Trapped

This essay was written for a character sketch assignment. I had to pick a person that I vaguely knew and write a detailed essay on them.

Trapped

After walking outside of his white panelled house, Marvin would turn around to lock his door, then take the few steps necessary to his chair. His knees would bend quivering with old age as he sat down. Days, weeks even months would pass and I would notice Marvin spending his time outside of a locked door on his porch with nothing but a bird in it’s cage and a cigarette in his hand; not even a book to fill his time. He never showed up at the parties we invited him to or the events we held at our house. Although he was my neighbor, to me he was anonymous.

My eyes would only catch him if I was driving by in a car, golf cart, my bike, or on a run. Marvin would be sitting in his chair with his bird by his side. On the days he wasn’t there my mind would start to draw conclusions about where he was and what he might possibly doing. I’d think maybe he was running errands or went inside to eat. My mother would chime in on my thoughts and say something like, “Girls, don’t ever go to Marvin’s house by yourselves, ok? “ My sister Ruby and I would glance at each other with equally confused and curious looks on our faces.

Neither me or my family gave much regard to Marvin. He would cross my mind but very rarely. Once, for a school fundraiser,  my sister and I had to sell cookie dough. Talking to people in person, especially when trying to sell them something, was always a horrid thing for  me. Some cookie dough went to family members as they fulfilled their obligatory roles of supporting us 3rd and 5th graders. Although I had no inspiration or any sort of desire to sell the leftover dough, it had to be done. My mom and dad went with my sister and I to visit all of our neighbors in a desperate attempt to get rid of the dough. In the backseat, sat the remaining boxes full of pre-made sugar filled balls of dough. We reached the top of our private drive, drove once around the turnaround and ended up in Marvin’s driveway.

Walking to his door was something I had always imagined but had never experienced. Big overgrown plants hung over his pathway and the grass looked like it hadn’t been watered in years. We knocked on his door like testing to see if a melon was ripe. Anticipation was building up inside of me. When the door finally opened, the first thing I saw was his head of grey hair with unusual patches missing from it. Instantly a wave of new smells hit my palate. Cat litter, bird poop, dust and the leftover smell of noodles and chicken. Marvin invited us in and offered us to sit down. I walked over to his couch and sat down causing a small cloud of cat hair to rise from around the frame of my thighs. I almost coughed but held it in with the best intention of impressing him in my mind. I think I shared a similar speculation with my family that he had not opened a window in all the time he had lived in the house. After we courteously introduced ourselves, we sparked up conversation like it was common between us. Marvin’s wife sat rather quietly chiming in now and again. Words spilled out of Marvin’s mouth and smiles stretched across his face. It felt to me that the happiness and energy in his house would leave with us as we left.

As well as my family engaging in conversation with Marvin, Marvin’s birds seemed to be chatting amongst themselves as well. There were small parrots and big parrots, parakeets, cockatoos and more. They were all sitting in cages on the window sill, hanging from the ceiling and one stood taller than me taking up almost a third of their living room. After making our way through various topics of conversation, we got to discuss flavors of cookie dough. Marvin and his wife bought 3 boxes of dough and were happy to support us in our pre middle school activities.

Rather than a quick stop to get rid of our cookie dough, the visit resulted in extensive talking for nearly 3 hours; which for me as a 10 year old was as boring as it gets. We were walked to the door by Marvin, as his wife continued to sit still and mind herself just as she had for a majority of the time we were there. Marvin shook my dad’s hand and said goodbye to my sister, Ruby. When I made eye contact with Marvin as to say goodbye I noticed for the first time his bright blue eyes, like children trapped in a bird cage.