Ryuji looked down at the street down below. He was much higher than he wanted to be. The violent winds rushed over the rooftops, blowing his tie, suit jacket, and combed-over white hair. His shaky, wrinkly, hand gripped the chain link fence with as much force as he could while his other hand lovingly and calmly patted the back of the man who was crying over the ledge of the building. His tears dropped off the side of the building but immediately got swept away by the wind, causing Ryuji to be hit with a slight mist.
"It isn't your fault Toshinori-kun," Ryuji said to the crying man, "I understand why you feel this way, your feelings are valid, but your response is irrational." Ryuji's teeth chattered in the cold wind. The man continued to cry.
"I should just end it here," Toshinori said, "I am nothing to anyone."
"That isn't true," Ryuji said. "You are something to me. You are a good man with a kind heart. It would be a waste to end it now. Your brain may tell you you have used up your potential, but that is just your old company talking. You still have so much to give and so much to do! Please, Toshinori, listen to the wisdom of an old man!"
The entire process had gone out the window. Ryuji had been treating this man for some time now, helping him deal with the stresses of working for a black company. They had made a lot of progress with one another, but Ryuji knew that Toshinori had deep-seated beliefs he needed to address, or well…this would be the result. This was the nightmare Ryuji had hoped wouldn't occur. Ryuji tried to comprehend the situation but in all honesty, he was having trouble doing so. He imagined that most people in this situation would be focused on the precariousness of their current predicament but instead of thinking about the ledge, about the distance to the ground, about the impending danger, Ryuji found himself focusing on Toshinori. His desire to be there with him, to help him through this present darkness was stronger than any other feeling. It was reassuring in a way. Even after 30 years of his practice, he still felt aligned with the person over the practice, something he thought he had lost.
"I am not going to be able to find a job…I'm blacklisted! I won't have a livelihood… I'll be an embarrassment…," Toshinori said, stepping toward the edge of the building.
"Do not determine the future for yourself!" Ryuji yelled over the wind, "You don't know what tomorrow holds Toshinori-kun! If I had followed what I thought was going to happen after university…I would be a multi-millionaire book author…but instead, I am a therapist with a successful practice and many patients I care about!" Ryuji stepped closer to Toshinori, a small part of him wished he was an author in this moment. "I know it is hard right now. I know the future looks uncertain. But that uncertainty can give you hope." Ryuji let go of the fence. He grabbed Toshinori with both hands and turned him to look at him. Toshinori was a young man, probably in his mid to late twenties. He was about to throw away his life because the first company he worked for manipulated him and scorned him into believing they knew his future better than him. Ryuji remembered that time in his life. He remembered thinking he knew all that life had planned, but he was wrong…and that was the best part.
"The uncertain parts are sometimes what makes life the most beautiful!" Ryuji yelled as loud as he could over the wind. Tears welled in Toshinori's eyes. In a moment of surprise, Toshinori came in for a hug and held tightly to Ryuji. Ryuji, even under the immense pressure of the hug, let out a sigh of relief. He felt the tension leave his body.
"Thank you Ryuji-sensei…" Toshinori said through tears. As they hugged, Ryuji could see the metaphysical weight not disappear, but lessen itself upon Toshinori's shoulders.
"No thank you Toshinori-kun, you reminded me of something I thought I had lost…I still have a lot of life left," Ryuji said. He felt as if he had been revitalized, as a 65-year-old man he had thought he was at the evening of his life; but it didn't have to be. "Let us get down from here," Ryuji said.
The two men went to step down from the ledge, but then a large gust of wind came and threw Toshinori off balance, "AAAAAA," Toshinori yelled, falling backward over the side of the building. Without hesitation or forethought, Ryuji immediately grabbed Toshinori and pulled as hard as he could. He gained strength he hadn't had in 20 years. Toshinori was pulled right back up over the side of the building, but Ryuji slipped in his place. The strength he used to pull Toshinori back up had thrown him off balance. As Toshinori went back up onto the building, Ryuji tumbled off the side. He plummeted down towards the street below. He could see Toshinori getting farther and farther away, he had a look of horror on his face and tears in his eyes. Despite it all, Ryuji couldn't help but smile.
I'm glad Toshinori-kun is ok, he thought to himself, it's a cruel joke that I rediscovered myself right before the end, but I guess that's life. Please, Toshinori-kun, live on for me.
Ryuji closed his eyes and let the wind rush past his face. He wanted to go softly and quietly. He hoped the impact wouldn't jostle him too much. He found himself feeling at peace strangely enough. In fact, he could no longer hear the rushing wind or the hustle and bustle of cars, everything was…serene…quiet. Ryuji opened his eyes to find himself laying in grass. Above him was a blue sky with a few rain clouds coming in. He sat up and looked around. In front of him was a large pond with a bridge that went over it. Just beyond the pond was a huge Japanese style palace. It somehow was able to look intimidating yet cozy at the same time. Sitting on the porch of the house was a human sized…frog. The frog played some music on a shamisen but it didn't sound like a shamisen. Ryuji would often play Lofi music during his sessions, and it sounded a lot like the music he would play. On the bridge stood a man wearing a traditional yukata. He looked out over the pond peacefully. After a moment he turned to look at Ryuji. Upon seeing his face Ryuji couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Ryuji stood up and began to move towards the bridge, shakily and discreetly, he didn't want to disturb the image he thought must be a dream.
"It's been a long time," he said, "it's good to see you brother."