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by Veste on Sat Mar 15, 2008 8:16 am
Sorry I've been late. Life's pretty insane. I'll edit this post with my entry later today. Sorry for holding it up, guys.
EDIT: Thanks for waiting. I'll try not to be so late next time. >> But, hey, I was first for the last one, so all's fair!... well, not really. But oh well!
Vroom, vroom!
An engine revved loudly at the parking lot of the recreational area. The car was dark red, sleek, and low to the ground, almost scraping against it. Josh wasn’t getting ready to leave the place, of course; he’d only just gotten there. The 18-year-old just wanted to show off. More realistically, though, he scared the younger children. Wailing began off at the playground; a young woman ran over to her screaming child, and the group of people she had been sitting with turned and stared at the car’s owner. Not one to pass up a challenge, ‘The Bear’ hopped up out of his triple-parked vehicle and strode over to a table just a few feet away from the group.
He wore a plain, navy shirt that was stretched to accommodate his size. It was short-sleeved and had not a single label on it. Josh had even ripped out the tag after he'd bought it. His shorts were the same, but brown - and did he ever like running around in shorts, especially at the park! The young Mr. Archer was also quite overweight, and, despite having been made fun of for it, continues to flaunt it at every opportunity. He typically feels it compliments his short, black hair very well.
Some of the previous stares continued after he had sat down. Some were turned away. A few of the people stood up, presumably to use the nearby washrooms. Children continued to play contently at the playground, only slightly perturbed by the intrusive revving noise; apparently, the screaming child was unique, and his mother had already taken him to the bathroom.
Probably to give him meds or somethin’. Hah! Poor little guy! Hahaha!
"Nice weather we're having, i'n't it?" he said casually, glancing over at the group of people he was taunting. A grin lit the boy's face, and that was the proverbial last straw. A pair of simply-dressed men jumped to their feet and walked right over to confront Josh.
"What is it with people like you?" one of them began, a furious look plastered to his mug. "Why do you assholes feel like you can just go wherever the hell you want and do whatever you please? Why do such douche-bags like you exist?"
"Hey, man," the 18-year-old replied. "It's a free country. More than them Americans down south. And, you know, I actually think it's pretty weird there aren't more jerks like you wanderin' around. I mean, it's not li-"
"Jerks like me? Are you insane!? I'm not the person trying to ruin somebody's peaceful day at the park! I'm not the one running his little machine in here and disturbing the peace! I should knock your face in for this!"
Hah, just like old times.
"First, I'm not insane. Second, you are ruining my day at the park. And third, well, I'd really like to see you try it, little man."
An angry shout was released from the man's mouth as he raised his fist to strike. As quickly as a flash, despite his out-of-shape appearance, Joshua's right arm met the guy's own upper arm as his left hand held the captured arm against the young Archer's. In seconds, the older man was lying on the bench on his back, an elbow firmly planted into his throat and another keeping his closer hand steady against the table. Josh was on is feet, keeping enough weight on his arms to be debilitating, but not life-threatening. The guy was struggling against the grip, but it was futile; he, literally, couldn't escape.
"Now, sit here nice and tight while I explain to you why I revved my engine, understand? Y'see, I was on my way here, cruising along the roads at whatever the speed limit was - yeah, the speed limit, don't look all exasperated at me. All of a sudden, I felt it that my car was gettin' really hot, and, well, it isn't really too hot out here, y'know? So I went and revved up about as much as I could and, lo and behold, I realized something was wrong! Then that kid started yelling and everything went to rat-shit and now you guys are on my case. So, how 'bout you get up and walk away, I'll take my car to a mechanic, or get a tow truck if there's a phone around here or somethin', and we'll just stay our separate ways, eh?"
"That, uh, that's fine with me. C-come on, guys, let's go and sit down."
Josh released the man, and they did, indeed, go their separate ways. The 18-year-old meandered back to his car, thinking the whole way back.
Exactly like old times. Always with the self-righteous people who don't bother asking what the hell's going on before trying to pull some stupid crap on us. God, I hate people like that.
Hm. They're fun to pick on, too. Jerks.
The fat young man leaned against his little car and thought, for a split second, about the ironic difference between the size of him and his method of transportation. He almost laughed out loud, but realized that making a useless loud noise would be rude. Instead, he serenely viewed the entirety of the park - especially the playground. Josh missed the playground. It reminded him of the only time he and his father had done anything other than bicker; his dad and him had built sandcastles, just like the kids were. He had slid down the slide into his dad's arms, climbed the monkey bars with the strong hands around his waist - he was really bad at the monkey bars. They had had snowball fights in the winter, when nobody else felt the sets were safe enough to play on. That never stopped Josh. He never seemed to get hurt by falling over, for whatever reason. Tough-skinned, his dad had said.
If his mom hadn't died, would she have said the same thing? The young man didn't know. Maybe she would've been scared for him, would've scolded his dad. Or maybe she would have smacked him upside the head. Or maybe she would have stayed quiet. Or maybe...
Augh! Stop thinking about her. You never met her. You... you killed her!
Yes, that was what he said. Whenever he shrank into a drunken stupor, he really hated Josh. Right to the bones, his father had hated him - and he hated right back. Maybe not so deeply down, but, on the outside, the rage and pain was always there. There was no female in either of their lives. Both were only children, and Josh's mother's family had given up on the two and left them alone. There were no 'if's about it, either. None of 'his father secretly loving him deep down' bullshit to try to wade into. It was all very depressing.
So the young boy had taken off, just after getting his licence. He went to Toronto, lived there for a few years, and loathed it with such a passion that the outward hate he had for his father seemed like a drop of acid in an ocean of bile.
With a look of disgust aimed at the horrendous playground fraught with giggling children, the Bear leapt back into his smooth red ride, causing it to lurch to the ground. He shoves his keys into the ignition and turned them with malice. Peeling out, he zoomed from the parking lot, onto the road, and back to the highway leading away from the despicable place.
Goddamn memories. Stupid park. Effing parents. Dammit! I hate parks.
