The Constable

Written by Amir Saleem

“Excuse me sir” Slater yelled at a faded shadow at the far corner of the bridge, ready to leap into the soundless river below.

“Officer, don’t come close; I am tired, let me jump. Today is the end of it all.”

Constable Slater took his torch out and threw light on the shadow and watched it disappear in that thin but cold fog and there appeared a reasonable looking man in his late thirties, ready to jump down the freezing river.

“Sir, please step down from the railing; I am sure there is another way. Let me help you.”

“I am beyond any help officer; I am beyond any use. Go on, catch some crooks; let me shed this load off” said the man as he measured his plight against his fate.

“Ok sir, just hold on; at least tell me the reason that brings you to the edge” Slater obviously wanted to talk some time out of him.

“Why would you want to know; what difference would it make?”

“At least I can put in a reason in your file ___ I don’t know ___ I am curious ___ What could be so extreme to lead you here?” Constable Slater always wanted to be a negotiator in the Force; if he could talk this man out, there would be an added point of consideration in his next application.

“Curious eh? Hah. One man’s misery, other man’s spectacle”, his tone softened and Slater knew he had made a connection with the man.

“What is your name?” ___ ‘get personal’ he recalled one of the first rule from the book.

“Andrew. Andrew Freeman. Ironic, isn’t it? Or may be not, for I am soon to be a free man” he chuckled out a melancholy.

“What makes you think you are not free now?”

“My wife doesn’t love me, she is having an affair ___ haha, typical, isn’t it? And I find out after six years. Typical, isn’t it?” Andre turned and stepped down onto the bridge sidewalk.

“No its not. Certain things, you never realize because you are too busy ignoring, too busy to notice.”

Andrew looked at him with surprise.

“Huh, same difference here, same story, same fate” Slater lost his own composure for a while.
Silence hit the bridge for a moment as the night deepened a little more. City lights glimmered in the hazy foreground. A lonesome SUV crawled over the bridge breaking the waves of silence. They sat down on the sidewalk.

“My job sucks, I am not a specialist; that’s why I try my hands at everything; sales, marketing, administration, accounts. No wonder I don’t belong anywhere” Andrew mumbled on as if unaware of Slater’s presence. “Rotten credit history, mortgage, bills. And then there is the other side of life ___ wealth, fame, beauty, luxury ___ I am not on that side. I don’t want to be on this side. I am stuck in between, on a bridge. Cant go back, cant go further; I better jump off.”

For a moment there, Slater stopped listening; his own life started rolling in front of him. There was a bridge there too; there were different worlds and he didn’t belong anywhere, he didn’t know his place.

“Officer, I am going home, I’ll let it happen” Andrew had changed his mind. He stood up, “thank you officer, for listening”, he started walking to the other corner of the bridge. As his shadow disappeared, constable Slater slowly lifted his heavy soul and started walking towards his car. As he reached near his car, he looked back, the shadow had disappeared.

He sat in his car and took out his gun.

“I am not an officer” he shot himself.

(Based on a vague dream on the same lines.)

The End

Tags: Tragedy

Category: Short Stories