One Step Back.

One step forward or one step back can make all the difference in life.

Joey is now standing on the top of the railings of a bridge, overlooking the waters. He reminisces about his childhood days when he and his brother, Edward, used to play here. There weren't as many vehicles passing through back then and the place was mostly quiet—a place of solitude only disturbed by the high-pitched screams of children yelling and giggling, throwing Frisbees and living their unadulterated innocent lives, much oblivious to the impending tough road ahead of them.

As the years passed by, so did the solitude of the bridge. The serenity of the place was replaced with the ridiculous honking of the vehicles passing through. The cheerful giggling of children was replaced by robots like humans constantly running a pointless race towards achieving greatness in life. The innocence and purity of the bridge which was once home to several childhood memories for the children throughout the town, was now contaminated and left to rot.

Joey had some of his most life-changing moments on that bridge. His first kiss, his first dance, his first bike ride, and his first time witnessing a grown adult succumbing to the unforgiving nature of human society, decided it was better to jump off the bridge into the water rather than wake up one more day.

Joey was 15 when that happened. The news made headlines and was one of the hottest discussed topics on the local radio and channels. Joey, however, felt that the man was a coward. No obstacle in life can't be surmounted by sheer will and strength of the mind. At least that's what his Dad used to say. Throughout his childhood, Joey was told he could be anything he wanted to be. He can do anything he puts his mind to. A true man never gave up, never broke down and he fought like a warrior. If there is one thing that the 15-year-old Joey would have never thought he would do, is that when he is 49 years old, he will be standing on the same bridge, trying to understand the mind of the man who jumped 34 years ago.

Joey didn't exactly have a terrible life. It wasn't even that bad. He did everything he was supposed to do. He studied well, got a decent job and does well to take care of himself. However, he never really was able to find a girl to love, marry, and start a family. He did have a couple of relationships, but they never amounted to anything long-lasting. The lack of a love life wasn't something that bothered him as much though. He has come to accept the terms of society. And that he has become an inadequate man who simply cannot attain the state of being in a long-lasting loving relationship.

One might wonder what makes a man inadequate, after all, Joey does have a job and even has a decent house to live in. After much deliberation on the subject, Joey concluded that a man without ambition is an inadequate man. The problem with Joey was he was content with who he was. He is content with his job, he is content with his house, he is content with his life. He doesn't have a yearning for anything more, or an ambition to become someone else in life.

It's natural to wonder why such a content man is standing in such a precarious position on the bridge. He is one step away from becoming history.

It was a little past midnight. Joey was looking into the pitch-dark waters in front of him. There is so much that boggles the human mind. The vastness of the sea makes everything else seem so miniscule. The human mind simply cannot comprehend the depth and as such, it fails to comprehend the purpose of life too.

He pulls out a crumbled piece of paper out of his pocket. It contains a poem titled "Hope for all".

A baby is born into this world
And blossoms into an optimistic child.
The vicissitudes of life are already awaiting
For the child to become a man

The dreams of the child get shattered
By the relentless hammering of the unfortunate reality,
Where once stood a child full of joy
Now stands a man who rarely smiles

The poem remained unfinished. Joey spent a lot of time contemplating the thoughts of the author. He has read it over and over numerous times. The sheer contrast of the title and the tone of the two paragraphs intrigued him. Did the author keep the title as sarcasm? Or did the author eventually intend to put a more positive spin on the poem? He will never know the answer to these questions anymore since the author decided to jump off the bridge before finishing the poem.

The cold breeze was making Joey a little unsteady on his foot. He felt a hand grab him and he looked to his side.

"Hello, little brother", the face spoke with a gentle smile that Joey had seen so often in his childhood. A smile he can never forget.

"Hey, big brother", Joey responded and he smiled. It was the first time in years the Jones brothers were both at the bridge at the same time.
Joey rummaged through his pocket and took out a business card of his latest venture.
He held the card proudly and showed it to his big brother.

"Did I make you proud?", Joey asked.

"Always", the brother replied.
“Hope for all”, Joey said.
“Hope for all”, replied Edward and they bumped their fist.

The next morning, Joey stood on a stage he had dreamt of for many years. He put in years of hard work to get where he is now, to finally reach a point in his life where he is completely content with everything and finally becomes an inadequate man by the definition of society.

"Welcome all of you and I Humbly thank you for showing up to this really special day. "

Joey paused and looked at the business card and he imagined his brother's proud smile.
" I officially announce that the "Edward Cares- Suicide Prevention Centre "is officially open to serve the people of this community. "

And the tagline on the business card reads " Hope for all".
Joey always carried the crumbled piece of paper in his pocket. The initials of the author at the bottom of the poem have almost disappeared. It’s only because Joey has already seen it that he can make out what they stand for – “E.J”.

The night before that when Joey was standing on the bridge, for one last time, both the brothers took a step off the bridge. One was in flesh, another in memory. But, instead of taking a step forward, they took a step back. Because sometimes in life, all you need to do for yourself when things get hard is to take a step back and sit tight.