Griffith Park

I get off my bike and sit down beside her, looking at the ducks.

"Do you like them?" I ask her.

"The ducks? Yes. I like them very much. They're hungry so I brought them some bread."

"I saw you here yesterday too."

"Yes. They get hungry every day. What's your name?"

"I'm Patrick. Patrick's my name."

"How old are you Patrick?"

"I'm 11."

"You look 11. That's the age I would have put on you. I'm Mary."

"Hi Mary. How old are you?"

"Now Patrick, you never ask a lady her age. It's not nice."

I look back at the river below.

"But it's ok just this once. I'm 57-years-young. Are your friends here? Are you not playing with them?"

"Yeah they're playing football but I can't. I'm not very good so I brought my bike because I can do that."

"Ride your bike?"

"Ride my bike. I can do wheelies."

"You're some man for one man, Patrick."

She goes back to her bag of bread, a Brennan's packet with only the crusts left. She tears them up inside the bag, innocuous still secret, and lops them to the water five feet away.

"Mary, why do you come here?"

"That's a very good question. I don't know really, I like to. I need to walk every day because these old bones are... I like to walk and I find myself here."

"Ah."

"Yeah. It's quiet, you know, and it's good to get out of the house."

"Do you not like your house?"

"Yes I like it very much, but sometimes it doesn't like me so I go away for a while and when I go back, it's fine again. Do you want some bread?"

"No thank you. I'm not hungry."

"No no, to throw to the ducks!"

"Oh sorry, yeah, thanks."

We don't say anything for a few minutes, we just sit while I fiddle with the spokes on my bike.

She's crying.

"What's wrong? Do you want me to go?"

"No no, it's ok. You stay where you are. You have a very wise way about you."

She's smiling. But for her watery face she would seem perfectly nothing. Perfectly...

"Thanks very much. My mam says that too."

"Your mam must be very proud to have such a good son."

"No she gives out to me all the time!"

"She's proud of you. She should be. She is."

"Thanks. I'd better go, my friends are calling me. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Patrick, I'm just going to stay with the ducks for three more minutes and go home."