The fiery rose

It was seven years ago..

Seven long years on an oddly cold summer night. If you asked me to remember everything about that night, I’d be at a loss, but the one thing I will remember. It was the night I met her. I was walking on a bridge over looking the lake down below. I remember thinking to myself, “Why put a side-walk on this long ass bridge? No one except my dumb-ass would walk it!” It was also that same night I had my final fight with my ex-fiancee. I walked out. Everything before then, total blur. I watched as the lake’s waves flowed in a seemingly endless forward direction when I heard tires screeching followed by a loud crash. I turned to find a small truck had crashed into the railings, having jumped the curb on to the sidewalk, half hang off the bridge. “Oh, Shit!”

I ran. I ran for what felt like forever while pushing myself beyond my limits to reach the vehicle. I was no spring chicken. In fact, I was fat. Still am, but not enough to warrant being slow. “Hey, are you alright!” I screamed, praying for a response of some sort. All I see is a man’s face bl**died and resting against what was the airbag infused steering wheel to the right of me and that’s when I heard a voice crying, “Help! Please! Help me!” I quickly turned my head to notice a little redheaded girl banging against the small rear cab glass, crying, panicking and bruised. “Damn it! Hold on!” I quickly look for hard objects in the back toolbox to strike the back glass with. I had to be careful, one strike could send this truck over and kill her and presumably her father inside. “How is your dad?! Can you tell if he’s breathing?” I asked her loudly as I continued to search, “I can’t tell! Please! Get us out of here!” That’s when I found it. The small crowbar in which could be this girl’s salvation. I had to get her out first. I grip the crowbar in baseball-like fashion preparing to strike the glass, “Okay! I want you to get down while I break the back glass! Okay? Get down!” It was then that I could see the fear in her eyes as she cried. She didn’t want to get down or hide, she wanted out, “Please get down for me? I will get you out, I promise! Please!”