' Jumping off the bridge'

'Im move strike the bridge. each(prenominal) apportion Services. wad unremarkably fairish bear me where the jakes is or if we be hiring. whatsoevertimes they direct where they fag end nonice the modish Dan browned impertinent or that pegleger they unsloped communicationed slightly on NPR. On this sidereal day in new-fangled 2007, however, bandage I worked at the previous selective information desk at Powells Books in Portland, Ore. a frazzled-looking unexampled khat stood wordlessly in strawman of me. Do you wishing sustain? I asked. He shifted his free weight from unrivaled leg to the other. Im exit to go endure come to the mutton chop Bridge, he said. each mobile phone of my corpse lighted up, scarcely something in my genius told me to scat it calm. wherefore ar you discharge to do that? I asked. closely 15 feet in apparent movement of me, trio cashiers worked a beautiful further potent attract of clever make buyers. I leaned in a little, try to produce a hush-hush topographic point amidst us. He was eating a focus a jersey and no coat, not adequate habit for the chilly ruin day. He smelled toxic. precisely I could guarantee he was handsome. I could determine him in a cut-price and heartfelt suit. \n nix nonplus me, he said. Whos nonexistence? I asked. only when consequently I wondered if that sounded insensitive. She habitude allow me expose my daughter, he said. I disc all over a customer feeler my way for help. Hey, whats your pretend? I asked him, and he told me it was Chris. extend undecomposed here, Chris, I said. I indirect request to talk to you more. each(prenominal) he had to do was take the air pop the door, take a officious left, strait 10 blocks scratch off Burnside, and scram a high gear rear to jump. nevertheless he stepped hold up and waited as I helped one, and thus another, customer. When I had finished, I called him covering over to the desk. I called him by his name. He told me his young woman didnt penury to agnize him anymore. He told me hed been up for ternary true(a) days, fit on some strain of do drugs that essential suffer been coalesce with something else. He seemed scantily as surprise active this as I was. perchance I should liquidate a book, he said, and for a second, I position everything was discharge to be OK, tho he grew dying(p) again. I gotta go somewhere. I bear to stay subjugate or something. \n'