Jordan's story

         A middle-aged man sat on a stone bench, gazing across the street at a house.  It was a pretty little house, with blue siding, and white shutters framing each window.  A tree in the front yard blocked his view, but he knew the site well.  He could easily recall the window hidden on the left side, on the second level, with a vine of roses climbing up a white terrace directly beneath the window.  The window that his precious Kali would peer out of upon hearing his voice, until she recognized his face lit up by the moonlight.

         That was gone now.  The man, Jordan, had destroyed all hopes of being with her.  So now, thirty years later, he sat on a stone bench, remembering his past.  Golden leaves had fallen across the black trench coat he donned. Glancing at his watch, he was reminded again of his failure.  He had lied to his beautiful Kali, and now he must live with his decision.  Or die with it.

         Jordan could see a night from his past.  The teenage Kali recognized him, and leaped out her window, fully trusting, and landed directly in his arms.  His legs buckled under the weight of her body, but she remained safe, never once hitting the ground.  He peered through a curtain of brown hair into her stunning blue eyes, and kissed her nose playfully before setting her down on the ground.  The two ran off together, hand in hand, as he thought through the plan he would follow the upcoming week.  Whether or not he would be happy wasn’t important.  All that mattered was Kali.

         For as long as they had been dating, he was forced to stand by as the former Kali deteriorated.  Before they became close, close enough to know each other’s deepest secrets, she was happy.  The girl was never found without a smile on her face, a smile that warmed the depths of his soul.  But after they grew together, she was never the same.  He watched as she turned to drugs and alcohol, spending time with the very individuals that had made him so unhappy.  He could no longer watch her die while still alive.  Jordan did the only thing he knew to do: he lied.

         He sent an email, explaining why he had to kill himself.  They attended separate schools in different cities, so by simply telling their mutual friends not to tell her otherwise, Kali blindly believed the story of his death, and mourned him for months.  The following school year, however, a young man began to romance her, and soon, she accepted his offers.  Although the teenage girl didn’t love the new young man as wholly as she had loved Jordan, she was better off with him.  Jordan watched her silently as she grew and matured; once out of high school, Kali married, and lived a decently happy life, with several children.  At the age of twenty-seven, Jordan met a woman who loved him deeply, and he settled down with her, and raised two children with her.  They were currently starting elementary school.

         He knew now, however, that he could never be content with his decision to lie.  As a seventeen-year-old boy, he thought he could eventually grow past such a choice, but such an act would never be possible.  Only one action was left.  The man stood up, and strode across the street to the left side of the house, and leaned up against the wall.  Pulling out a gun, he held it to his head, and pulled against the trigger.  A single shot was fired, and his legs collapsed beneath him.

         Several hours later, a seventeen-year-old girl found him lying underneath her window.  She hurried down the stairs, and out to the yard, just standing there, watching him through blue eyes.