Pond at the End of the School

I sit on a wooded bench with rustic brown panels. Underneath my feet is dirt intertwined with small rocks. Above me is a tree branch that gives me complete shade. In front of me is a man-made pond filled with floating patches of grass. There are more benches that surround the pond. It’s the middle of the day so the sun is slightly warm, but it is cool under the shade. Across from me is a young man, no older than 19 years. He sits with his deliciously, unhealthy Whataburger food in hand. He eats and just stares at the pond. He seems very relaxed and in no rush to eat his food.

Two benches to the right of that young man is a couple. They seem to be in there late twenties. The girl sits sideways on the bench with her knees bent over her boyfriend’s legs. The boyfriend sits facing the pond with his feet planted on the ground. His upper body is slightly twisted towards his girlfriend’s. She’s wearing jeans and a black blouse. She has black curly hair that looks glossed in gel. She’s staring at her boyfriend through her glasses and she leans forward to give him a kiss. They don’t stop. They just keep on kissing ignoring the fact that they are in public. The boyfriend wears jeans and a faded shirt. He has a short ponytail and as they continue to kiss he puts his hands on her face and proceed to their new hobby.

On my left is a mother with her two blonde kids. Her eldest kid is no more than two years. He wears tan pants and a light blue shirt with a red car design in the front. He stares at the pond and then spontaneously picks up tiny rocks and chucks it at the pond. The young boy proceeds with this new entertaining activity for a few more minutes. Meanwhile, the mother is sitting on the bench next to me crouching over towards her young daughter in the stroller. The mother holds a unique stuffed animal and baby talks to her daughter while her daughter lets out a heartwarming giggle.

I stay seated listening to the sounds of my surroundings. Water splashing from the rocks that the young boy is throwing, the gratifying laughter of the little girl, the wind blowing softly through the trees and the distant bells of the clock tower. I also smell the freshness of the pond water and fried food. Eventually, the young man finishes his last bite and starts to crumble the wrapping paper along with the to-go bag. He then gets up and starts to walk away. The young couple keeps showing their affection towards one another but then they stop and start to rise from the bench. They reach out to hold hands and walk away together. The mother finally starts to pack her things. She stands up and calls for her son. Her son turns towards his mother. As soon as he realized that they were leaving, he quickly starts to grab a pile of rocks. He takes a few steps back, and then looks like he’s gathering all his strength. He then flies forward and throws all the rocks at once to the pond. He stares at the rocks and acknowledges his power. He gives a small nod of satisfaction and then runs off in the direction of his mother. She starts to walk and demands his hand before they cross the street. He takes her hand and she pushes the stroller across the street. I’m left with the turtles that suddenly emerged from the water. Crowds of people begin to appear throughout campus as the next class time will soon start. People pass the pond and students start to fill up the benches around me. I realized that this area is a nice spot to rest. The relaxing scenery eases people around it. As I walk away, I turn to see that the people sitting on the benches are all looking at the pond, admiring the turtles and the nature that surrounds it.