Chapter 192 Don't Jump
The commotion behind her had Andrea’s head turning around to see what was going on. They’d gone from a peaceful evening, standing on top of the Empire State Building admiring the view, about to share a kiss among the stars, to a man screaming, trying to kill himself by jumping over the ledge.
Of course, Case would do everything he could to try and save the man. He was moving over to where the man was climbing the fencing, his hands up so as not to alarm the man while the security guards tried to decide what to do.
“Hey, calm down,” Case was saying, in an even, friendly tone. “Why don’t you come back down and we can talk about it.”
“I don’t want to talk anymore!” the man wailed. “I just want it all to be over! All of it!”
“I understand, I do,” Case said, and Andrea wondered if he was just trying to appease the man or if he’d felt that way himself at one point in his life. “But this isn’t the way. Think of your family.”
“My family hates me! They’ll be glad I’m gone. It’s because of me we have to move out of our apartment. I lost my job. I lost everything!”
“So, you’ll get a different job,” Case said as if it wasn’t a big deal. “You’ll find a new apartment.”
“No, you don’t get it, you rich snob!” the man shouted back. “Look at you in your fancy suit! You’ve probably never seen your kids go to bed hungry, have you?” The man looked down over the top of the fencing he was now straddling.
“I haven’t ever seen anyone in my family go hungry,” Case said. “I can imagine that’s got to be hard.”
“I have,” Andrea called before she even realized she was talking.
The man looked at her, and she slowly began to walk over to where Case was standing. She could tell from his eyes that he recognized her. “I’ve gone to bed hungry lots of times. It sucks, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it does. And I have to see my kids that way, hear them crying, searching in a pantry where there’s nothing to eat.”
Andrea had tears in her eyes as she thought about what that would be like. “My mom worked so hard, but there were times when she just couldn’t afford to feed us three meals a day. My dad left when we were little, and I was so mad at him for walking out on us. We needed him. If he had been there, we would’ve found a way to make ends meet, but without him, we had nothing. Think about that, sir. Think about how your kids will feel when you’re gone. Will they blame themselves like I did?”
His eyes widened even more at the thought. “It’s not their fault. They’re good kids.”
Andrea nodded. “I bet they are. But they’re not going to know that. They’re going to think it’s because of something they did. You don’t want that. Besides, as hard as it is now, how will it help your wife if you’re gone?”
“She… she’ll have one less mouth to feed.”
“And one less income. What do you do for a living?”
“I was a bartender,” he said. “It didn’t pay much, but it was enough. Ever since I got fired… I’ve been looking for a job but I can’t find one.”
“I’ll help you find a new job,” Andrea offered. “I’m sure, if we work together, we can find something that will help you pay the bills. And I’ll make sure your kids never go hungry again. But believe me, this isn’t the way. What’s your name?”
He hesitated, looking over again, but she could tell he was thinking about her offer. “My name is… Phil. But I don’t want charity.”
“No, of course not. It won’t be charity. It’ll just be friends helping each other out, until you get on your feet. I’m Andrea.” She reached out her hand, more of an offer to help him down than a shake, but he gravitated toward it. As she watched, he slowly started to come back down off of the fencing.
Once his feet were on the ground, the security guards started to move, but Case waved them off. Phil stood by the railing still, and Andrea slowly walked toward him, with her arms spread.
Sobbing, the man came toward her and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him tightly, patting him on the back. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Phil. You’re all right now. We’ll fix it. We’ll help. You’re going to be fine.”
Just then, Andrea heard the frantic cries of a woman coming out onto the roof. “Phil? Phil? Oh, thank God!”
She moved aside so a short blonde woman could fling herself into Phil’s arms. “I saw your note. I can’t believe you thought we’d be better off without you! I love you so much!”
“Oh, Janet, I’m so sorry!” he said, hugging her so tightly he lifted her off of the ground. By then, the police had arrived.
Andrea gave her statement, but before she left, she went over to Phil and gave him her personal cell phone number. “I meant what I said. Your kids won’t go hungry ever again, I promise. And I will help you find a job, too.”
“I don’t know what to say, Miss Sparks,” he said with tears in his eyes. “I was in such a dark place…. I didn’t know what to do. If it hadn’t been for you and Mr. Meyer….”
“It’s okay, Phil. Everyone has their moments. But you do have people who love and care about you. So don’t give up, okay.”
“Okay. I won’t.” Phil gave her a hug, and his wife hugged her and thanked her, too.
Andrea took Case’s hand and the two of them headed back down the elevator. It wasn’t what she’d had planned for that evening, but it was certainly something she would never forget.
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