LEE and JESS

LEE and JESS

By Jane Scoggins

Lee and Jess had been together for over three years when Lee died. They were true soul-mates, happy since the day they had met. They anticipated being partners for life.

  It was a terrible shock then when he stepped out in front of a train at a little railway station thirty miles or so up the mainline.

  There had been no mistaking that it had been suicide. The only two people on the platform that day at 11am had seen him put his bag down near the edge of the platform and step in front of the non-stopping train. It had been clearly announced over the tannoy less than a minute before that the next train was a through train to Norwich.

  The news of his death devastated not only Jess but Lee's Mother and sister Mandy.  At the funeral, they had hugged Jess and they had wept together. Friends and workmates were also very affected and could not believe that the friendly easygoing Lee had taken his own life. At the wake, Lee’s Mother recounted the many qualities of her son to Jess and said she had searched her memory, without success to try and understand why, and if there had been anything in the past that could have triggered mental health problems. She did say that she could remember his distress aged ten when the family cat died. Lee had seen Misty across the road and called her to come home. Misty had misjudged the traffic in her eagerness to respond to his call and had been knocked down by a car. Lee had never really forgiven himself.

  On the first anniversary of Lee's death, Jess took the train to Colchester and got off at Manningtree where Lee had died. She had with her a bunch of white roses which she laid on the platform bench. Lee had bought her six white roses the week after they had first met, and had continued to buy them for her regularly ever since. To Jess, they were a symbol of the love between them.

    It was 11am and apart from a middle aged woman, there was no one else on either of the two station platforms. It was pleasantly warm and peaceful. Jess sat quietly for some time.

 When at last she looked about her, something white fluttering ahead of her caught her eye. She got up and went to the edge of the platform. Growing out of a crack in the brickwork about a foot above the track was a small rambling rose struggling to survive. It had two small blooms of white roses. Jess felt this was a sign, and her eyes filled with tears as she stood gazing. She did not hear the non-stopping train approaching and was too late to stop herself toppling.

  A terrible tragic accident. Or as the press reported 'Lovers reunited in tragic double suicide'

Copyright Jane Scoggins