Seeing the Madman

I was walking gingerly around central park, clad in my plain t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, trying to avoid getting kidnapped or, well, I can’t think of any other reasons at the minute. While I was walking and enjoying the pervasive smell of the fresh New York trees, I noticed a pretty young guy, around my age actually, standing near the lake. He was wearing something that I remembered from Elkton hills, it was a red hunting cap; I started to surmise it was Holden, Holden Caulfield, and when I got a bit closer, I found out I was right.

Holden, who was in my English class, was a very smart, intelligent guy in that subject. I started to walk a bit closer to him, and for some reason, my hands were starting to shake, and I think it was because the first time I spoke to him, he rebuffed me straight away to me when I asked if I could borrow a pen, and he was pretty mean to be honest with you.

I was still walking, and while I was, he turned around and saw me too. He didn’t move, he basically stood there like a lemon. He had a soft grimace on his face, and I noticed a small abrasion on his left cheek as well.

“Hi,” I said holding out my tremulous hand. He looked quite irascible from my point of view, but he still gave me his dirty right hand and shook mine.

“Hi,” he replied. I have to admit, Holden’s manner was certainly not affable, he was more audacious in my opinion, he was just looking cluelessly around, not seeming to be shocked or anything to see me. Anyway, I never thought I would run into him, and it was even more bizarre, since we both got expelled on the same day, at the same exact time, and in the same room and school.

“So, Katy, what have you been up to?” he asked me. All of a sudden, he wasn’t even being lackadaisical anymore, he was being, well… nice, since before he showed no attention or enthusiasm at all.  

“Nothing really, what’s that your holding?” I asked him. I noticed a black thin circle object gripped tightly around his right hand. It looked like a record or something, but I asked anyway, just to get a conversion going. I knew he wouldn’t start a really long conversation, not like a tirade where they drag on and on with some boring lame story, he would probably just make it concise; that’s one thing I like about him, he makes it quick. Holden looked at the circle, then he gave it to me.

“It’s a ‘Little Shirley Beans record’” he said. “ it’s for my little sister Phoebe.” He explained. I remembered his sister, she was a very lovely, sweet girl, and she was very smart too I had profound joy when I was with her, she just made me smile. I am, as you may, well, not know, in love with little kids. I just love them! They’re so cute and innocent, I’ll admit it, I do really miss being that little.

“Phoebe? Oh wow! Well, I better let you go give it to her, I would tag along too, but I’m meeting a friend in 30 minutes. Nice seeing you.” After I said that, I just turned around and ran.

Well, that was pretty strange. Holden’s disposition certainly was peculiar. I didn’t have a clue why he acted so disrespectful at first, and then he just turned his frown upside down. He just modified his personality when he asked me how I was. Anyway, this moment is probably going to haunt me for a while…