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“Please, tell me.”
“I was sitting near the small bridge, on a bench like this one, as you walked past me, a wild expression on your face. Suddenly, you began to run and your legs tangled. You fell and hurt your side. It was bleeding, but you barely noticed it. There were no people around, just me and the pigeons. I asked your name, but you were in shock. Taking you home was the most sensible thing to do at the time. I needed to clean and bandage your wound.
“I made tea and gave you a cookie, telling you stories as I cleaned you up. Later, I escorted you home. We had to enter through the backyard where you had hidden the spare key. Before I turned to go back, you gave me a stained, lime-green coat and told me that you must repay me for my kindness. This is actually your gift I wear today.”
I recall her poor and cold harbor she called home. Knick-knacks cluttered her small living space and there was a mildew smell in the air.
I look at her beautiful kind face, overwhelmed by the kindness I received that day. “Do you mind if I buy you something for your compassion and kind heart?”
I remember the heartfelt stories she told of her family she lost and the friends who died of an old age. The tears were falling down my cheeks as she worked on my bleeding injury. Later, she took me home, using her savings she kept in a porcelain teapot.
“Please, let me give you something that will keep you warm this chilly winter.”
“Oh, child, my bones no longer feel the cold of the winters, but the chill of coming death. Don’t bother. Instead, tell me how your family is.”
I shake my head, not knowing how to tell her the truth, yet needing to take care of my savior.
“I’ll tell you, only if you allow me to return the warmth you gave me with warmth of my own.”
She chuckles, finally agreeing. We both begin to look for a warm sweater and socks in the shop where magic brought us together once more. Later, I tell her the truth about my trauma.
“Oh, my child, I had a feeling that something terrible had happened to you. I just couldn’t make you speak to me. When I got you back, you looked so lost, looking for something familiar to grab and hold onto. I wasn’t sure if I should leave you alone. All the way back home, I wondered if it was the right thing to do.”
The shop assistant found her the perfect boots, socks, and sweater. Then I quickly write a thank you card and stuff some cash inside, hiding it inside the bag for the kind lady I met on the bridge.
After treating her to lunch, I kiss her on the cheek and help her to the bus stop, where she turns around and looks at me. “You used to come to that bridge pretty often, darling.”
Confused, I try to understand her question, then I realize it wasn’t one. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t remember that clearly now, but you used to jog there. You never acknowledged me. I thought you didn’t want to know me, so I didn’t try to bother you. Once you climbed the railing, as if you considered jumping off, but then you lowered yourself down and walked away, as if you weren’t ready. I used to come there the same time e
very day, hoping I would not witness it.”
As if from a haze, I recall the visual of what she is telling me, but something nags me. “What time would I pass by?”
“Always the same time, seven forty-five p.m. Find your peace, child, and cherish life. That is my advice to you, don’t waste it.”
Her hand touches my face goodbye, and she jumps into the red bus, waving farewell. I stand there with my mind still spinning.
7:45 p.m. was the time of the crash, as the receipt I retrieved from the ATM showed me the time of the transaction. The piece of paper had been lodged between my fingers as I started walking towards the collision I heard. With that recollection, my memory is rising, as if from a deep sleep. The tremors are running up my body.
Suddenly, Lucas’ hands wrap around my shoulders from behind and he whispers in my ear, “Let’s find some privacy.”
The black spots begin to build behind my eyes, as that day from the past manifests in front of me. The horrifying images shake me as invisible waves torture my lungs. The painful spasms stab as my screaming soul shatters my heart to pieces. Knives pierce my body as the shock of the realization makes me numb.
The strict command issued by a familiar male’s voice startles me into gear and automatic response to comply. I inhale and exhale. The person counts down slowly, and my vision clears up.
“Lucas…” I whisper, shaking with emotion. I grab his wrist as his hands hold my face enveloped in his warm, calloused palms. “How did you find me?”
All of a sudden, I pull him to me as I try to escape the chilly memories that visited me after I spoke with the old lady. Resting my head against his chest, I listen to his steady heart through his top. I’m desperate to regain my footing, but the past is pushing against my walls.
“The app on your phone,” but before I can further question him, my sisters and Leif find us, interrupting my train of thought.
“Are you ok?” Raine comes close, and I draw her in for an unexpected hug as she kisses my head. Aisha joins in, wrapping her arms around us both.
“Do you want to go home?” I shake my head no as I find an empty soft chair to sit.
“Who was the old lady?” Aisha asks me, clearly done with waiting. I look at her impatient expression as Raine joins me on the chair, pushing her ass to fit. Rude much? She gives me a wink and shrugs, waiting for my explanation, ready to utilize interrogation techniques if I don’t give her one soon.
