Story #6: Broken

Broken

     He sat on the bridge, tears making streaks down his face. In one hand, a crumpled

up piece of paper, nothing special really, and yet it meant the world to him. In his other

hand is a bottle of jack. You’ll find him there everyday, wishing he could take it all back.

One year earlier

     The harsh autumn wind seemed to rip through my light jacket, chilling me to the

bone as I raced to get home, weaving through the busy streets of down town. The

corners of the three large canvases cradled under my arm caught the wind and caused

me to suddenly stumble and struggle to hold all of my art supplies together. By the

time I finally manage to get to the door of my apartment building, it’s pouring down

torrents of rain and I’m thoroughly soaked. Shuffling up the old carpeted stairs, I get to

my apartment. A sudden grumbling meow greets me as I burst through the door, into

the apartment. Dripping, I fling my supplies on the little coffee table that I use as a work

bench.

     “Hey Crumpet babes,” I say as I bend down and my over-weight orange tabby cat

waddles over and nudges my hand, as I pull my drenched sneakers off of my feet. I

hurriedly change into my white and red, Yourtopia uniform and pull my hair back into a

low-pony. This day just keeps getting better and better, I think dryly to myself as I slip

on my white flats, grab my messenger bag, and head out the door. Glancing down at

the watch on my wrist, I notice that it’s already half past four, which means I have

exactly five minutes to get to my job, which is a good six or seven blocks away. This

also means that I’m going to be late, for the third day in a row, and my boss, Daniel,

who’s in his twenties and has a horrid temper, will be furious.

     The wind picked up and it took me a good twenty minutes to get to work, completely

drenched again. Walking up to the red door of the store, I pushed it open, causing the

little bell at the top to chime. Jenny, the seventeen-year-old high school student that

works the same shift as me, looked up from the counter with a smug grin on her face.

Great, now even if Daniel doesn’t notice I’m late, that little snitch will gladly throw me

under the bus.

     Normally I’m not one to hate teenagers, I’m only twenty and my life is a bit crazy, so

who am I to judge angst filled teens? Well this one girl is a major exception to that, she

literally hates me for a hobby. Just because her life would be too dull without making

mine a complete hell. Just as I was about to go over and clock in for the night, her foot

peeks out and trips me. Being the not so graceful person that I am, I flail my arms

around to try to catch myself and manage fall flat on my face. That part isn’t that bad,

what’s bad is that I managed to take down one of the giant tubs of sprinkles with me,

causing little rainbow sprinkles to go everywhere. I hear her sharp laugh and quickly

pick myself off the floor and run to the bathroom, my face burning with embarrassment.

Looking in the bathroom mirror, my face is bright red and contrasts starkly with my

icy blue eyes. My long unruly curls are pulled back, but falling out slightly from the fall.

Overall I look disheveled and embarrassed. I turn on the cold water and splash is

against my flushed skin, before drying it and deciding it was time to go get to work.

     Opening the door I almost run right into my boss Daniel, who obviously has heard

the news. I know what’s coming, and I just can’t take that right now. Everything just

has been building and building lately, and I feel like I’m about to be pushed past my

breaking point. How long can a pacifist stay silent? I thought, and faintly heard my

boss yelling at me down the hall.

     “I can’t handle this right now Daniel!” I yell frustrated and head to the front to clean

up the mess I made. Glancing over at Jenny, I notice that she’s grinning like a cheshire

cat. Rolling my eyes at her childish antics, I get to work scooping up the sprinkles.

     “What can’t you handle? I’m the one with the employee that’s constantly late, and

causes more trouble than she’s actually worth!” His voice raises as he realizes that he

finally got my attention. I wince slightly at his harsh words and brush the hair out of my

face as I continue to work quietly, waiting for this to pass over like it always does.

     “Elena, I’m going to have to let you go. You’re unreliable and useless, I have given

you more chances than you deserve. Turn in your uniform and key tomorrow, now get

out of here, you’ve already caused enough trouble.” He finished in a grumble and

walked out of the room to go to his office, most likely to take me off the payroll.

I was so sick of it, his words cut me like blades and I couldn’t handle that. I throw my

name tag down on the marble counter and run out the door, into the storm that was

raging outside. Tears are running down my face, mixing with the freezing rain.

     Suddenly it hit me like a tidal wave, how could I support myself now? This was the

fourth job that I’ve lost in two months, because of being late. How was I going to pay

rent? What about the next semester of art school? What will Sam say when I break the

news to him?

     Stumbling through the streets of downtown for what seems like forever, I finally

made it to my apartment building, emotionally and physically drained. Opening the

door I see Sam who just got off of work, in our little kitchen. I run in, almost tripping

over something on my way, and throw my arms around him crying. I began to tell him

everything, barely able to say anything through my hysteria. Looking up into his big

brown eyes, I see a strange look of pity, and.. guilt? His focus moves behind me, and I

turn to look at what it is.

     It’s in that moment that I realized what I tripped over on my way in, boxes full of

Sam’s belongings. Looking up, the questions forming in my head, he just shakes his

head sadly, silently begging me to drop it.

     “Sam, what is up with all the boxes, are you going on a trip or something?,” I

question quietly.

     “No... Lena, I’m moving out. I don’t think this is going to work out anymore,” His eyes

shift around, looking anywhere but at me.

     “But.. but why?,” I whisper out, my voice trembling from holding back the tears.

     “I just don’t think we’re financially stable enough for me to be comfortable with, and

well.. you’re kind of a mess, to be honest. I can’t deal with my own problems, how am I

suppose to deal with all of yours too?” He asks, looking at me with pity.

     “That doesn’t matter! We’ll make it through this just like we always do! Sam please..

you can’t do this, not now, you just... can’t,” I finish lamely, my voice cracking.

     “No It doesn’t matter, my mind is already made up, there’s nothing you can say that

will change it. You’re just holding me back, Lena, ” He looks back down at the floor and

sighs. Picking up the last of the remaining boxes of his, he went to leave.

     I stand there frozen in place, what was happening? The sudden urgency of the

situation hits, and with a surge of adrenaline I grab onto his arm as he’s about to head

out the door.

     “Sam, please... please don’t leave me,” I beg him, my bottom lip trembling as I let

the tears fall free.

     “You need to fix yourself, Elena, get some therapy or something. Call me if you ever

get better.” He says looking at me like I was a complete stranger. I wince at the cold

look in his eyes, it was so wrong, when they had not long ago been filled with so much

love. The sound of my full name coming from him sounded so wrong, so foreign.

     With a jerk of his arm, my hand falls to my side, and he brushes past me. Just like

that, throwing away the five years we were together, he walked out of my life just like

he was never in it. Sliding against the wall I sit there, crying. In one single day, twentyfour

measly hours, my whole little world came crashing in, fast. I feel something brush

up against my leg and look down to see Crumpet purring happily beside me, oblivious

to what just happened. I feel so numb, the last words he said to me before he left echo

through my head. What did he mean by that? Fixing myself, when was I broken? Is

everyone right about me?

     How could I not see this coming? Sam changed so much and yet I was so oblivious

to it, until he showed his true colors and brought my world down.

Shakily, I get to my feet. Moving to my work bench I get out a plain sheet of white

paper from the top drawer, and I take out my favorite pen. I write a short note, no need

to drag it out right? It reads: ‘Dear Sam, I don’t need fixed, I just needed to be repaired,

but you weren’t willing to be there for me. I still love you, and I’m sorry for what I’m

about to do. So sorry. -Lena’

     I jump up out of the chair and grab my coat off the table, slipping it on I head out the

door. The storm passed, and there’s only a slight drizzle left. Walking down the

sidewalk I head to the subway, and I take the 7 o’clock train to the stop at the bridge.

Sitting in the dark subway train, I pretend to listen to my ipod, to avoid talking to the

others around me, and just think.

     The subway comes to a complete stop and I get out, following the flow of the crowd,

I climb up the exit. I allow myself to be pushed along, as everyone makes it outside. I

slip silently away, and walk to the bridge. People pass b, would they stop me if they

knew? I climb up the steps, and run my hand along the cold metal railing of the bridge.

I walk until I get to the center of it, feeling something wet on my face I reach up and

touch my cheek, when did I start crying again? Did I ever stop?

     I reach the center of the busy bridge. I place one hand on the railing of the walk way

and climb onto it. Starring down at the dark, churning water, I feel a bubble of fear

make its way into my resolve. There’s only one way to decide what to do. Reaching

into the pocket of my work uniform that I’m still wearing, I pull out my phone. It rings

three times before he finally picks up.

     “Elena, you need to get it through your head. It’s over, do I need to spell it out for

you?” Sam questions sounding mad, I hear a girl in the background asking who it is. I

stay silent and I hear some noise before a female voice comes on the other end.

     “Seriously leave Sammy alone, he’s mine,” a nasally high pitched voice sneers. Wait,

I know that voice, it couldn’t be her, could it?

     “Is this Jenny?” I whisper, shocked, he left me for her? Before there’s an answer I

hear some more noise of the phone being snatched back by Sam.

     “It’s over Elena, okay?” Sam says, sounding slightly annoyed now, probably

because Jenny called him Sammy. He always hated people calling him Sammy.

     “It’s over, I understand now. Take care of Crumpet please?” I whisper into the phone,

sounding distant.

     “What are you talking about? Lena where are you,” he says, panic creeping into his

voice.

     “You were right, I’m broken.”

     Several things happened at once. A foot slipped against the slick metal railing, a

phone was dropped, hitting the hard cement with a resounding crack, there was a

shout from the distance, and someone finally noticed. A ghost of a smile flashes

across my face, and then I’m falling, tumbling, sailing, into the dark, churning water.

     And that folks, is the story of how I, Elena Marie Greenwood, was finally broken. I

fell for everything, because I stood for nothing.