“Sesame Oil”
I spotted her there, curiously gripping the wire and leaning out, peering over the edge in to what she thought was an end.
Flipping on the hazard lights I carelessly swerved right, cutting off a furious frantic blonde in a white Suburban. Seeing her flip me off as she laid on her horn and raced by could only make me smile. It was one of those days where nothing could go wrong and at the same time it helped to remind me that I was about to be part of quite a dramatic scene! I had better get serious...
I didn't.
Dodging traffic I made it across to the other side of the bridge. Walking towards the woman I could tell she wasn't going to jump. She had been there much too long. And the Sun was about to come out. Who jumps when it's sunny?
She watched her teardrops fall until they disappeared somewhere between water and sky.
"Leave me alone" she said glancing through her hair as I approached.
"Last one to jump is a total chicken!" I shouted as I began to undress.
Flabbergasted, she asked in a state of disbelief "what on earth do you think you are doing?"
I ignored her and continued to undress. My chest hair shimmered in the sunlight. I had applied sesame oil after my morning shower specifically for this scene, or some similar scene. It was drawing attention from traffic, or so I assumed due to the honking and whistling.
"Don't come any closer" she warned "I'm going to jump!"
"Fantastic! Me too! Do you want to hold hands on the way down? Although, may I suggest undressing. I'm worried your dress may create some wind resistance and I may end up falling faster. I want to make sure we hold hands all the way down."
"Oh my God!" She exclaimed. "I really came here to jump, this is serious! Ugh" She sat down in disgust.
I hardly ever wear boxers. And today was no exception. I sat my bare ass down on the pavement next to her.
Finally our eyes met. She looked me up and then down, realizing I was totally naked she let out a little giggle through her sniffles.
"Are we going to jump or what? I"m getting pretty chilly here." I said with a little mock shiver.
Silence for a minute. She stood up and walked a bit away. I gave her space. She was thinking hard. I just stared into the Sun, trying to soak in all the energy and warmth that it was showering across the beautiful bay. I closed my eyes and took in an epic inhale...
Fabric smacked my face. "Get up" she said "And put your clothes back on, everyone is gawking."
"My name is Scarlett" she said with a smile as she extended her hand to help me to my feet...
Probably yell, “Hey!”
I knew a kid who actually jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. He lived with his mom, paralyzed from the neck down. Said he hated his life before the jump but was just happy to still be alive. Curious fellow. I used to sit next to his bed and chat and watch old westerns in his room. He loved to smoke, and I had to hold the joint to his lips.
Jump
Pull over and stand next to them
Talk about the weather and sky
Talk about the sun and who played what game that week
Point out the minuscule things first
Talk to them first
See what their colors are
What they see when they look at the sky
Talk to them about their family and pets
Remind them that they matter no
Matter what they do
Show them everything I wanted someone to show me
When I almost jumped
I wouldn't leave
Or walk away
I would stand and talk with them
For as long as it takes