the river || izzy stradlin

THE BRIDGE

He was walking on the bridge, hiding in a leather jacket.
He was trying not to be seen; none would've wanted to see a young man cry in the streets of London.
It was a bad time; maybe the worst of his life, since he let her go. She was there somewhere, he knew that.
She was his little secret, his relief when everything was going wrong.
So he kept going back there, where they first met; she loved that city more than she loved her own life and it made him feel safe too.
He had been hoping for so long to meet those eyes again.

«I've never seen something more beautiful» Izzy thought, while looking at the girl standing in front of him.
He thought it was fun he could actually sit on a bridge and look at the Thames and the whole city at the same time.
And look at beautiful girls too.
But she had something in those eyes that made her look different from any other woman he had ever met before.
She had beautiful blonde hair and green eyes, almost blue. She was pale and had red lips.
«Such a heavenly creature» he thought.
But she looked sad.
She looked sad and broken.
She was looking at the whole city and a little smile appeared on her face, but she was also tearing up - somehow he could feel what she was feeling too.
That was her happy place.
«Hey, you okay?» Izzy asked, afraid to get a bad answer.
She was wiping her tears away.
A huge smile appeared on her face as she turned to him.
«Yeah» she smiled brightly «I'm okay». Some tears were still on her face, and she was trying to wipe them away once again.
Her emotions were about to explode.
«Does it ever happen to you, to feel...» she looked at the river once again «...never mind. I don't want other people to get involved with my problems or hear my stupid, sad, messed up thoughts. I don't even know you...»
«Hey, listen. I'm not that kind of person. I love listening to people's stories, and you also seem... different. I can see it in your eyes. So just sit here now and tell me about it. You need to talk to someone» he sat differently - in a better way - and lighted up a cigarette «want one? It's gonna help» he said, while smiling.
«Yeah, I know. Those bastards help all the time. Thank you.»
«So, tell me. What's wrong? Why were you crying and smiling at the same time?»
«I've been dreaming of this for years» she said.
«Dreaming of what?»
«Looking at the Thames whenever something goes wrong. I couldn't do this some years ago. I had to keep my sadness and anger inside of me... The river understands me.»
«The river reminds me of the time that passes. Sometimes I think we stress too much over things, and these things won't let us live life the way we want. In the end, we're just dust and bones» he looked at her.
«Yeah, we're dust and bones. I wish it was easier for me to live every moment without getting anxious. But oh, somehow the thought that I'm finally here makes me feel better. This has always been my home, at heart. The heart tells you where you belong.»
«For how long have you been living here?»
«Two months only, and I'm never leaving again» her eyes were still wet from tears «what about you?»
«I don't live here, I live in Los Angeles. I'm here because of my job, but I'm going to stay for one month or two. The tour finishes here and I would like to see more of this city» he looked around him. That place had many things in common with LA, but it was very different too: London had a soul, he thought.
«The tour? So you're like a singer or something?»
«I play guitar in a band. Never heard of Guns N' Roses?» the band wasn't very big in England, many people didn't know about them, so he didn't expect her to know.
«No, never. I should come see you, seems like a good band; at least, the name is...»
«If you love music, there's a very high chance you'll like us» he laughed, and lighted up another cigarette.
«Then I'll like you. Probably. I'm really into music, I think it somehow reads my soul.»
«I think about that too...» he thought about the fact that he ended up playing there with his mates; he felt great for a moment «...You know, I really enjoy talking to you. You're great and you have a brain.»
«And you're not like other people. They often run away from me! Everyone literally does! They don't seem to understand my mental health... But you did, somehow» her eyes were shining and the wind was going through her hair; she pulled it away from her face. «You're the first person I talk to since the day I moved here. You have no idea how much I need that... I've been talking to the river for so long, so thank you for this. Really.»
«I needed to talk to someone too, so thank you for talking to me. But now, why don't we take a walk? I'll show you the venue where we'll play tomorrow, if you want. Then we can have dinner somewhere. I think we both need that, don't we? At least I'll try my best not to see you cry anymore... Or, if you really need to cry, there's me now. Okay?»
«Nice idea. Yes, we totally need that» the girl laughed, as if she was thanking him once again somehow.
«I'm so stupid, I'm sorry - my name is Izzy. I mean, my name is Jeffrey but everyone calls me Izzy...» he got up from that strange kind of bench - it was more of a wall, actually. They shook hands.
«Nice to meet you, Izzy» she said with a huge smile on her face.