Part Three: Alone on a Bridge
In this final instalment, justice catches up to Rudy, the crooked cop, and Stacey finds herself increasingly isolated. The ending will break your heart.
Welcome, friends, to the final instalment of George F. Walker’s Alone on a Bridge.
In Part Two, Raven wants revenge for her brother's death and Joel's the one who is going to get it for her. Stacey wants to kill herself but Kyle helps her and they hatch a plan to get her kids back.
In this final segment of George F. Walker's Alone on a Bridge, we find Stacey on the street, her mother, Peggy, remorseful over her daughter’s situation, and Rudy, the corrupt cop, finally gets what he deserves. The tragic ending will not fail to surprise.
Here’s a little taste below. If you like what you see, please hit subscribe or share.
PEGGY
So she's gone. No one knows where. The police basically told me they couldn't care less. One of them even told me that I should just forget about her. Said he was sorry to have to say that. Yeah right, he looked devastated. The prick.
(Stacey is sitting on the ground. Looking around)
STACEY
Five tents under a full moon. Two of them not real tents. Pieces of discarded nylon tied to a fence. The other three meant for children, so small. Like mine. Any kind of serious storm and this whole community blows away.
Disappears.
My nearest neighbour has no legs. His lady friend has no mind. Diabetes took his legs. One at a time. And how she lost her mind is a story she doesn’t tell. Not to me at least thank God. Or maybe she has and I just wasn’t listening. Lost in sad wondering like I am one big question still unanswered. Is this just a setback on my way to a life worth living or is this what I deserve?
So! When my kids get old enough. Ask them. Also where’s my runaway companion? Run away too? Just because I wanted him to. I guess this was a bottom too low for him to fight for. A life too hopeless. Even for...A guy who’s spent most of his time on Earth struggling with a "destructive rage condition." For him this was just too much. He couldn’t appreciate the tranquility of having nothing. The stillness of having no place to go. And how can a rager rage against a guy with no legs? Like my kindest new neighbour or a middle aged junkie gal who does a non stop Pop Princess impersonation.
I think maybe one of the other residents who has three dogs was making him nervous. I was worried. For awhile. But I make more on the street with my nervous man/boy gone. And him leaving was just another thing to make me sad if I let it.
And. Yeah. My sadness is a force. I’m amazed by its power. Where it can take me. How it can trap me there. When I think of losing my kids and how I kissed them both goodbye without saying a word. Not a single word. I stop breathing.
When I get strong enough to die that’s how I’m gonna do it. Just get sad enough to stop breathing forever.
No drama. Just be gone.
The guy with the dogs gets a lot of visitors. They park down the road a bit and walk to his Coleman Weekender. They yell out “Randy” then enter his tent to transact. Might be crack. Because I hear it’s making a comeback. Might be anything because Randy’s connected and, this is true, I sometimes see him in a suit.
Not here but he passes me by on the street sometimes. Just walking Like he’s going somewhere for a meeting. Or I think it’s him. Like I sometimes think the legless man has legs. Or a man I know has legs sometimes doesn’t.
Oh look who it is. My beautiful Black saviour. And she’s bringing me food again.
RAVEN
You look awful
STACEY
I thought I might. Kyle told you about my new home?
RAVEN
He thinks you’ve given up
STACEY
And that’s bad?
RAVEN
You’re only 20
STACEY
A really old 20.
RAVEN
Are you taking anything?
STACEY
She means drugs.
RAVEN
I think I should get her checked out.
STACEY
Drugs to make me forget.
RAVEN
I need to get her to a hospital.
STACEY
I don’t want to forget anything. Just to make sure. I have to feel every bit of it. The abuse. The rape. The stupid wedding. The stupid life in a city of strangers. Getting deserted. Going hungry so my kids could eat.
I like it here.
RAVEN
Really?
STACEY
There was no light in that basement where my kids and me lived. No light in that barn where I was attacked. But here finally. I can see everything. Even stuff that isn’t there.
RAVEN
Let’s go.
STACEY
You go.
RAVEN
I mean it. I'm not leaving you here. Let’s go.
STACEY
No!! And don’t you have things to do. Revenge to get.
RAVEN
Justice. I had to get some justice.
STACEY
And?
RAVEN
He was arrested.
STACEY
Because of you?
RAVEN
No he was being watched. He did even more bad things and got caught. Caught by a good cop.
STACEY
And put in jail?
RAVEN
Shot too, I think.
STACEY
Yeah I thought that. Your friend got killed. I thought that too. I mean when I was just thinking things.
RAVEN
Anyway he got bail.
STACEY
Kyle's Dad?
RAVEN
Yeah and when he got out, he got shot again. This time in the head. He died in a gutter. Let’s go. It’s not safe here for you.
STACEY
The dogs will protect me
RAVEN
Or they might kill you.
STACEY
So they’ve got a choice. That’s fair.
Continue reading the final part of Alone on the Bridge on Esoterica Magazine’s website.