Passenger Seat

Today was a Saturday, which meant: Sleeping all day, or until Ten A.M. (If I felt productive). But my slumber was rudely interrupted when Michael barged into my room and woke me up. I felt his puny hands on my shoulders and shaking me.

“Breakfast is ready!” he smiled and waited for me to get up
I glanced over my digital clock on the night stand and saw it was only eight in the morning. “Alright, buddy, I’ll eat a little bit later.” I groggily replied and turned to face the other side of the bed.
After a few seconds I felt him shake me once more.
“Yes, Michael?” I grunted.
“Can we go to the park today?”
“Yeah sure, why not? We’ll go later, alright?”

He didn’t reply, but I heard his feet walk across my room towards the door and he finally left. I tried going back to sleep but it was too late, my brain was awake. Like any day would go, I ask myself if I was ready to get up and face the day. I was kind of excited though, I was spending the day with Michael in the Park. I liked hanging out with the kid! He was great, actually. I liked hanging out with him more than people my own age. Sure our conversations would revolve around cartoons and food but that’s fine with me. Those are the only topics that interest me anyways.

I got up and headed to the bathroom in my pajamas. I stumbled to the sink and washed my face. A few minutes, I stepped out my room and saw Michael waiting outside.
“Hey! Why aren’t you down stairs yet?” I asked while he got up and walked down the stairs beside me while I tied my hair into a lose bun.

He shrugged while he jumped the last step. I absolutely had no time to relax and enjoy breakfast because this kid kept breathing down my neck, asking me if we could go to the park already. So right after I finished my bacon and eggs, I quickly dressed up for the park. Nothing special really, just some boring acid washed skinny jeans and an A.S.U. hoodie. I was planning to be very relaxed the whole day so I didn’t even mind wearing make-up. To think of it, make-up is such an arbitrary routine to do. It may be actually a routine for some people; like they actually want to cover their faces with lard based substances and hopefully hide their silly insecurities. I’m not saying that I’m not insecure myself but, sometimes I really find it stupid.

I briskly came down the stairs and grabbed my keys from the fish bowl by the door. Michael was waiting for me at the porch in his red and blue striped jacket. He immediately stood up, seeing me walk out and we strapped ourselves in as we got in the car. He directed me once again out to the park. I wondered why he would wanna go to the park so early. Wouldn’t kids prefer running their little hearts out in the afternoon when the other kids are out too?

I remember when I never really did care if it was the morning, afternoon or midnight, wherever there was a play set, I was there. So my mom decided it was safer if I played closer to the house, so they bought me my own play set. And that’s when I stopped going outside and meeting new kids. Can’t blame my parents for my hermit-crabness, I had loads of fun and it was all mine! I never had to share with anybody.

And I don’t mean to sound too technical and take the fun out of the playground, but I believe that the playground plays such a huge part in a kid’s life. It teaches them some basic things about life, like how you can never ever get the swing to fully go around. It’s like a metaphor about how you can never get all the things you want in life.

We drove past a little play set on top of a small hill covered in grass with a few structures to play with. Honestly, I was disappointed, how were kids supposed to enjoy this, exactly? We got out of the car and Michael ran off to the play sets. And off in the distance I see this guy sitting on the bench. And as I got closer, I recognized that it was that Garrett guy Michael has been telling me so much about. He sat near the swings with a cup of coffee in his hands. I was kinda jealous; I hadn’t had my coffee fix that day.

“Garrett!” Michael ran up to him, he whipped his head towards our direction and smiled as he engulfed Michael in a hug.
I walked up to them, tucked my hands in my pocket with my head down. I didn’t wanna spoil their father-son kind of moment so I stood there, looking over at them. He stood up when he saw me and flashed an awkward smile; I felt my cheeks instantaneously burn. I noticed he was wearing a star wars baseball tee…Now I know where Michael gets all his star wars knowledge.
“Hi, I don’t think we’ve actually met…I’m Garrett.” He kindly put out his hand for me to shake.
“I’m Cassie” I replied, taking his hand and giving it a good, firm shake.
“And you’re Michael’s sister?” he asked, still having a light grip on my hand as Michael ran off to the swing set.
“Oh-no, no, I’m his cousin…And you’re his teacher?”
“Nope, I’m his imaginary friend.”
I gave him a shady glance and I was a bit shaken up by his obscure humor. I gave a small chuckle and felt a tug on my shirt.
“Can I play on the monkey bars?” Michael asked with a hopeful look.
“Yeah, sure, just be careful, alright bud?”
He nodded once and off to the bars he went. I was left with his ‘Imaginary Friend’ I sat down beside him at a safe distance.
“So how long have you been Michael’s imaginary friend?” I joked.
“Around…Four months ago…?” He was actually playing along! He’s quite funny!
“And is it tough?”
“Well, yeah the first few weeks are rough. You have to get used to being not seen all the time and you have to carefully pick the people who you want to see you.” Man, this guy is so funny. “So, imaginary friend business aside, how long have you been in Gilbert?”
“I just got here two days ago, actually. I’m helping my aunt around the house and so far I’ve been on Michael duty.” I glanced over at the kid, enjoying the play ground all by himself.
“He’s a cool kid,”
“I know.”
“He thought me up, so he’s a genius too.”
I chuckled, “Okay, I think someone’s getting too carried away with those Imaginary friend jokes.”
He sighed to himself “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”
“What do you mean?—“
I glanced back to where Garrett sat and he was gone. My heart stopped for a second there. Did he just disintegrate or something??

I called Michael and left the park as soon as possible. That freaked the bejeesus out of me! Was this a prank? AM I ON MIND FREAK OR SOMETHING? I KNEW THAT BLACK SCARY ASCOTT HAD SOME FREAKY MAGIC IN IT! I tried composing myself on the drive home and Michael asking what was wrong wasn’t helping at all. I just kept on shrugging.

Once we got home, I saw a blue old Cadillac parked in the driveway. And I knew whose that was. Puddy was here. ‘Puddy’ is what I call my grandma. I don’t know how I came up with that. Mom told me it was because I couldn’t pronounce ‘Pearly’ right. I ended up saying ‘Puddy’ all the time. I adored her, I loved when she came to visit us. She’d always bring something homemade, from brownies to cookies to cake.
I closed the front door behind us and immediately smelled the peppermint perfume creep up my nose. And let me tell you, that perfume could clear up your nose holes faster than any herbal medicine could.
“Cassie!” She sang before embracing me.
“Puddy!” I called back. God, I missed her so much. “What are you doing here?” I asked letting her go.
“I just wanted to check up on things, if you guys are doing okay. How has Michael been? Has he been making friends? You know that boy has trouble making new friends!”
“Oh—Oh yeah, he’s been making loads of friends!” NOT TO MENTION AN IMAGINARY ONE.
The oven timer suddenly went off and she hurried over to the kitchen and told me we’d catch up later. I turned around and saw Garrett standing right in the middle of the living room. My eyes widened and again, I gave him an ominous look. I was this close to pulling my hair out.
“What’s wrong?” he asked like he didn’t already know.
I poked him just to make sure I wasn’t going mental. And it didn’t go through, what.the.hell?
“I’m imaginary, not a ghost.” apprehension clear in his eyes.
“What is the difference…exactly?” I nervously backed out of there trying to escape him.
“For starters, imaginary friends are projections of your creative mind. Ghosts are those lost souls…walking around earth.” he walked forward, trying to close the huge gap between us.
“I-I-I, Uh…I—“ I ran for it! I shut the door to my room, locked it and sat on my bed, trying to methodize a simple and honest realization and very carefully organize my fucked up mind.
Okay, okay, so Michael has an Imaginary friend and he’s not real but sorta real? He’s not a ghost so he never really existed? Imaginary friends are---ARENT REAL! I mean, of course! They’re imaginary! Imaginary. HENCE THE WORD Imagine.
“Cassie, are you okay?” Aunt Nessa asked from outside, making me jump.
I approached and leaned my forehead on the door post “Yeah, I’m fine…just really…tired.” I sighed.

She didn’t reply but I could feel her judging me. I heard he walk away as I rested my forehead on the door. I whispered to myself that everything’s gonna be fine and I haven’t gone completely mental. I’m just trying to keep myself away from having a meltdown. It seemed to work a bit though.

When I thought I’ve calmed down enough, I turned around.
“AH!” I jolted for my bed and hid under my pillow.
“Wow, that hurts, man. I’m no monster!” Garrett was right there.
“This is it…Oh god, I’m going insane.” I’ve calmly reassured this to myself and it has officially sunk in.
“You’re not crazy,” he slowly approached my bed and sat right down at the foot.
“How can I see you? You’re Michael’s—I—“
Before I could complete my sentence, Puddy knocked on the door and announced that lunch was ready. I glanced over where Garrett was and I wasn’t that surprised to see he was gone.