Starting our lives together Part 3 of 9

Starting our lives together
Part 3 of 9
 
Just as Ken took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.
 
“Hey.”
 
Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, it’s a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fits in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.
 
“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”
 
“Oh, Jimmy Stewart, you charmer you…” Gabby sighed.
 
Soon, her emotions welled up as the hopeless romantic that was George Bailey began to succumb to the pressures and injustices of life. He had blamed his own uncle for destroying their business, lashed out at his wife and children in anger, and gone crawling to his hated rival for a loan. The hardest scenes for her to watch were always the bar fight and the car crash. Still, she always stuck it out. The best was yet to come.
 
Just as George stood atop the bridge, Gabby caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. A young man of about nineteen or twenty was watching the movie from a distance away, leaning against a tree near the road. His face twisted in angst as he saw the pain on display in the film, and he soon spun around, walking into the nearby park. Gabby couldn’t explain why, but something compelled her to follow him and make sure he was ok.
 
Collecting her lawn chair, she walked along the perimeter of the green space, soon arriving at the entrance to the park. As she went, she began to hear angry shouting up ahead of her; it sounded like the young man was in distress. After a few minutes, she came upon the fountain situated in the center of the park. On a bench sat the man from earlier, appearing to be deep in thought. By the glow of the lamppost, Gabby could now get a good look at him. He appeared to be of average height, maybe 5’9”, and had shaggy black hair that seemed a bit unkempt. Still, its color shone in the light of the park, and his white skin provided for quite a striking appearance. A pair of black horn-rimmed glasses framed his face, which combined with his red MIT hoodie to project a very specific image into Gabby’s mind. He had to be incredibly intelligent.
 
As she studied him, she saw the young man pull an object out of the pocket of his jeans. Catching a glimpse of something reflective, she could now see that he was holding a small folding knife. Gabby tensed up and wondered if she should run, but soon decided against it; he didn’t seem to have even noticed her presence. In fact, the way he looked at the knife was quite unsettling. It was as if he saw that little blade as his best friend in the world. She knew the look in his eyes. She knew what would happen in a moment if she did nothing. Taking a deep breath, Gabby decided to act.
 
“Hey.”
 
Ken was startled by the unfamiliar voice. Looking up, he now saw a woman in her early twenties standing across the way. She gazed at him with intent, but for what reason he did not know. Looking back at her, Ken’s typical awkwardness began to kick in, as he could see that she was quite beautiful. Dressed warmly in a black winter coat and blue jeans, she wore a grey knit cap over her long blonde hair. Upon first glance, she appeared to be of some sort of Scandinavian descent, or perhaps German, though Ken couldn’t be sure. His mouth went dry as he tried to find the words to speak.
 
“Everything ok?” she asked.
 
“Uh… f fine. W-why do you, um… why do you ask?”
 
Smiling, she replied, “I saw you over on the green, watching the movie. By the look on your face, you were having a tough time with it. When I saw you walk off towards the park, I felt I should come and see if anything was wrong.”
 
“N-no, nothing’s wrong…”
 
“Good. Then I shouldn’t be concerned about the way you’re looking at that knife of yours, right?”
 
Shaking his head, Ken answered, “I’m not going to hurt you. Promise.”
 
“That’s not what I’m concerned about.”
 
“Wha… what do you mean?” Ken asked, his eyes growing wide.
 
“I’ve seen that look before,” she said, taking a couple of steps closer. “I am, sadly, all too familiar with it. You were about to hurt yourself, weren’t you?”
 
“You don’t know a thing about me, lady,” Ken muttered, preparing to leave.
 
“I don’t have to know anything about you to be concerned,” she fired back.
 
“Concerned,” Ken snorted. “How could you be concerned about me? You don’t even know me!”
 
“Easily rectified. Gabrielle Libertine. My friends call me Gabby,” she said, sticking out her hand with a warm smile. When he didn’t respond, she smirked and continued, “This is the part where you tell me your name.”
 
Sighing, he replied, “Ken. Ken Dix.”
 
“A pleasure, Ken,” she said as they shook hands.
 
“So… Gabrielle, eh? You supposed to be my Clarence or something?”
 
With a playful gasp, she responded, “Oh my God! Does that mean you’re Jimmy Stewart?! I’ve had the biggest crush on you for YEARS!!!”
 
Ken gave a nervous laugh. “All right, all right, I walked into that one. But in all seriousness.”
 
“No, I’m not a Guardian Angel or the Word of God or anything like that. Just an average person like you.” Motioning to the bench, she asked, “May I?”
 
“S-sure, I guess,” Ken answered, scooting to the edge.
 
“Thanks.” Taking a seat, she continued, “So tell me this, Ken: why would you want to hurt, maybe kill yourself?”
 
His face twisted in pain. “You don’t want to know…”
 
“I do. Believe me, I do.”
 
Sighing with reluctance, Ken relented and began to tell Gabby of the events of the day. He started with Jacqueline and Jason, then the confrontation with his uncle, and finally the fake phone number showing Jacqueline’s true colors. Through it all, Gabby sat in silence, maintaining eye contact and nodding whenever appropriate. At last, he finished his story, and Gabby could feel her heart breaking within her chest.
 
“Ken… I’m so sorry. I can feel the pain in your voice. No one deserves what you’ve gone through today. I know it’s of little help, but I do understand what you’re going through.”
 
“Understand?” Ken said, incredulously. “How could a girl like you understand any of this? I mean, look at you. You’re gorgeous, and I bet you’ve always been popular. Just like Jacqueline. Just like Jason. Just like Uncle Lee. None of you could ever imagine the world I live in.”
 
With a stern look on her face, she replied, “I’m going to choose to let that slide, considering everything you’ve told me. Still, you need to know that what you just said was quite hurtful. Almost as hurtful as the things that have been said to you today.”
 
Ken recoiled. He knew she was right. “I’m… I’m sorry. You’re right; I should never have said that. You’ve been nothing but nice to me tonight…”
 
“Apology accepted,” Gabby said with a smile. “Humility is a rare trait in men these days. Hang on to that.”
 
Ken thought she might be mocking him, but bit his tongue, nonetheless. He had already insulted her once, and he wasn’t going to chance a second time.
 
Seeking to turn the conversation to happier topics, she asked, “MIT, huh? You’re an awful long way from home, aren’t you?”
 
“Huh? Oh, the hoodie. Yeah, I’m a freshman there this year, just home on break right now.”
 
“Nice. Major?”
 
“Health sciences. I want to go to medical school after MIT, though I’m still figuring out a specialty.”
 
“Plenty of time to decide that. I’m sure you’ll find the right career path,” she said with a grin.
 
 
To be continued