It wasn’t supposed to end up like this. She had so much promise. So much potential. She was cute. And had kind eyes. Our politics matched. We liked the same books. And she seemed sane. Or so I thought.
Online dating is challenging. Scrolling through profile after profile after profile. Looking for possible matches. Online shopping for my life person.
I really thought this might be the one. Man was I wrong.
It started out innocently enough. A few messages online. We exchanged cell numbers and texted a few times. Then we decided to meet for coffee.
What happened next changed my life forever.
I got to the coffee shop 15 minutes early. I had brought my notebook and wrote down some story ideas while I was waiting. I heard my name and looked up. She was beautiful. Glowing even. Her eyes were kind and her spirit was gentle. Or so I thought.
We talked about our lives. Shared stories about our exes. Started to feel a sharp chemistry growing between us. After an hour of hanging out, she asked if I wanted to go for a ride. I hesitated because she was still a stranger. But I was starting to get sucked into her web and I already didn’t want to disappoint her. So I went.
This was a mistake.
I left my car at the coffee shop and got into her front seat. She had to move food containers, notebooks, and styrofoam cups to make room. She tossed everything in the back seat on top of some blankets.
She aggressively pushed on the gas and we jerked forward. My stomach sent immediate warning signs upward. But my brain ignored them.
I asked where we were going and she said it was a surprise. I don’t like surprises.
We got on a highway and her aggression increased. She was speeding past cars, moving in and out of traffic, and ignoring traffic lights. I asked her slow down and she laughed. I asked her to let me out and she laughed harder. She drove faster and faster while turning her music up louder and louder. And she was smiling like a woman on the edge.
We got to the Choir’s Bridge which was the highest bridge in the city. This is where the people who can not take life anymore come to jump. My stomach dropped. She bobbed and weaved through traffic until we made it halfway across the bridge. Then she slammed on the brakes. Multiple cars swerved to miss us, but two of them collided. I heard the screech of twisted metal against concrete.
She twisted the wheel so that we were facing the water. The cold abyss felt like it was one million miles below us. And then she looked at me. There was fire in her eyes. And she began spewing venomous words of hate. She accused me of hurting her best friend. She called me a monster. I had no idea what she was talking about. Before I could ask her the name of her friend, she reached her arm to the back of the car and removed the blanket. My wild-eyed sister was bound and gagged. Dried tears were glistening on her cheeks. She told me she was going to destroy the person I loved the most because I had broken her best friend’s heart.
My brain was temporarily unable to process the words coming out of her mouth. She put her foot on the gas and started to push down. I locked eyes with my sister and felt a strange sense of calm wash over my body. I turned back to our captor and told her I was intrigued by her passion, her cleverness, and her drive. She put her foot on the brakes and looked up at me. Her eyes were confused but enthralled. We were now teetering near the edge of the mid-level concrete divide. We were inches from plunging into the winter depths.
I held her gaze and pulled up my hand to caress her face. I slowly inched toward her and placed my lips on her lips. I gently used my left hand to put the car into park. I picked up speed and with one swift movement I reached around her to open the car door and push her out of the car with enough force to clear the concrete divide. Her body bounced once on the edge and then toppled over into an icy death.
I am writing this three months later. My sister and I are sitting under blankets on the couch and watching a movie.
And I am never online dating again.
