal me. If it goes untreated, who knows how long I’ll be here?”

Suddenly, he regretted his answers to her previous questions. Ever since being sick, she must’ve built a list of things to do and learn, and places to go. Places like the park. Places including those famous landmarks that they’d learned about today in class. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“You’re unsure if you have much time left, and I couldn’t imagine going through that. Your hair is very pretty, by the way.”

Her face lit up for the first time, “Thank you. Not much will be left, but I plan to grow it back when I finish this race.”

Everything within him hoped she could beat this battle. He flashed back to those days when his friends mocked her, him included, and he despised himself for it. What could he do to earn her forgiveness? “And I’m sorry for the way people treat you. They don’t know anything.”

“I forgive you, Brayden. There’s nothing worse than holding grudges and taking peoples’ comments too personally. At this point, though I’m physically weak, I feel stronger than ever inside.” She pointed to her heart.

He nodded, “You’re very optimistic. It’s a shame that people don’t care as much anymore.”

She smiled again, “Do me a favor and be kind to people. You never know what people are going through, but when you try connecting with them, your entire perspective shifts.”

He looked inward to himself, wondering why he never thought of things that way. He swung himself again, “Same time tomorrow?” He spoke before he could think. What if his mom doesn’t agree to bring him back? There was only one way to earn an unlimited ticket to recess, and that meant straight “A’s.”

“Sure,” she laughed and matched his pace on the swing.

He will work hard for those “A’s.”