Her toes peaked out from the ledge of the bridge that towered
high above the San Joaquin River on a clear summers day. Her auburn wavy hair stood
out. In my twelve-year-old mind, I can’t fathom what is happening, but looking
around at the stunned and screaming faces making their way from their cars that
have come to a standstill on the bridge, I know that something is wrong. I look
around and see a lady standing in front of the auburn wavy haired girl that is about
to jump. She tried holding the girl’s leg but the slippery railings that the
girl was standing onto could not hold her. In that moment, I knew that
something bad was about to happen.
As my toes and legs grew bigger, my hands and arms grew
longer too. I finally turned 15 years old. I stood looking around the house and
I dropped my glass of water as I watched the nightly News. A crash? It was all
too much. I have no one now. I fall to my knees as I cried playing back what
the news had just said in my mind. Mom…Dad…
“Flight 703 - Western
Airlines has crashed”
I ran outside to the nearest bridge I could find. The sky
looked blue, it felt like it had just rained, the smell of the rain and the
green damp grass. The sky reflected my feelings, the soft violet color that
looked like the sky was bruised all over. The bruise that took so long to heal
is now as black and blue as the day my parents never came home. I climbed on top of the railing, holding the
railing above tightly, glancing down to the river flowing swiftly below. Just
as I was about to jump and fly like an angel, I heard a noise behind me.
The voice calling me sounded like Mom’s voice. Is it her? Is
she still alive? Is she here? I turned my head violently towards the sound
tearing a muscle in my neck. “Don’t.” The person cried, running towards me. There
stood a woman wearing a brown leather jacket, denim jeans and brown boots. Her auburn
wavy hair looked so familiar. Who is she? Why is she trying to save me? “Please
don’t do this to yourself. Don’t ever give up on your life.” She said the same
thing as what Mom said.
“Promise me, Elena.
Don’t ever give up on your life. Because honestly, the only person who can save
yourself is you.” She said. She told me to never give up on my life, but I
can’t live without her. I need my mom and my dad.
“Why are you here? Who are you?” I asked, still crying. “I’m
Aretha, you probably won’t remember me, but I just want you to know that it’s
not okay to do this. I have no idea what problem you’re facing but this is not
the way to solve it. Don’t do this.” She said, getting closer every moment,
then grasping my leg. “Why are you saving me? I’ve got no one. No one cares. My
parents are dead.” I cried. “I care! Even though I don’t know you at all.
Please don’t do this, I wasn’t able to save her, that time. She was everything
to me.” She yelled, pulling me slowly to the ground. I cried more after I felt
like the sky is crying too, turns out she cried too.
After what seemed like hours, the sky changed to a slightly
darker color. Slowly, she hugged me to comfort me and I felt like I was safe,
my heart beat slowly returned to normal, even though my mind still won’t stop
thinking about what just happened. I watched her silently as she walked with me
to my house. She really looked like Mom. Her brown hazel eyes and her auburn
wavy hair last but not least, her pale skin that showed her freckles, almost
all of her features looked like Mom’s. “What happened with the person you wanted
to save that time?” I asked. “She died three years ago. She’s always been an
outcast at her school. I’ve tried various ways to make her feel okay but she
always seems so down. Sometimes I wonder what I did, what did she do, she’s
done nothing. I love Erika, I had no one left after she died. My husband died
before she was even five years old. She was my only child and I don’t know what
should I do.” She answered, sniffing and rubbing her swollen eyes.
In that moment, I knew that Aretha was the one. She was the lady. I kept my thoughts and
questions to myself. Without realizing, we finally arrived at my house. I look
around the backyard, still feeling cold. Looking around, I met eyes with Aretha
and we smiled. I feel much warmer.
