The Bridge
You dial the number she's given you, your fingers are sore and shaky due to the icy wind and the anxiety you feel about this whole situation. Her brother arrives in record time, picks her up, thanks you for your trouble, and whisks her away before you can even say a proper goodbye.
Sadly, it is only a week later that you turn on the evening news and are shocked to see that one of the top stories features a woman who jumped off the DuPoint Memorial Bridge early in the morning. The picture on the televsion screen is of the same woman you tried to help a mere seven days ago. The newsroom journalist explains that the woman had suffered for years with major depressive disorder, which had gone untreated due to her family's insistance that she was alright, and that she was merely "moody." You go to bed that night feeling drained and utterly disillusioned with what had happened. If only you'd gone against your word and called the police, maybe that poor woman could have gotten the help she needed. You toss and turn for the better part of the night, your mind filled with regret and the statement "If Only."
Sadly, it is only a week later that you turn on the evening news and are shocked to see that one of the top stories features a woman who jumped off the DuPoint Memorial Bridge early in the morning. The picture on the televsion screen is of the same woman you tried to help a mere seven days ago. The newsroom journalist explains that the woman had suffered for years with major depressive disorder, which had gone untreated due to her family's insistance that she was alright, and that she was merely "moody." You go to bed that night feeling drained and utterly disillusioned with what had happened. If only you'd gone against your word and called the police, maybe that poor woman could have gotten the help she needed. You toss and turn for the better part of the night, your mind filled with regret and the statement "If Only."
