Bridge Jump (rewrite)

Chapter Four: Memories

Austin parked his car on the side of the cemetery road, sure to be careful with the flowers that he and Dahlia had handpicked at the flower shop not too far. They made their way through the rows stopping at their mother's family plot. Austin looked at his grandfather, grandmother, and their only daughter's headstone. He felt his chest tighten as his eyes threaten to spill tears. Dahlia never got to truly meet their grandparents and could hardly remember their mother. Austin, on the other hand, remembered everything so clearly. He was named after his mother, probably much against his father's will. Austin remembered it was always something his father had brought up in their fights. Austin was happy that Dahlia couldn't truly remember their mother. Especial during her struggle with addiction to crack and heroin, doubling onto of it with white girl. Austin hated remembering her drug-induced states, the condition their life was in during that period. He only wanted to remember when she got home from whatever mental facility she was sent to. He only wanted to remember her waiting on him outside the gates of the school, walking him and Dahlia to the park, cooking for them, fighting off their father. The more the memories came back the angrier he got.

He remembered how his father would beat on his mother when she got home, how he'd complain about the cost of the treatment. He remembered hearing his mother cry in the bathroom. She was the reason she always resorted back to drugs, she figured it was better to be wasted then present for the situation she was in. He didn't blame her, he remembered how she'd always tell him that it wasn't anything tell her that she'd just fallen or something stupid. Austin sighed placing the flowers in the holder for them. Dahlia stood next to him, his jacket on her to stop the rain from wetting her church dress. Dahlia took a step towards Austin and asked, "Why does it always ran on the anniversary of her death?"

"The angels are weeping at the death of their sister."

After that it was just them standing there quietly, soon as the rain started to pour harder, they decided to head out. They stopped at their grandparents for a late lunch. Austin and Dahlia talking as their grandparents were in the kitchen.

"What was mom like?" she asked softly as she grasped her cup of water close to her body.

"Depends do you want the truth?" Austin asked looking over at her sighing as he set his cigarette in the ashtray. "She was beautiful, like you. She had her demons like anyone else. She truly cared for us, even when she was doing that shit you know? She loved you so fucking much."

He picked his cig back up bringing it to his lips, taking a drag. "However, you remember her, that's who she was."

"Was she sad?"

"Yes, everyone was really." Austin sighed flicking off the ashes, "I think she was sadder she had no one to run to when Anthony was beating on her. All she had was us, and what could we do really other than calling the cops, something I never did cause I didn't want her getting caught with some drug on her."

Dahlia nodded, turning back in her seat, staring blankly at the TV. Her only real memory of her mother was her always crying and then a bit of her funeral. She looked back at Austin as he brought his cancer stick back to his lip. She glanced around their grandparent's home that was above the restaurant. It wasn't anything special, but you could tell they weren't struggling. She wondered why they never really helped their son, her and Austin's father, Anthony out. Austin sighed again, he needed his fix. He looked over at his sister, he chewed his lip before speaking.

"Stay with Nonna e Nonno tonight."

That was all he said before he got up, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his contacts selecting the name Bar Babe (Brooklyn). He brought the phone to his ear as he marched down the stairs. It rings before his call was picked up.

"Hey, you gonna swing by again?" Brooklyn asked

"Already on my way." He spoke starting his car, "leave the door unlocked, yeah?"

"Okay, I'll be in my room waiting."

Austin slightly smirked as he walked through the door of Brooklyn's apartment. As he made his way towards her room, he pulled his shirt off. He pushed open the door finding Brooklyn in bed with her roommate. He bit his lips watching them. Brooklyn and her roommate smiled widely at his reaction. "Sorry, but She wanted to have some fun too, you don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all." Was all that Austin replied before joining them.

After his hookup, he found himself on that bridge. He never knew why he came back, it was out of his way. Maybe it was the girl who was there the first time he was, maybe it was its seclusion, the rapid river below, the hazed view of the city. Maybe there was something more. He brought another cigarette to his lip, reminding himself how badly he needed to quit. Promising himself he was gonna try and cut to two cigs a day. He found himself watching the girl before him, today she had a phone pressed to her ear, arguing with someone. He wondered if it was her boyfriend or maybe even husband. He didn't know, yet he wanted to so bad. Instead, he leaned against the railing smoking his cancer sticks, just watching her, never meeting with her.