perfect
      condition,
      washes
      it
      every
      week,
      and
      never
      fails
      to
      have
      her
      car-
     
     
      payments
      sealed
      up
      and
      ready
      to
      be
      delivered
      to
      the
      bank
      on
      time.
      She
     
     
      always
      dots
      her
      i's
      with
      little
      hearts,
      which
      is
      exactly
      what
      Frank
      hates
     
     
      most
      about
      her.
     
    

    
     
      Frank
      is
      the
      postman
      responsible
      for
      pick-ups
      and
      deliveries
      in
      the
     
     
      suburb
      of
      Willie
      Johnson
      Hills,
      which
      just
      happens
      to
      be
      the
      suburb
      where
     
     
      Kevin,
      Julia,
      Bradley,
      and
      Emily
      live.
      Willie
      Johnson
      was
      an
      American
     
     
      inventor
      who,
      in
      the
      winter
      of
      1884,
      was
      awarded
      a
      patent
      for
      the
      inven-
     
     
      tion
      of
      the
      eggbeater.
      Not
      that
      that
      has
      any
      relevance
      here,
      I
      just
      thought
     
     
      you
      might
      want
      to
      know.
      Any
      letter
      with
      a
      return
      address
      from
      Willie
     
     
      Johnson
      Hills
      provides
      the
      writer
      of
      said
      letter
      with
      the
      opportunity
      to
     
     
      include
      three
      i's
      dotted
      with
      hearts
      on
      the
      envelope.
      Emily
      never
      fails
      to
     
     
      take
      full
      advantage-of
      this
      opportunity
      and
      as
      a
      result
      each
      of
      her
      letters
     
     
      includes
      at
      least
      three
      i's
      dotted
      with
      little
      hearts.
     
    

    
     
      Frank
      has
      little
      to
      do
      with
      the
      main
      plot
      of
      this
      story,
      except
      for
      the
     
     
      fact
      that
      he
      really,
      really
      hates
      when
      Emily
      hands
      him
      a
      letter
      covered
     
     
      with
      little
      hearts,
      and
      he
      was
      the
      first
      person
      to
      notice
      Kevin
      standing
      on
     
     
      the
      bridge
      watching
      the
      water
      rushing
      beneath
      him,
      contemplating
      the
     
     
      movement
      of
      the
      tides.
      Frank
      probably
      wouldn't
      have
      even
      noticed
      Kevin,
     
     
      except
      for
      the
      fact
      that
      Kevin
      was
      standing
      on
      the
      wrong
      side
      of
      the
     
     
      guardrail,
      dangling
      above
      the
      water,
      looking
      a
      bit
      like
      a
      suicide
      waiting
      to
     
     
      happen.
     
    

    
     
      "You're
      not
      thinking
      about
      jumping,
      are
      ya?"
      Called
      Frank,
      drop-
     
     
      ping
      his
      mailbag.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      don't
      know,"
      replied
      Kevin,
      "I
      can't
      decide."
     
    

    
     
      —
      Oh,
      I
      forgot.
      One
      side
      note:
      Frank
      has
      been
      known
      to
      make
      odd
     
     
      grunting
      noises
      during
      sex
      that
      can
      be
      heard
      houses
      away,
      which
      is
      exactly
     
     
      what
      his
      elderly
      neighbour
      Mrs.
      Thompson
      hates
      most
      about
      him.
      Not
     
     
      that
      that
      has
      any
      relevance
      here,
      I
      just
      thought
      you
      might
      want
      to
      know.
     
    

    
     
      "Well,
      if
      you're
      not
      sure
      if
      you
      want
      to
      jump
      or
      not,
      perhaps
      you
     
     
      should
      take
      a
      step
      back
      over
      the
      rail,"
      urged
      Frank,
      "Here
      just
      come
      over
     
     
      here
      and
      —""
     
    

    
     
      "No!"
      Kevin
      called,
      "Stand
      back.
      I'm
      going
      to
      jump!"
      Kevin
     
     
      reached
      into
      his
      pocket,
      pulled
      out
      his
      wallet,
      and
      fumbled
      with
      his
      key-
     
     
      chain.
      He
      tossed
      his
      wallet
      into
      the
      water
      below,
      thinking
      that
      it
      was
      a
      fit-
     
     
      ting
      thing
      to
      do
      for
      a
      man
      about
      to
      end
      his
      life,
      then
      paused
      for
      a
      moment
     
     
      before
      tossing
      his
      keys
      as
      well.
      Kevin
      has
      a
      rock-climber's
      clip
      on
      his
     
     
      key-chain.
      Not
      because
      he
      enjoys
      rock-climbing,
      but
      because
      he
      just
     
     
      thinks
      that
      having
      a
      rock-climber's
      clip
      on
      his
      key-chain
      is
      nifty.
      The
      wal-
     
     
      let
      and
      keys
      struck
      the
      water,
      barely
      making
      a
      splash.
      "I'm
      sorry
      it
      came
     
     
      to
      this.
      Goodbye!"
      ;
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      few
      moments
      pass.
     
    

    
     
      "You
      didn't
      jump,"
      said
      Frank.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      know,"
      replied
      Kevin,
      "I
      changed
      my
      mind
      again."
     
    

    
     
      Just
      then,
      a
      shiny,
      well
      kept,
      beautifully
      detailed
      car
      pulled
      up.
     
     
      Frank
      thought
      it
      looked
      a
      lot
      like
      one
      of
      those
      expensive
      new
      cars
      that
     
     
      appeal
      to
      avid
      outdoorsman-types.
      The
      driver's
      side
      door
      opened
      and
      a
     
     
      beautiful
      young
      woman
      made
      a
      bit
      of
      an
      unsophisticated
      exit.
      It
      seems
     
     
      that
      her
      foot
      had
      become
      caught
      on
      something
      inside
      the
      car,
      possibly
      a
     
     
      rock
      climber's
      clip,
      or
      an
      eggbeater,
      and
      had
      caused
      her
      to
      stumble.
      Frank
     
     
      thought
      that
      she
      looked
      to
      be
      about
      twenty-years
      old.
     
    

    
     
      "Kevin,"
      yelled
      Emily,
      "What
      the
      hell
      are
      you
      doing?"
     
    

    
     
      "Julia
      left
      me,
      Emily.
      I
      don't
      think
      I
      can
      go
      on."
     
    

    
     
      "You
      two
      know
      each
      other?"
      asked
      Frank.
      A
      bit
      of
      a
      stupid
      ques-
     
     
      tion
      considering
      the
      fact
      that
      they
      had
      just
      finished
      using
      each
      other's
     
     
      names.
      Kevin
      and
      Emily
      ignored
      him.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      know
      that
      she
      left
      you.
      That
      doesn't
      explain
      why
      you're
      stand-
     
     
      ing
      on
      the
      bridge.
      You
      look
      like
      —"
     
    

    
     
      "A
      suicide
      waiting
      to
      happen,"
      Frank
      finished
      for
      her.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      was
      going
      to
      say
      like
      an
      idiot,"
      snapped
      Emily,
      "But
      I
      suppose
     
     
      that's
      another
      way
      to
      put
      it.
      Quit
      it
      Kevin.
      Get
      over
      here."
     
    

    
     
      "No!"
      Kevin
      called,
      "Stand
      back.
      I'm
      going
      to
      jump!"
     
    

    
     
      A
      few
      moments
      pass.
     
    

    
     
      "You
      didn't
      jump,"
      said
      Emily.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      know,"
      replied
      Kevin,
      "I
      changed
      my
      mind
      again."
      Kevin
     
     
      turned
      slightly
      to
      one
      side
      to
      get
      a
      firmer
      grip
      on
      the
      bridge's
      hand-railing.
     
     
      Emily
      let
      out
      a
      small
      sigh.
      Frank
      checked
      his
      watch
      and
      kicked
      at
      the
      dirt
     
     
      stirring
      up
      a
      small
      cloud
      of
      grit.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      think
      I've
      had
      about
      enough
      of
      this,"
      he
      said,
      "I
      better
      get
      back
     
     
      to
      my
      route.
      I'll
      send
      someone
      along
      to
      help."
     
    

    
     
      "Wait,
      you're
      the
      postman
      right?"
      asked
      Emily.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      am."
     
    

    
     
      "Hold
      on
      then,
      I've
      got
      a
      letter
      for
      you."
      Emily
      jogged
      to
      her
      car,
     
     
      opened
      the
      door
      and
      fished
      around
      in
      the
      glove
      compartment.
      A
      few
     
     
      moments
      later
      she
      ran
      back
      to
      Frank's
      side.
      "Here
      you
      go."
      Frank
      looked
     
     
      at
      the
      letter.
      It
      was
      addressed
      to
      Emily's
      sister
      Lillian,
      who
      lives
      on
      a
     
     
      street
      called
      Little
      Lilac
      Road,
      in
      a
      town
      called
      Chitiwita,
      on
      an
      island
     
     
      called
      Filijhali,
      which
      is
      a
      few
      miles
      from
      the
      coast
      of
      Fiji.
      Frank
      looked
     
     
      at
      Emily.
      He
      looked
      back
      at
      the
      letter.
      He
      turned
      and
      starting
      walking
     
     
      towards
      town.
      Emily
      thought
      she
      heard
      him
      mumbling
      something
      about
     
     
      little
      hearts
      and
      the
      letter
      "i",
      but
      she
      couldn't
      make
      him
      out
      clearly,
      so
      she
     
     
      assumed
      that
      she
      must
      have
      heard
      wrong.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [19]