Chapter Two of a Novel Never Finished
When I first landed my job at Wendel & Myers, the best law firm in 100 miles, I considered myself lucky. But at 5:00 in the morning, knowing I have to go back to the office in three hours, I don’t feel so lucky. My eyes burn from lack of sleep and I know if I close my eyes for even a second, I’m going to be worrying about more than being late for work in the morning.
I reach for the radio and turn it on, spinning the dial until the volume is all the way up to 50 and heavy metal is booming from every crack and crevice in my 2015 Honda Accord. Now there’s no way I can fall asleep. I drum my fingers on the steering wheel and lean forward just a bit more, focusing hard on the black road ahead of me. I should have gotten an energy drink before I left the office. I’m regretting it now.
Suddenly the music cuts off and is replaced by a shrill ringing, making me practically jump out of my seat. Even by myself I’m embarrassed, and I quickly turn down the volume and answer the call.
“Hello?” I ask, rubbing at my eyes.
“Charlie, where the hell are you? It’s five in the damn morning!”
I sigh heavily. Marissa, my on-again-off-again girlfriend, yells through the phone and it booms around me, making me flinch. “I was at work, as usual, doing paperwork, as usual.”
She scoffs and then snorts a little laugh that makes my blood start to boil. “Oh, are you sure you were at work? Are you sure that’s what you were doing? You weren’t at a hotel having sex with an intern, or… or some random girl you met off the street?” This is the thing about Marissa, she’s always accusing me of cheating on her even though I’ve never done anything to her. I’m pretty sure it’s because she’s constantly cheating on me, but I usually don’t care enough to investigate it.
“Yeah, Marissa, that’s what I was doing. I paid for a hotel even though I barely have enough money to pay for all of your expenses. Can’t you just give it a rest?” I plead with her. Honestly I’m too tired to fight.
“You know what?” She screams, her voice cracking out of sheer intensity, “Fuck you, Charlie. Don’t even bother coming over. We’re through.” Just like that, the call ends definitively, and all I can feel is a wave of relief.
I don’t even realize I’m on Willow River Bridge until the heavy metal cuts back on and I venture to look around. I was never nervous about bridges, but Marissa always freaks out when we cross them, especially this one. It starts off low, but arches up high over the Willow River before lowering onto the other side. It barely has any barriers, just concrete walls on either side that are no more than three feet tall.
I glance over the side, gazing across the black water to the town on the other side, still glittering with lights even at this time. I’m almost home. Then I see a girl standing on the wall of the bridge, her hair whipping in the harsh winds. Her arms are outstretched and it reminds me of the Titanic, the way her head is thrown back like she’s about to jump.
Wait, she’s about to jump.
I slam on the breaks and the tail end of my car whips sharply to the right, then back to the left as I try to maintain control of the wheel. When I finally manage to stop, I jump out of the car running towards the girl, but she’s not there. “Oh shit, oh shit…” I run my fingers through my hair frantically, pacing quickly to the spot where I saw her last. “Shit shit shit!” I exclaim, breaking out into a run as my stomach drops into my shoes.
“Help!” I hear a cry that sends me nearly careening over the edge as I look down to see where it came from… and there she is. Her big, dark eyes are staring up at me filled with sheer terror as her fingers grip hard onto a ledge a few feet down. Whether she fell or she intended to jump, now is not the time to ask.
I start to pull off my tweed jacket, then lower it over the edge. I’m not a short guy, but if I want to pull her up and keep my footing at the same time, I have to be smart. “Hang on, I’m not going to let you fall.” I say, trying to stay as calm as possible. Still, my voice is quivering. “Grab on to my jacket!” I lower it down until it’s between her hands, gripping hard onto my end to prepare for the weight of her body.
For a moment, she doesn’t move. Her head lowers down and I can only assume she’s looking at the water. I can’t hear much over the wind and the rushing of the water, but I think I hear a sniffle somewhere in the breeze. I look away from her for a second to observe either side of the bridge. No one is coming, it’s just my car sitting there with all the lights on, heavy metal still quietly bumping since I never had a chance to turn it back up.
“Okay!” She finally says and grabs onto the jacket, first with one hand and then the other. “Don’t let me go!” She calls, struggling to hang on as I use all my strength to pull her up. I grunt as I put one hand in front of the other, until my hands are suddenly touching hers and I’m pulling her back over the edge and onto the ground. We both collapse against each other, panting heavily and sweating. My heart is pounding in my chest. I just saved someone’s life.
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