Strange, waking in an unfamiliar place next to an unfamiliar person. Wait . . . I do know this girl. She is Chelsea, and she hates me. At least I think she hates me. We haven't spoken in almost 3 years, yet here she is. No, this is not the result of a late-night encounter. We're not even in a bed . . . or in a sheltered area at all.
We're in a city park, I'm guessing. I peek my head out from behind the bush I woke up under, and that's when I notice how uncomfortably hot it is. The bush itself is yellowing from too much sunlight and not enough water. I quickly survey the area, taking in my surroundings. A few benches, some school kids tossing their backpacks aside to run around, an old couple feeding some birds . . . typical public park activity.
Chelsea stirs. I shake her fully awake and she gives me a confused look. I tell her, before she even asks, no I do not know where we are. Time to figure it out.
Before we exit the park, we decide to question the old couple I mentioned earlier, as they looked like they might have been sitting there awhile and may be able to tell us how we got there. I cannot figure out a better way to word my question than simple, "Have you any idea how my friend and I ended up behind that bush?"
The man gives us a strange look, shares a glance with his wife, and answers, "I didn't see anyone behind a bush."
We must have been there all night. Did someone somehow kidnap us and deposit us behind the bush, seemingly unharmed? Who could have pulled that off? If this were the case, the person responsible would have had to know Chelsea and I's history. Had we fallen out of a hole in the sky? Time to make this poor elderly couple even more uncomfortable. "Where are we?" Chelsea asks as I open my mouth to request the same information.
Now, the couple just looks skeptical. They probably think we're burnouts. Darn kids, they are thinking. But, the man answers us, a bit sarcastically, but nonetheless. "What's wrong with you? You're in Florida. This is Florida. Neptune Beach, Florida. What's wrong with you girls, anyhoo?" he asks again.
Without answering or even thanking the man, we both exit the park with an urgency in our footsteps.
