Lowering his head, he felt a new wave of sobs hit him as he whispered words to an old song, “Through this world I’ve stumbled, so many times betrayed…trying to find an honest word…only to find the truth enslaved.” Looking up with desperate determination he exclaimed, “I look to you because I’m sick of waking up with only you to look forward to everyday! You, whose presence gives my life meaning…
“Please,” he pleaded after a brief pause, “if you have any heart within you, take me away from this unforgiving world of the day and let me join you forever in the night. Give me a sign that you do care about me! Anything…” He waited once more, only this time he was expecting the fantastic to happen. It did not. As the minutes turned into hours, he realized that the mistress who he was trying to summon was a fickle lady whose face wavered constantly. Taking in this sobering revelation, Galahad instead interpreted the prolonged silence as an answer of its own and surrendered any hope he had of celestial intervention.
Sinking into himself, he let go of any last attachments he had, which were not many. When he did, he granted his limbs enough energy to hoist him off of the ground and stand on top of the railing. Balancing himself on the dead light post beside him, Galahad glanced over the lake below with a morbid sense of anticipation that he did not notice. Closing his eyes, he prayed for forgiveness for this final act…
Just as he relinquished one fatal step off of the railing, he felt a powerful set of hands grab him by the belt and jerk him back to the earth. Landing on something somewhat soft, he turned his head curious and angry that someone would interrupt him just as he finally made up his mind on the matter.
Discovering that it was a young woman roughly his age he gasped, got himself off of her in an instant, and apologized for crushing her.
“Apology half-accepted,” coughed the woman as she struggled to regain her breath. “And now,” she started as they both got on their feet, “for the other half.” Swinging her arm almost entirely behind her, she unleashed a vicious slap that sent him banging against the light pole for extra damage.
Flabbergasted and angry once more at this sudden turn of events, he shouted, “What’d you do that for?!”
“‘What did I do that for?!’” she shrieked in a thick Southern Belle accent that he just now noticed. “For making me scared out of my wits, that’s what!” Calming down, she flexed her now sore hand and continued, “Man…and tonight was such a beautiful night too…” Unable to think of anything else to console the woman, he offered yet another apology to her.
Sighing, the woman said, “Sweetie, instead of apologizing to me, why don’t you tell me why you were about to commit suicide? Surely whatever problem you have right now isn’t one worth dying over.”
Galahad stared at her in disbelief at her insensitivity to his plight. Seeing no other way out of her piercing, yet soft gaze, he exhaled and confided to her the demons lurking in his mind. He finished his testimony by adding solemnly, “I guess I just wasn’t meant for this world…”
“Oh, will you stop being so overdramatic?” she asked flatly. “So what if your family and lover betrayed you? Clearly, if they found the need to do so, then you don’t need them in your life. Sweetie, what you really need to do is find yourself and move on with your life.”
As soon as she finished that statement he started to laugh slightly. They were words that he had thought of on a few occasions in his life, but was never courageous enough to speak aloud. They were also words that provided a solution that seemed too simplistic to work. And yet, somehow, they seemed to lift his spirits. Looking at her seriously, he asked, “You make it sound so simple…are you certain that’s all I need?”
