This was an assignment for my CRW 322 class which focuses on editing for publications. The prompt was to write three pages using exclamation points and question marks how our textbook tells us to.

The water looked deep and inviting from edge of the pier.

She looked all around her, making sure that nobody was secretly there with her. “Hello?" she called. "Anyone there?” When nobody responded, she climbed up onto the railing and swung her legs over. There were signs all over the pier instructing people not to fish or dive from it, but nobody was there at two o’clock in the morning to talk her out of it. She was doing this.

She started with simply sitting on the railing, looking into the pitch black night and listening to the waves crashing. She thought about her mediocre job, the hundred thousand dollars of student debt she needed to start paying back, and her brand new car with only eight-hundred miles on it. She hadn’t even made a payment on it yet.

When she rearranged herself to stand on the edge, her toes going over the wood, she began to think about her boyfriend and how she has wanted to leave that bastard for months now. She never had a chance to leave with him constantly keeping an eye on her and tracking her phone. The only reason she was able to even get to the pier is because she miraculously didn’t wake John up when she left. She looked down at her arms, surprised to see that they were bare; she forgot that she kept on the tank top she had been wearing. She ran the tips of her fingers over her arm, wincing at the bad bruises.

Half an hour passed by and she was still holding on to the railing, contemplating. If she jumped, she wouldn’t have to worry about getting hurt anymore from anyone. She wouldn’t have panic attacks anymore. She wouldn’t feel anything.

She looked down to the water, numb to any emotion she should be feeling. She didn't worry about the impact not killing her because she didn't know how to swim; she would drown within minutes with how heavy the tide was. With any luck, maybe the sharks would be swimming about.

She finally let go of the railing to put her hair up. She wobbled a bit, but stayed put. Finally, she thought about her brother, Henry, who killed himself two years earlier. He drove into the big Oak tree on Bart Street back home and left his note in the car. Their parents were out of the country at the time, so she was the first one to read the letter. She felt the same way he said he did: tired. She didn’t care about how this would make her parents feel, or the rest of the family for that matter. She was done caring.

“Stop!”

She gripped the edge of the railing but didn’t turn around. She didn’t think anyone would be here. Who goes walking on the beach at this time of night, she thought.

The heavy footsteps slowly made their way closer to her, and the man cleared his throat. “How about you come back on this side of the pier?”

Suddenly, tears started to sting her eyes. Two seconds ago, she was numb; now, she was scared.

“I think I’ll stay over here,” she said to the stranger.

The man was behind her now. “Will you at least face me?”

Without questioning, she slowly turned around. He was wearing a grey t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. It was dark outside, but she could make out the United States Marine Corps logo tattooed on his upper arm.

“You’re not okay, are you?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“My name is Sam. Will you tell me yours?”

She swallowed, trying to ignore the emotions that were suddenly coming back. “Jamie.”

Sam reached out his arms and closed the gap between them. “Please let me bring you back on this side of the pier. We can chat about whatever you’d like!”

After a few seconds, she took his hands and let Sam lift her over the railing. When Jamie's feet were on the wood, she asked, “What are you doing here at this time?”

Sam wouldn’t let go of Jamie. “I couldn’t sleep,” he explained. “When I can’t sleep, I walk the beach. There’s never anybody out here, so I was just as confused to see somebody else here as you were. I figured I would try and see if I could help with anything.”

“You don’t know me. Why would you want to help?”

Sam looked into her eyes and it was as though he could see everything she was thinking. “I was in your place after I came back from overseas,” he told her. “A pier wasn’t my choice, since I can swim really well. But you know what I’m trying to say.”

Jamie nodded. “Yeah.”

“How about we sit and talk a little bit?” Sam began to lead her to the bench a couple of feet away, and he started to ask her questions about her life and why she wanted to do what she was about to do. He noticed the marks on her body but didn’t comment on them until Jamie mentioned John.

It wasn’t until Jamie mentioned her brother that she started to cry. Instinctively, she fell into Sam's arms.

“Shhh! It’s okay! It’s all okay!” he said. He squeezed her tight and let her cry. “You’ll be okay,” he repeated. “You’ll be okay.”