Talking Down From the Ledge

By Leigh-Anne Burley

 

“Marcie, you’re running out of time. What will it be?”

The young woman turned towards the window and cried, “Either way, I am ruined.”

“I’ll go with you,” offered Jim.

“I appreciate that, but it won’t change anything.”

“If you turn yourself in, it’ll be better for you.”

“I can’t go to jail!” Marcie said, covering her face with trembling hands.

“You’ll get reduced time because it’s your first offense, and you can’t run forever.”

“I’d rather kill myself than go to jail!”

“Don’t say that,” Jim said, moving towards his wife.

Sheltering her sobbing body in his arms, Jim whispered, “I love you.”

“How will I pay back the money?”

“We’ll find a way.”

“Saying we even do; it’s still over for me. My family and friends will disown me.”

“We’ll move far away where no one knows us.”

Jim didn’t understand why Marcie stole. Didn’t they have enough money to cover expenses with a little left over?

Someone banged on the door. The blood drained from Marcie’s face.

“Jim, did you tell anyone I was here?”

Jim looked into her ashen face, shook his head, and moved through their stuffy, cramped apartment to answer the door. Marcie threw open the window, letting in the sounds of traffic and the smells of musk, exhaust, and fish from the city ten floors below, and jumped onto the wide ledge while Jim let in the two police officers and then rushed back to the window.

“Marcie, come back inside. It’s not worth your life.”

“It is to me!”

One burly officer approached Jim, who was leaning out the window.

“Sir, please step back from the window.”

Not hearing him, Jim leaned out further and said, “Marcie, it’s going to be okay.”

Careful not to look down, Marcie turned away, saying, “You don’t know that, Jim.”

“You’re scaring me. If you don’t come inside, I’ll come out and get you.”

As Jim lifted his leg, Officer Hendrix pulled him back and said, “My partner, Officer Campbell, called in a negotiator.”

Jim broke free, but the officer restrained him.

“I said, back away from the window. The negotiator will talk her down from the ledge.”

“What if she jumps before then?” Jim said, biting his lip.

“Nobody has to die. Abby will arrive in five minutes.”

“My wife’s afraid and alone,” Jim pleaded.

"Abby knows what she's doing," Officer Hendricks said to Jim, looking him straight in the eye.

When Abby got the call of a woman on a ledge ready to jump, she was enroute after dropping off her only child at school. Stella was in second grade and loved it.

 

She turned, racing across town, switched on her siren, and headed for the apartment building. Campbell briefed Abby that a young woman named Marcie, with no prior offenses, had stepped onto a ledge of a 10-story apartment building for fear of going to jail for embezzlement.

She began forming a strategy of talking the woman down from the ledge. In the past month, there have been four such attempts. Abby lost no one but knew that if a person wanted to commit suicide, no amount of talking would convince them otherwise. Thankfully, most of the attempts were cries for help.

The salty breeze caressed Marcie’s cheeks and ruffled her blonde curls. She was never afraid of heights, only cramped spaces. Stealing from Roy, the owner of the construction company, wasn’t that difficult for a bookkeeper. Marcie's theft started with small amounts, escalating to larger embezzlements. An audit going back years surprised the young woman; that’s when she ran and hid.

When fear and guilt overwhelmed her, she called Jim. Now, she regretted that call.

Marcie knew financial security eliminated worry and stress. She loved Jim, a hardworking sales associate, but their combined incomes barely covered expenses during these challenging times. She reasoned that Roy, a well-off middle-aged bachelor, wouldn’t miss the money, enabling her to purchase a modest house.

“Hi, Marice,” said Abby as she slowly climbed out the window onto the ledge, careful not to crowd the frightened woman. “I’m Abby, and I respect your decision to have control over your life.”

As Marcie looked at the stranger and the street, where everyone seemed small, she wished her troubles were minor. She thought how easy it would be to lean over and fly.

Locking eyes with Marcie, Abby said, “Marcie, it must be difficult for you right now. Why don’t we go inside and see if we can sort this out?”

Sensing Abby was sincere, she asked, “Can you keep me from going to jail?”

“I don’t have the answer to that.”

Marcie appreciated her honesty and wondered why Abby risked her life to save hers when she didn’t think it was worth saving. Maybe she had a family of her own. Marcie wanted to have children someday. The sting of shame flushed Marcie’s cheeks.

“Marcie, please follow me inside, and together, we’ll talk this through.”

Marcie served a three-year sentence with five years of probation. The court worked out a reasonable payment schedule. The couple took on extra jobs, and after repayment, they moved to Alaska, rented a small cabin in a remote area, birthed two boys, and lived the rest of their lives without incident.

 

Leigh-Anne Burley from US is an author who writes across multiple genres, including literary fiction. She has written a number of short stories and her story, "Her Father," was published by Calla Press Publishing. She is also listed as an author in an Amazon book, "Endless Possibilities". Burley's work has been described as blending suspense and character-driven narratives, particularly in her short story "Her Father," where she explores the complex relationship between a mother and her daughter.