Beautiful Girl

Rikki

When I was 18 I was sitting on a railroad bridge over this little creek. It was and still is my place to think. I was in a dark place. I had thought about jumping countless times. A middle aged man was walking down the railroad tracks. I was nervous, but wasn't ready to leave. As he got closer he stopped and sat down next to me. He said, "what are you doing up here"? I told him the truth, that I came here to appreciate a little away time. He said, he'd never seen me there before, but this was the very same thing he did. I was still very uneasy about this new person. He was clean shaven, nice cloths, and had a soft presence about him.

We made small talk and I finally grew the confidence to ask him why he was there. He said, "How long do you have?" I looked both ways and said, "as long as this bridge will hold me here." He started to tell me about his story. He worked as an electrician for a local company. Six years ago he met a woman that made him happier than ever. After a year they got married. He reminisced on his wedding day for a while. He reminded me how beautiful she was that day multiple times. I didn't mind, I figured we were here to tell our truths. They were married two years, and they had a young daughter in their 3rd year of marriage. The wife was a secretary at a law firm in the city. He than continued to tell me that after their daughter was 6 months old, things became dull in their marriage. The love was being pulled apart by the stresses of life. He said, "Our 4 year anniversary was coming up in a month, so I had planned a magical dinner and limo reservation." As the days grew closer to their anniversary he couldn't hold back his excitement, but his wife was turning even more into a zombie like figure. "She was still so beautiful" again he reminded me. It made me smile thinking that he could be so truly in love with this girl.

On the day of their 4th anniversary he took work off early, bought flowers, and got changed into a nice outfit. He said, "I could barely quit smiling all day!" He arrived home from work early and was all set up for this day. He walked through his front door. He heard music playing loudly from the upstairs. He then heard laughter from his wife. He ran up the stairs expecting to see his daughter and wife having a special moment together. Their daughter was alone in her room as he passed by. He stated, "With my heart in my left hand and flowers in the right, I approached the door, my heart told me to turn around, but curiosity told me to rush in." I opened the door to find my wife and good friend together in our bed. I stopped him at this point. I was in shock of what I had just heard. I pulled out my pack of cigarettes and offered him one. He said he quit a few years back, and that I should think about quitting too. He continued with his story. He said, "Everything I was holding just fell to the floor." "She was yelling explanations, and defenses, but I just closed the door." My daughter was in her room, so I packed some things for her and we left. "She didn't follow you?", I asked. "Nope, and I'm glad she didn't, my daughter didn't need to see us fight like that."

They left the house and went to his parents house, his reservation was at 7 at a really expensive restaurant. He said with pride, "I made it to that reservation, and I spent it with the most beautiful girl in the world." I was confused. "She came back?" I asked. "No, my daughter and I enjoyed a fine meal together." As he said this his eyes got glossy, but never dropped a tear. I couldn't help but smile as big as I could. He told me a little about the aftermath court issues, but very little. He now lives with his daughter and his parents for the time being until it's decided who gets the house.

We stood up, shook hands, and walked in different directions. We reached opposite ends of the bridge and I turned around and yelled out, "What's your name?". He turned and with a smile said, "Young man, you will someday figure that out on your own."

I still am unaware of what that was supposed to mean. I'm still waiting...