He stared out at the inky black scenery, blurred by the rain streaks that covered the window like a sleek film. The steady bumps and rumbles of the bus on the lonely road were comforting to him. It had a way of putting him into a hypnotic trance.
Street light after street light dotted the night, illuminating circular patches of the ground dotted with puddles. As he gazed blankly out, something under a street light ahead broke the night's monotony. He squinted to try and get a better view. As they neared, the object came into focus and as they passed by his eyes followed her.
She was standing in the pouring rain, soaked to the bone. Her long black hair hung in strings framing her olive-toned face. What struck him most about her were her eyes, so deep blue that they seemed to reflect the storm happening around her. The sad hopelessness that radiated from them, that’s what caught his attention. The thick smudge of mascara that had run under her eyes only helped to accentuate their soulfulness.
The bus had long since passed the lone girl but she was still ever present in his mind. She gripped his thoughts, her face etched in his mind. He shook his head reprimanding himself, “Man get it together. It was just a chick.”
The next morning the bus had pulled into a mini mart for a pit stop. The guys ran into the store, returning with arms full of donuts and coffee. As he exited the store he stopped at the newspaper stand and grabbed a copy of the local news. He glanced at the header on the front page. He chuckled when he realized he had no idea what city they were in.
He stepped back onto the bus, careful not to spill the brimming cup of hot coffee in his left hand. The young man walked into the sitting area and set his breakfast down on the table and opened the paper. He sipped his coffee as he scanned the morning’s headlines. Sport scores and plans for a new housing development were spread on the top half of the page. His eyes began to scan the bottom of the front page when he spotted the picture of her. The girl he’d seen standing in the rain the night before. The headline next to her smiling portrait read “Local Girl Jumps to Her Death.” His eyes moved back to the picture.
‘No, it can’t be,’ he thought to himself.
He read the accompanying article about the girl named Cara Petersen. She was 18 and she had just graduated from the local high school with top honors. It went on to tell how her body was found that morning in the Chinook River. She had jumped the bridge the night before. The coroner was quoted saying, “There was no way she could have survived a fall of that magnitude.”
Joey awoke with a start. His heart was racing as his head darted back and forth trying to remember where he was. He was greeted with the familiar sights and sounds of their tour bus.
He took in a deep breath and sighed. He chuckled as he realized it had all been a dream. ‘Some dream,’ he thought. He shifted in his seat toward the window and gazed out at the inky black scenery that was blurred by the rain streaks that covered the window like a sleek film. The steady bumps and rumbles of the bus on the lonely road were comforting to him.
Street light after street light dotted the night, illuminating circular patches of the ground dotted with puddles. The sense of deja vu filled him as he gazed blankly out the window. Something under a street light ahead broke the monotony and he squinted to try to get a better view. As they neared, the object came into focus. It was her!
“STOP!” He screamed to the driver, piercing the silence. The driver hit the brakes, thinking that maybe he was about to hit something unseen. The bus came to a halt and Joey ran to the front of the bus just as the door came sliding open.
He ran out into the rain towards the girl. He stopped when he was about twenty feet from her.
“Hello?” He called to her uncertainly.
She turned and looked back at him, question filling her eyes.
“Let me help you,” he called to her. He had begun to step toward her when she turned and ran toward the bridge behind her.
His eyes widened with surprise and he stood staring after her for just a moment before he began to sprint toward her. He watching in terror and amazement as the girl grabbed the railing and hoisted herself up onto the ledge effortlessly.
He stopped when he was just a few feet away from her. “Don’t,” he pleaded with her. She turned her head toward him and met his stare. He saw the look of determination in her eyes as she pressed her lips together.
In one swift movement she raised herself up and with her arms spread over head she leaped from the ledge of the bridge.
“NO!” Joey screamed as he raced to the ledge and peered over. All he could do was watch as the girl fell through the sky, just like the rain falling around her. She hit the rocky waters along with the other drops.
