Grass


All I could think about, as I rocked back and forth on a firm, tough, wooden bench in the middle of a police station, was grass, grass, it was the grass. I was trying to scratch my head but my hands came to a quick stop after the chain that held the handcuffs, which I was in, to the table next to me became taunt.

“Are you going to be okay sir?” asked a police officer in a desk nearby. I just kept rocking back and forth on the bench. I was barely able to hear him say, “They bring too many loons in here,” underneath his breath.

“Shut…” I was going to say up but then I started to think it again… grass, grass, it was the grass. I was looking through a window and the sun was starting to go down in the sky when a large man with a scraggly beard was escorted in by two cops.
They sat him down on the other end of the bench and attached a chain to his handcuffs like they did to me. In my head I was thinking, “O god, O god.”

“What’s your name boy?” he asks me while looking around the police station.

“J-Jerry,” I stutter as I try to not look like a terrified first grader.

“How old are you Jerry,” he asks me, this time looking me straight in the eye.

“Ni-nineteen,” I stutter again.

“Ever been to jail?” He asks.

“No,” I reply a little more confidently this time.

“Well I have and I don’t know what crime you committed boy but if you do go to jail than you better try not to look like you just peed your pants,” He said as he scratched his beard. “That is how you get beat up.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I said while imagining myself in jail. “What is your name?” I ask him.

“Joseph… Joseph Bonnano,” He replies to me.

“Jerry Arwalsky?” asked a police man who apparently walked in front of me while I was talking to Joseph.

“Yes,” I said in a shaky voice.

“Come with me son,” he said in a stern voice. The officer then turns around and starts to walk away

“Wait! I am still handcuffed to this chain thing!” I exclaimed not too loudly because I didn’t want to disrupt anything that was going on around us.

“Sorry sir, this is only my first day at this location, I used to work in Indiana and I am not used to these chain things yet.” He said as he unlocked me. I then got up and started to follow him.

“Remember what I said,” said Joseph as I walked away.

“I will,” I replied over my shoulder as I walked out of the room. We walked through the halls for around 5 minutes until we finally made it to what looked like an interrogation room.

“Stay here kid,” said the police man.

“Okay,” I replied to the man. He then turned around and left the room. Now since I was by myself I was just looking around the room. Then the words started to roll through my head again… grass, grass, it was the grass. Then another police man walked through the door and sat in the chair across from me. Thankfully the words stopped when he started talking.

“Hello there son, my name is Ellis Parker. Is your name Jerry Arwalsky?” he asks me in a polite voice.

“Yes, yes it is,” I reply.

“Sorry to tell you this but you are in a load of trouble,” said Ellis.

“It wasn’t my fault,” I said loudly

“I only have my notes and it is not looking good for you,” said Ellis as he looked through his notes with magnifying glass eyes.

“I just froze up, it’s not my fault,” I said.

“Okay let’s just go over what happened. I want to hear your side of the story and then we will compare it to my notes,” said Ellis.

“Okay, it was after a party that Tom, my friend, and I went to. We were walking down the sidewalk next to Tree Lane,”

“Sorry for butting in but I need to ask you a question,” said Ellis, “did you and Tom drink alcohol during the party?”

“No, we did not drink any alcohol,” I said.

“Are you sure?” asked Ellis.

“Yes, I am sure,” I said while starting to lose my temper.

“Okay, okay,” apologized Ellis, “please continue.

“Okay, so we were walking back to our houses together because he is my neighbor. We were nearing that one stoplight in the middle of Tree Lane. We were joking around and pushing and messing around like we do a lot of the time.” I said, “And then I accidentally pushed him too hard and he fell down the hill next to the road. He just kept rolling and rolling down the hill. When he finally stopped rolling he was face down in the grass at the bottom of the hill. Apparently on his way down the hill he hit his head and got knocked out. Next thing I know is an ambulance pulls up and takes him to the hospital and I was taken here by a police man.”

“Okay, now do you swear by oath that what you said actually happened?” Ellis asks me.

“Yes, I do swear by oath,” I say with a hand across my heart and with the straightest face I could use at this time.

“Alright with that and my notes I can now conclude that there is not enough evidence to put you in jail so you are free to go,” said Ellis. “But don’t leave town because we will need to have a follow up conference.”

“Okay,” I reply to him. “Hey can you drive me to the hospital my car is at my parents’ house?”

After a long car ride from Ellis I finally made it to the hospital right when the sun started to set.

“I should get some of those for my girlfriend,” I said under my breath. When I got to Tom’s room he was sitting up and watching TV.

“Tom you are okay!” I said in complete happiness.

“Jerry, it is good to see you man,” he replied with a smile.

“I am sorry about pushing you down a hill and not helping you get up,” I said in sincerity.

“Well we can’t do anything about that now and the past is the past, let’s focus on here and now but I do wish that you didn’t leave me lying face down on the hard, bad smelling, ground,” said Tom.

“Sorry about that,” I reply

“You have to go now…” said Tom, “because my show is on.”

“Okay, will you be in school tomorrow?” I ask.

“Ya, see you there,” smiled Tom.

“See you,” I reply. When I walked out of the hospital the stars where shinning bright in the sky.

I started to walk down the sidewalk wen my foot caught something and I tumbled down a small grassy hill.

“Crap,” I said under my breath. “At least I am not allergic to grass.”