Decision made, Ollie scampers off in the direction of the pavilion. When he glanced back, the police officer has turned away and is continuing his patrol through the park in the opposite direction.
Ollie breathed a deep sigh of relief. That was close. He noted that he needed to think faster. His immediate hope is to just blend in with the other kids or hang out in the play set until the officer is completely gone from the vicinity.
"Who are you?"
The question startled him and Ollie turned and saw a kid a little older and larger than himself.
He should come up with a cover story, but his brain freezes up.
"Hey," he said lamely.
"This is my party, and I don't know you." The kid is quite blunt.
This kid looked about as big as his boss, who played college basketball, which just emphasized again to Ollie how small he has become.
"I'm Ollie. I was just walking through is all."
"Well. so... Keep walking."
Jeez, this kid's a jerk, Ollie thought to himself. Maybe it's his birthday, but he doesn't own the whole park.
"You don't own the park! " Ollie retorted in that embarrassing, piping voice. "I can be here if I want!"
"Not at my party, you can't."
"Jimmy!" The stern voice of adult authority interrupted the scene. "What are you doing?"
A big, lean guy with long legs and wide shoulders comes closer. He looks to be in his early 30s with an incredibly handsome face that Ollie can't stop staring at. Just the kind of guy who always used to attract Ollie's attention at the gym or other places.
Those funny feelings he had from the officer alloy into something much harder. He is sort of insulted by what a brat this kid is and the fact that it's not cool, telling him he can't be here. "
"This little kid is trying to crash the party," Jimmy said in a spoiled whiny voice.
"Jimmy, that isn't very nice," his big, handsome father admonishes him.
Ollie felt a vicarious thrill of victory as Jimmy seemed to lose a shadow of his attitude just as the big man put a proprietary hand on Ollie's shoulder, just like the officer had done.
"We have lots of cake, and chips, and soda. Come on and have something to eat," Jimmy's father extended an invitation.
"I wasn't crashing. I was just walking in the park!"
Ollie got the impression that he must present a sad sight. Some kid in obvious hand-me-downs hanging around a party.
"That's OK. Plenty of food, like I said." Jimmy's dad, hand still on Ollie's shoulder, herds him toward a picnic table. There are chips, and cookies, and soda pop, and even ice cream! Adult indignation melts in the face of all this temptation.
"Nah, that's ok. I gotta go to the store anyway--"
But, as luck would have it, the officer's patrol brought him sauntering within fifty feet of the pavilion
"Just a piece of cake with some ice cream," the man encouraged. "I'm Jimmy's dad. What's your name?"
There's a gaggle of kids milling at the tables sneaking food and running in packs to the playground and back.
He tried to think quickly, and failed. "Ollie," he blurted out. Well, best to just stick with the truth...or some of it, anyway. Less to remember…
"Well, Ollie, I am sorry Jimmy was being rude." He reached for a soda can, handed it to Ollie's smaller hands. "You look like you might be thirsty,"
It's some kind of generic purple drink. "So, how about some ice cream?"
In a normal conversation, he might say thanks but decline, noting that he is trying to let a little air out of the spare tire or whatever. That would not, he decided, seem very genuine for a kid.
While still trying to think of conversation, Ollie's situation worsens. The officer has caught up to the path near the picnic shed. And he sees Ollie. "Is this your family, kid?"
Ollie's mouth went dry though. "Uh, no."
Jimmy's dad, at the same time, is still waiting for a response to the offer of ice cream.
"No ice cream!" Ollie said a bit louder than he meant to. "I'm lactose intolerant!"
"Well, get something to eat," he said warmly, clapping Ollie on the back and causing him to cough, getting purple bubbles up his nose from the soft drink.
To make matters worse, Jimmy's dad's shirt is untucked, and when he stretches Ollie can see a swath of his abs and his belly button. Before that can lead to anything, however, the officer has stopped and began talking to Jimmy's dad as Ollie dealt with the purple soda up the nose.
Ollie also noticed that all the other kids look so much bigger, like they're 11 or 12. He feels small and very out of place.
And now Jimmy's dad and the cop look like they actually know each other and are launching into a friendly conversation.
Ollie got an overwhelming urge to join in. Not as another guy, but just to like be part of the big guy conversation, get some attention from them
The two big men laugh about something, and then the officer excuses himself and continues his patrol duties.
Ollie has gotten his hands on a festively colored napkin and wiped his nose and mouth.
"You got purple on your shirt!" Ollie heard a kid say. It's true, and the purple stain looks almost alarmingly bright.
He sees another kid standing in front of him. The kid looks like a downsized version of Jimmy, but not as tall or bulky. Probably his age. Well, eight or nine, not 23.
"I guess it was the soda," Ollie said somewhat shyly, eyeing up the new kid.