That moment of revelation. It's such a poignant thought. All the frustrations and stressful situations started to culminate as the day progressed. By the end, it was almost hard to hold it together. I was having a bad day.... More like a bad week at this point. Everyone was too busy, my parents weren't around, my siblings were all out of town... I had no one to talk to.

Feeling my frustration hit its limit, accidentally kicking into a small can on the sidewalk made my anxiety spike. It didn't hurt, but the noise was loud. Feeling a sudden sense of panic, I kicked the can as far away from me as I could. Eyeing a nearby bench, I strided over to it and sat myself down, covering my eyes with my hands. I gritted my teeth, remembering all those things that happened today. All the things that were building up over the past week. I couldn't go a single minute without thinking about any of it. I felt like I wanted to cry, but no tears were coming out. It was just becoming too much. Too much to think about, too much to endure... too much to-

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. It was shocking at first, causing me to jolt my head to the side.

"Heeeeeeey there."

It was Sarge. I admittedly didn't talk to him much. He was certainly a bit eccentric with his likes and dislikes and had a recently notable quirk of being not-very-smart... or so my friend said. What was He doing here?

As if answering my question aloud, he smiled. It was a sad smile, a worried smile.

"A little birdie told me you were having a rough day." His voice came out almost like a whisper. It was quiet and calm, but somehow drowned out all my thoughts. I didn't understand how he did it, but I felt my shoulder relax a bit.

"Surprised anyone noticed," I said, gritting my teeth.

"A good few people noticed... seems life dealt you a rough hand this week? They wanted to apologize that they're out of town and can't help..."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here because I noticed you were upset... that can really seemed to make you angry." Sarge gestured over to the trashcan. I didn't see the can anywhere, so I assumed Sarge had picked it up and placed it inside. "Got rid of it for you. That can can't hurt you now."

His voice sounded genuine. Was he really so dense that he thought a can was what made me upset? I felt a snort of laughter escape my mouth. "No offense, Sarge... but the can isn't what's making me upset."

"I know," Sarge said, gently sitting himself down beside me. "A bit of light humor, I suppose. I actually came because you seem like you needed someone."

"I don't know you that well, Sarge... I don't feel like venting to you... sorry." I appreciated his kind offer, but... it just wasn't the same. He was an acquaintance, not a friend.

"That's alright. You don't have to vent if you don't want to. We can just chat." Sarge lifted his hand from my shoulder and pulled a bag from his side. It had a picture of a doughnut on it. This was different the usual logo that had his face printed on it. "I've got a soft belly, a box of doughnuts, and nothing but time... so let's talk."

I didn't know what I was feeling at this moment. His mentioning of "talking to me" triggered a tumultuous bit of emotions. All the events that happened in the week flooded back to my head. I cupped a hand to my mouth and inadvertently breathed in sharply as I felt my eyes begin to water.

"S-sorry... I think I'm beginning to cry," I said, wiping a tear from my eye.

"That's alright," Sarge said, reaching into the bag. He slowly lifted a hand out and placed a small white rectangle on my lap, "I've got napkins. Cry all you need...."

His words acted like magic as I began to sob. It felt so bitter... but so relieving... to finally cry.

~~~~~

I had a weird feeling/desire to draw this today. While I am certainly a stranger to most people, I do want everyone to know there are a few things I've learned in my time:

1. Everyone needs someone to talk to. Whether a friend, a family member, or even a professional counselor, we all need someone to talk to.
2. It is perfectly okay to cry. Maybe there are situations where crying isn't socially acceptable... but that doesn't mean you should never cry. If you feel like crying, then you gotta cry. If you can't cry, then find another healthy way to release pent-up emotions.

Take care of yourselves, everyone. I love you all. <3

~~~~~

Artwork/story/Sarge (C)  pikminpedia Me