The Morbid and Sultry Tales of Genevieve Clare (30 page)

There were two candles lit inside the front windows. I hadn’t met Gloria’s partner, and I didn’t want to pry or draw attention to myself, but I was happy it wasn’t just me who thought about the one left behind.

Gloria’s partner, whether she was in the house or not, this was her first Christmas without her. I knew that feeling, and it sucked. I said a silent, little prayer, thankful for everything, thankful I wasn’t going to be alone on holidays any longer, when the door suddenly opened, and a thick, foreboding man walked out and down the steps. I turned and quickly walked away, until I heard him say, “It’s all right, Genevieve. I know who you are.”

I stopped, but didn’t turn around. This was Gloria’s father. I saw him on the news. I saw what an absolute asshole he was, and I did not want to talk to him. I gave a small nod to the side, but didn’t look at him. I continued up Broadway toward my car parked three blocks away.

“Please,” he said, desperation in his voice. “Please, I just want to talk to you.”

I stopped moving, but had my phone in my hand, ready to call for help. He stood a few feet from me, keeping his distance

“I followed her one day,” he said. “She said she wanted to make peace. She called her mother, then me, but I refused to accept…”

I stood completely still and let him say what he felt he had to. Then I would leave.

“And I saw you.”

Uh oh.

“My wife and I, we’ve spoken to Lauren. She’s in the house now. She told me no one was with our Gloria. I know she wasn’t with her in that hotel room. I’m glad she wasn’t…” he shook his head. “I hate the idea that she would have watched her go like that. I don’t know what would be worse, watching her waste away to nothing, or die…like that.”

“Mr. Rhodes…” I tried to interrupt, but he continued.

“I will never forgive myself that she died alone. I would have helped her. God forgive me, if that’s what she wanted, I would have been there with my little girl.”

I had no idea what to say to this man, but I didn’t trust him.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

“Was she alone?”

“Are you asking as a lawyer or as a father?” My question left him speechless and I took advantage of his hesitation. “Your job binds you to secrecy and so does mine. You could probably find all sorts of ways to screw with me and force me to say anything, but out of respect for your daughter, I can’t help you find the peace you should have accepted from her yourself when you had the chance.”

“I asked the question as a father, Ms. Clare. I know everything about you. I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done, but I can assure you, I’m asking as a father.”

The front door opened, and an older woman I assumed was Mrs. Rhodes joined her husband’s side. Then the beautiful Lauren came up beside them.

“What’s going on here?” Mrs. Rhodes looked from me to her husband and back again.

He reached down for his wife’s hand. “This young woman was a friend of Gloria’s.”

Knowing that Lauren knew who I was and that I knew the last person Gloria spoke to was her, I said, “We were just discussing the fact that we hoped that Gloria wasn’t alone. In the end.”

“She wasn’t,” Lauren said, her eyes on me. “The phone was on speaker. I talked to her until the battery ran out.” Her voice hitched as she spoke, but she told them the information that wasn’t mine to tell. It was between Gloria and Lauren.

Mrs. Rhodes and her husband took Lauren into their arms and hugged her in a collection of tears. I hoped, wherever Gloria was, she was smiling.

I drove to off Lincoln to the gates of the San Francisco National Cemetery. I did this because I’m me, but even so, I needed a minute to regroup. I was also desperate to talk to my man.

“Are you over the bridge?” he asked.

“Nope. I’m sitting outside that neat cemetery. I’ve never been here. We should check it out sometime. Everything is white.”

“It’s getting dark. In fact, it is dark, Gen.” He sounded a bit touchy.

“Her dad was there,” I said, just to get it out of the way. “It was short, it was intense, but it was actually good. He was…sad, Ahren. So sad.”

He didn’t say anything for a minute, but it felt like an eternity. “I’m heading to you. We’ll eat in Sausalito.”

“I’m all right. I swear. It was just sad he couldn’t have figured it out while she was still alive.”

“Gen,” he said abruptly. “You are going to think I’m fucking crazy, and maybe I am. Maybe I need some serious meds, but this feeling, I can’t shake it. I’m not going to wait for you to come to me. So you don’t think I’m completely insane and call off the wedding, I’ll meet you in Sausalito. We’re leaving your car there. I’ll call for it to be towed, whatever.”

I didn’t say anything, because I had no idea how to respond. He was freaking me out though. That was for sure.

“You’re kinda scaring me.”

“I’m sorry about that, I really am. But I—”

“It’s okay,” I relented. “Sausalito it is. Traffic seems to be moving… A miracle. I’ll be there in about forty-five.”

“I’m not crazy,” he announced firmly.

“I know,” I said in the softest voice I could. “You’re a man who’s worried about his future wife, who happens to be carrying his future child. We both lost loved ones in traffic accidents. I get it.”

“I’d feel better if you were in a safer car.”

“Honda’s are safe cars.”

“A 1990 Civic Hatchback is not a safe car.”

“I’m starting the safe car now,” I said sarcastically.

He finally laughed. “See ya soon, baby.”

“Love you.”

I paid my toll, paid no attention to anything going on around me, and drove forward onto the Golden Gate Bridge. I glanced casually at every taxi I saw, until I noticed one with a Grateful Dead sticker. I was behind Jimmy. I was about to pass him so I could wave like a loon, as promised, but he started to slow down until he came to a complete stop. The car in front of him had stopped. The car behind me began to lay on his horn, honking and swearing out of his window, calling me a fucking bitch, but I was watching Jimmy, who was lifting his leg over the short railing and approaching someone with their feet propped on the bottom of the outer railing.

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

I popped in the bluetooth and called 911. I gave the dispatcher the exact location.

“I see a number thirty-five on a pole.”

She said that was great and tried to keep talking to me, but I saw other people were now approaching, all on their phones, so I disconnected and called Ahren.

“Oh God,” I whispered.

“Talk to me,” he demanded.

“Jimmy was in front of me… Spooky, right? But he’s talking to a jumper, Ahren, a fucking jumper.” Said jumper was now sitting on the railing.

“Gen, baby, get out of there. Let Jimmy do his thing.”

“His thing?”

“He works the bridge, Gen.”

“What do you…”

“His daughter jumped. It’s why he quit driving a truck. He came home after she died and became a cab driver. Five nights a week, he drives up and down the bridge and keeps his eyes peeled. He’s only failed twice. Get out of there…please, Gen, in case he can’t do it this time.”

I started crying as Jimmy’s earlier statement hit me. He said he’d always wanted to walk his daughter down the aisle.

“As soon as you can, get out of there, Gen.”

I sat there for a few minutes and watched bridge security, police, and lookiloos who got out of their cars to watch the fucking show… But Jimmy was there. His hand was at her back. She turned into his arms, and he brought her to the ground and held her there. He rocked her back and forth, slowly, and a paramedic knelt down and wrapped a blanket around her. The wind had picked up then, biting and icy. Suddenly a hand was on the hood of my car, alerting me it was time to go.

“Ahren?” I asked, almost forgetting he was on the phone.

“I’m here,” he said quietly.

“Traffic’s moving now. I’m on my way to you. I’ll take the Sausalito exit. Meet me there. Please meet me there.” I went through the Waldo Tunnel and came out the other side. That was the closest and safest place for me to stop. All I wanted was to be with him. I couldn’t believe what I’d just witnessed. The enormity of it, of what Jimmy had just done. “He saved her life,” I told him.

He breathed out his relief. “Thank God. I’ll stay on the line with you, Gen. Fifteen minutes, I’ll be at the turn off.”

“‘K,” I muttered, shaken.

I drove quietly, no radio, and neither of us spoke. This part of the freeway was beautiful, driving through hills and into the city of Marin. I loved where I lived, and, as awesome as the city of San Fran was, I was always happy to head toward the rural-ness just off the freeway, where grapevines, valleys, fruit trees, rivers, forests, and small town life awaited me. It was during this thought that my dash flickered.

I ignored it and asked, “Still there?”

“Yeah, baby.”

“‘K.”

I saw the sign for the turn-off. Three quarters of a mile. I put my blinker on to merge from the fast lane.

That was when it happened.

I wasn’t able to merge over. I watched in horror as the lights dimmed and the car lost power completely.

“Ahren,” I whispered in a panic.

“What’s going on?” He likely knew from my tone. He knew me, and he’d had a bad feeling, and I hadn’t listened to him.

“The car just…I don’t know, it just turned off!”

“What?”

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.”

“Turn on your hazards, baby,” he instructed calmly.

I hit the little button, but nothing happened. “Oh my God. They aren’t working. I can’t get over. The other cars are going too fast!”

“Fuck,” he breathed. “Listen to me carefully, Gen. Do exactly what I tell you. I put a flashlight in the glovebox. Get it, right now.”

I leaned over, popped it open, and took it out.

“Got it?”

“Yeah.” My voice shook, but I focused on him, on his words.

“Turn it on, shine it out the back window.”

“‘K.”

“Are you still moving?”

“Barely. I’m scared, Ahren. God, please. Please, what do I do?”

“Listen. You have to stop the car and get out. Sit on the low wall, the jersey barrier.”

“I can’t get out.”

“Baby, you have to get out of the car. You’re a sitting duck, even with the flashlight. You need to get out of the car. Stay behind it. Not in front of it.”

I didn’t say anything or move. I was fucking terrified.

“Gen, listen to me. Listen to my words. As soon as the car is in park, get out, put the flashlight on top of the car so other drivers can see it, and sit on top of the median. Ready? We’re doing this right now, Gen. You with me?”

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Yes.”

“One…two…three, baby, go!” he yelled.

I put the car in park, but fucking fuck, fuck, fuck! “I can’t open the door!” I screeched.

He didn’t say anything. I had no power so the windows couldn’t roll down. I knew he was trying to think of a solution.

“Climb into the back, quick, gotta be quick, Gen. Go. The hatch is broken anyway. Give it a kick with your foot, all your power, and it should pop open. Keep the flashlight facing out.”

Just then, the sound of a horn whizzed past me. This part of the freeway was usually busier and by now, cars should be slowing behind me. But I wasn’t that far from the bridge and I could only assume that the scene of a potential suicide was the hold up of fellow commuters.

Just my luck.

“God!” I cried out and climbed over the seats.

I held onto the driver’s side headrest, and, with all the strength I had, wishing I’d worn my Doc’s instead of my Chuck’s, I kicked and kicked and kicked. Nothing. On the fourth kick, the hatch slammed up.

“Got it!” I kept the flashlight forward. All I could see were headlights coming right for me. Traffic was beginning to pick up.

“Gen, get on that fucking wall, now!” he yelled.

I perched my ass on the thin concrete divider. “Do they
want
people to die like this? Fuck!” I screamed through my tears and hysteria.

“Gen!”

“What?” I screamed.

“Baby, you have got to let go of that flashlight. Put it under the back tire so it doesn’t roll.”

I didn’t hesitate. I quickly jumped down, secured it, and moved back to my barely-safe perch.

“What do I do now?”

“I’m gonna put you on hold. I have to call 911.”

“What!”

“Look across the freeway, baby. Keep your eyes on me. I’m right here.”

And there he was, standing on the other side of the freeway, illuminated by a lone streetlight.

“I love you so much, Ahren. You have no idea.”

“I think I do, and I love you, too, but I have got to call the police. Keep your eyes on me.”

Cars were finally beginning to back up behind mine. The minutes ticked by as I waited, and finally, finally, Ahren’s voice came back to me.

“Baby, you have two choices.”

“I have to get out of here.”

“Baby,” the lone word said with warmth.

“This isn’t sounding like I’m going to like my choices.”

“You can wait for the CHP to come.”

“Or I can dodge the traffic and come to you?” I asked impatiently, because I really did not want to spend one more second there.