Chapter 1 I Don't Want To Live Anymore

• Emmett Jackson stood on the side of the bridge and stared at the calm water below. It was a hot Friday morning and he had resolved that there was no point in living anymore. He swallowed his sigh as flashbacks of his life for the past two years came to mind.
• Emmett saw himself attending job interviews, impressing the panel, and getting warm handshakes with big smiles from them in the end. He saw himself calling some days later to follow up on those interviews that he thought he had conquered, only to be hit with the chorus “We’re still interviewing other candidates.” He saw himself getting disappointed from these encounters during these years.
• His mind replayed today. He saw the first candidate walk out of the interview room with one of the panelists, and receive that promising handshake with a big smile. He remembered thinking that this could not be it because he had gone through this routine for the past two years and he knew how it ended. He remembered thinking he still had a chance because he was the second candidate. But he saw himself dumbfounded the next moment when the panelist informed the rest of the candidates that they'd found what they were looking for and therefore they were done with the interviews. He saw himself sitting there for about an hour as he absorbed the shock.
• If only I had been there first, he thought to himself. Maybe I'd have been sitting in my office now as the new Marketing Manager of Baileys & Co Ltd. Why am I so down on luck? Why is nothing going right for me?
• He brought out his phone and opened the text app. He scrolled to the group text with his friends Greg, James and Curtis, and sighed. He began to type.
• ***
• John Campbell walked into the head office of Campbell Group of Companies and advanced at his office. Peter Jones, his Chief Operating Officer, was right behind him. John sat down just as Peter placed a file in front of him. He looked at it, then he looked up at Peter.
• “The marketing department has been able to put together a number of strategies we can use to market the new kids clothesline we launched last week, Mr. Campbell. I only need your approval and then the ads would be created and circulated. I'm dreaming big for motherhood.” Peter said with a broad smile.
• John forced a smile.
• “And fatherhood too, of course.” Peter added immediately.
• John nodded softly. “I'll look into it.” He said and looked away. He then relaxed in his chair.
• Peter frowned a little at John's countenance. “Is everything alright, Mr. Campbell? You know I'm here to listen if you need someone to talk to.” He said.
• John looked up at him again. Peter had been one loyal staff member. He had been there to hold things together in the ten years that he had worked with John. But there was something about this young man that his heart couldn't agree with.
• “I'm a little tired, that's all.” John said softly.
• Peter smiled. “Well, then I know the perfect place for you to relax. You need a good massage and some deep rest afterwards. There's this hotel …”
• John shook his head. “No. I'd rather wrap up on some pending matters then take some days off.”
• Peter swallowed. “Okay. Would you be available during those days?”
• John shook his head again. “No. I'd hand-over completely so that I can get enough rest.”
• Peter smiled. Then he nodded. “Very well, Mr. Campbell. I'll bring all urgent matters to your attention as soon as possible. Excuse me, Sir.” Peter said and walked out of the office.
• John watched him go. Then he looked at the file on his table.
• ***
• Emmet read through the message he had typed on his phone:
• "Hey guys. So the interview didn't go well. What's new, right? Hmmmmm. I wasn't even interviewed to begin with. I was the second in line, and the first person got the job. I mean, I got rejected without even trying this time. I really don't know how I got entangled in so much bad luck. But at this point, I don't want to live anymore. I have no hope to keep trying ... And I don't want to continue to be a burden … I'm just so tired ..."
• He hit send immediately he finished reading it, and put the phone away in his pocket. He didn't want to hesitate in doing this.
• He ran his fingers through his full brown wavy hair as he looked down at the calm water again. He dropped his briefcase on the floor, pulled off his suit, and dropped it on the briefcase. He reached for his tie to loosen it but stopped with a frown. Why am I stripping before I die? He asked himself. He shook his head hard and grabbed the guardrail.
• He was about to climb onto it when he heard a loud scream.
• Emmett turned immediately to the direction the scream came from. He saw a middle-aged blonde woman holding a baby in her arms.
• “Don't do it, please!” she shouted with tears in her eyes.
• Emmett blinked at her. Why does she have to be so dramatic, though? He asked himself.
• “I don't know why you think you should jump, but it's not the end of the world! Don't kill yourself!” She continued as she sobbed.
• Emmett squinted his eyes at her. Just then his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw an incoming call from Greg. He frowned a little as he looked at the screen.
• “I don't want you to die. My baby doesn't want you to die. Please!” The blonde haired mother went on.
• Emmett ignored her as he declined Greg's call and put his phone on silent. He turned off his location and deleted his history. He then put the phone back into his pocket and proceeded to climb onto the guardrail.
• The blonde haired mother wailed as she pleaded with Emmett to get down. Soon, she had gathered a crowd.
• Everyone tried to talk Emmett out of it, but he was lost in his thoughts so he couldn't hear them. He looked at the calm water as he tried to convince himself that this was for the best.
• ***
• John shut the file after reading through the marketing department's proposal. He suddenly felt a tickle in his throat and the urge to get out of the workplace to grab something cool to drink. He didn't know where he wanted to go. He just had the feeling he had to get out there immediately.
• He frowned as he stood to his feet and walked out of his office. He told his secretary to call his driver to bring the car around and he rushed out of the building.
• Peter saw him leaving and ran after him. “Mr. Campbell, I'm almost done with the compilation of urgent things which need your perusal. Will you be back any time soon, or should I join you so we wrap this up on the way?”
• John ignored him, sat in the backseat and shut the door before his driver could.
• The driver rushed to his seat and moved the car.
• Peter watched as John disappeared into the distance. He grunted and walked back into the office building.
• “Where to, Sir?” The driver asked.
• John sighed softly. “Keep going.” He said quietly.
• He didn't know why he wanted to be out there right now, but one thing he had never questioned was his intuition. He knew there was something out there waiting for him at that moment, and he wasn't going to let whatever it was pass him by. He looked over at the calm water as they drove on the bridge. It should be a calm day, he thought to himself.
• The driver slowed down after a while.
• John frowned as he looked at him. “What's going on?”
• “I’m not sure Sir, but there's a crowd of people ...” The driver was saying.
• John got down from the car and walked towards the crowd. He could hear them shouting about something. They sounded distressed. He looked carefully and saw a man standing on the guardrail. His heart skipped a beat as he rushed over. He moved through the crowd and stood next to the man. He was young, in his mid twenties, and he looked like he could jump any second.
• Without thinking, John yanked him off the guardrail and the two men tumbled onto the floor.