Breath

It's a Good Day

One breath. That's all I need. A breath to take, a breath to give, or a breath to tell a thousand stories as the night travels on and on till it's eaten by the sun's hungry blaze. It makes you think... Just how sad that breath must be when it disappears?

I sighed as I stared myself down in the mirror, seeing the same old person I always had seen. I was the highschooler that never grew up, the little punching bag everyone took a bite out of. Didn't matter where I went, what I did, if I had the money to make a living or not, it was me.

I began to head out to the kitchen, my self-doubt weighing on me in such a way my body slouched, making each step more dreadful than my last. I followed my dreadfully painful routine of grabbing a bowl of cereal, pouring the milk, and so on.

I was tired of the habit, tired of bullshit I had to endure, the long nights and the painful mornings, so I decided to take a day off. I didn't bother calling in sick or notifying anyone, I had a better idea.

I got dressed in some decent attire, nothing fancy, just a dress shirt, a lazy tie, and some pants I was at least ninety percent sure were slacks.

As I left my cheap studio apartment, I grabbed only a picture of my family and a pen. I hit the stairs and began to climb, each step I mentally prepared myself for the thing I was about to do.

The staircase was so straightforward but as I ascended I felt such a maddening dizziness as if it spiraled down from heaven down to hell itself, and I decided to crawl up from the bottom.

At the time I knew the path I was going was wrong, and I knew it was going to hurt, but I never was the kind of grin and bear it kind of guy, was I?

Hell, maybe they'll learn from me, although, I suppose that's what millions of people before me thought.

My train of thought was cut off as I reached the top of the stairs and gently pushed open the door, a tsunami of light rushing across my face as I squinted to see a clear blue sky. It was gorgeous... I smiled as I walked out and basked in the warmth before sitting down on the edge of the building, and watched people walk frantically to places they may never reach.

I turned to my photo, flipping it over, and began to scribble down my ex-wife's phone number and a small note to my daughter who I never got to watch grow up. I set the paper down and put a rock on it to keep it from being whisked away by the wind.

I closed my eyes as I stood up and put a foot forward, and leaned forward, letting Newton's second law take me away.

I regretted my decision immediately as I began to claw for the roof I was once soundly standing on, the wind furiously blowing in my ears, making it painfully obvious that time slows down for no man's death as I began to let tears escape and follow me as I fall.

All I could think about was living another day as I called out, "ONE BREATH. THAT'S ALL I NEED!"