Petting Grass

Patty sat on the bench at the park that she went to on those random days when she just felt like it would be a good idea to go sit on a bench and just think. She looked at squirrels on the ground and wondered if they felt uncomfortable around people. She saw some kids holding hands and wondered if any of them would become politicians when they grew up. She remembered that she wanted to be a ballerina when she grew up because she liked the idea of telling people that she was a ballerina. Patty liked the way it sounded. “Hi. I’m a ballerina. That’s what I do for a living.” Patty couldn’t help, but smile at the thought of saying that at her age now.
“Patty?” asked a young man with a beanie. Patty looked at him and then recognized him.
“Joshua,” said Patty.
The young man frowned and said, “No. My name is Isaiah.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“I used to date your sister.”
“Sorry… When did you date her?”
“Like two years ago.” The young man continued, “We were engaged.”
Patty still looked unsure. “You were engaged to my sister or to me?”
The young man laughed then saw that Patty was serious. “I was engaged to Annabelle. We dated since high school. You caught us making out in your bed twice.”
Patty stared at him. “Are you fucking with me?” she asked.
“Why would I be fucking with you? Are you fucking with me?” asked the young man.
“Oh! Isaiah! Isaiah Lee, right?”
The young man smiled and said, “Yes.”
“You were class president in my sister’s year.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“What are you doing at the park? Let’s walk and talk.” Patty got up and walked up to Isaiah.
“I’m just walking.” The two started walking together.
“What are you doing here if you don’t mind me asking?” asked Isaiah.
“I was just sitting on the bench because sometimes I just feel like it would be a good idea to just go and sit on a bench and think.”
“Oh… Um, okay. So, how’s Annabelle?”
“She’s fine. Real fine. So fine that she was noticed at a mall and is modeling for cars now.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah.” Patty stopped for a moment to brush some dirt off her shoes. “Sorry about that. My shoes get dirty sometimes,” she said as she started jogging. Isaiah observed her curiously before jogging after her. When he caught up to her jogging pace, he asked, “Why are we jogging?”
“I don’t know why you are, but I felt like it.”
“I see.”
“You used to be in that band, right? Native Americans?”
“Yeah.”
“You weren’t that good at the drums.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I was better than you, and I don’t consider myself to be a good drummer.” Isaiah laughed uncomfortably unsure of how to take Patty’s responses.
“How’s your life? Can we stop a moment? I haven’t jogged in ages.”
“Pretty good. I just celebrated my twenty-sixth birthday with my friends who I’ve known since college. We had a lot of fun. We used to wear animal masks and run around campus in our panties only, and scream. I had a wolf mask. My friend, Susan, was a dog — I think a golden retriever.”
“That sounds–” Isaiah stopped jogging and had a coughing fit. Patty stopped and rushed to Isaiah’s side holding his arm with concern.
“Should I call an ambulance? My cousin’s a doctor. I could call him.”
“No. I’m okay.” Isaiah said after coughing his ninth cough. “I should quit smoking,” Isaiah said while smiling. Patty backed away from Isaiah, concerned. Isaiah looked concerned himself. “What’s wrong, Patty?” She looked upset now.
“Why do smokers have to always let everyone know that they’re smokers?”
“They… don’t.”
“I’m sorry, Joshua. I have to go. I’m late for my meeting where I won’t be smoking,” Patty said as she started walking away. Isaiah watched her walk over a hill where he could no longer see her. He sat on a bench near by, and sat down to think about what just occurred with his ex-fiancée’s older sister.
After his inability to figure out what just happened with Patty, Isaiah decided that he was done with his walk in the park. He walked over the hill, but stopped and almost tripped when he saw Patty kneeling on the side of the hill, petting the grass.
Isaiah approached to her and hesitated before asking, “Patty?” She looked up at Isaiah with sad eyes.
“What’s up, Isaiah?”
“Not much. Are you okay?”
“Sure I am. Why do you ask?’
“What are you doing?”
“I’m sitting down.”
“Why?”
“What’s with all the questions? It’s making me… something.”
Isaiah crouched beside her and said, “Your eyes are red.”
“Yeah? Whatever. Red happens.”
“That’s true,” said Isaiah, not sure what else to say. He continued, “You should get out of the sun. You’ll get a sunburn.”
“Ooh! That sounds appetizing!”
Isaiah smirked, told Patty that he would be right back, and walked away from her by a tree where he got out his cell phone and dialed a number.
“Hey, Annabelle. It’s Isaiah.”
“Isaiah? What’s wrong?” asked Annabelle on the other end.
“I’m at the park right now, and your sister’s acting strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“Can you come over? See for yourself.”
“I can’t. I’m in Miami. What’s she doing? I heard she had some sort of mental breakdown, but I didn’t think it was very serious.”
“It looks pretty serious. She’s petting grass.” Isaiah turned around to see how Patty was doing, but Patty was right behind him. Her eyes were even redder. Isaiah dropped his phone upon finding Patty right behind him.
“Are you talking to my sister?” asked Patty.
“No.”
Patty picked up the phone and said, “Hello. Who is this?”
“Patty? It’s Annabelle. Are you okay?”
Isaiah looked down guiltily.
“I think we all need to get together and just say whatever the hell is on our mind,” said Patty. She hung up the phone, dropped it, and stomped on it with her shoe.
“What the fuck, Patty? That’s my phone!”
Patty slapped Isaiah.
“You slapped me.”
Patty slapped him again. Isaiah’s face was red. Tears started falling down Patty’s cheeks. She stuck her hand out. Isaiah looked at it. “What is this?”
“It’s a hand. You shake it,” Patty said.
Isaiah shook it.
“I’m aware that I need help, and I’m sorry that you had to see me like this. I understand that it was most likely very confusing,” said Patty. She walked away to the spot where she was petting the grass. She started petting the grass. Isaiah stood there, wondering if he should do anything, but felt that maybe he shouldn’t. He thought that maybe he was helping Patty because he still had feelings for Annabelle. Isaiah decided to walk over to Patty, sit beside her, and started petting the grass. Patty looked at him, confused.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m… petting the grass.”
“Why?”
“Why are you?”
“Because I want to. Do you want to pet the grass?”
Isaiah stopped petting it, and looked at his hand. “I don’t… I’m not sure.”
“Then why are you petting it?” she asked.
“I…” Isaiah looked around and saw two kids holding hands watching them. One of the kids called out to someone. The adults — one male and one female walked beside them. Both kids pointed at Isaiah and Patty. The adults looked.
Isaiah turned to Patty and said, “We should go.”
“I don’t want to go,” said Patty.
The father took out his phone and started dialing.
“Patty, there’s a family watching us. I think they’re going to call the police.”
“I’m not doing anything wrong though, and if I am, then why don’t you just go? I barely know you. You made out on my bed.”
Isaiah tried to take Patty’s arm, but she resisted. Isaiah gave up, and said, “Fine. I’m leaving.”
“Okay.”
Isaiah got up and started walking away, but kept looking back at Patty. He felt terrible and hated how he felt terrible. It’s true, I barely know her, he thought. She was always so reserved. Isaiah continued walking away, out of the park, but stopped once more to try and convince Patty to leave.
He walked back to the hill, but she was gone. The family was also gone. Isaiah decided to just leave the park. He exited the park, and saw Patty waiting for the walk sign to flash. Isaiah started walking towards her, but felt that it was pointless.
Isaiah entered his apartment and immediately went to look at old pictures of him and Annabelle on his computer. He browsed through them and this time studied pictures that also featured Patty. He wondered what she was thinking in the pictures. She was smiling. She looked happy, but was she really? He looked at himself and tried to remember how he was actually feeling when the picture was taken. After an hour of studying the pictures, he realized how absurd it was. There was no point. Isaiah turned his computer off and decided to put an old demo CD of his high school band, the Native Americans.