The night was cool but not bitter, letting the small warmth it let come through the air whisper of empty promises it wanted to make. I opened the door and heard the jingle indicating I was in the right place. I spotted a small table in the back, perfect setting for the night’s events.

Once I’d placed my coat down and ordered my drink I began to watch the door in anticipation for who was to walk through. This was it, this was the final phase of moving on and I couldn’t have been more excited and terrified for it come. The noises of the restaurant indicated that many people were here to relax from their long day of tight schedules and restricting timelines. They didn’t seem to notice that the nerves coming off my body could heat the whole place.

The shaking hands and fumbling words that were about to ensue for the next few hours tied my stomach in knots. It was giving me the feeling I’d had when I was younger and had first stood on top of the highest ledge, above a rushing stream. All the faces below beckoned me to join them, the water, they claimed, felt warm and exciting. My toes curled around the edge and a lump formed in my throat. Was I ready for this moment? All the horrible things that could happen between the moments I would leap through the air and when my head would resurface played through my manic mind like a horror movie’s montage.

As all these jumbled thoughts flowed from the top of my head, down to my tapping toes, I heard the door jingle and in he walked. The person responsible for the hours I’d spent in front of the mirror earlier, tearing apart every flaw and imperfection.  A smile crept toward his eyes as he noticed where I sat and with that, I slowly let out the breath I’d been holding in since I’d first walked through the musical door.

This was it, I could feel the free fall as I pushed away from the ledge, eyes wide opened as I gazed at the welcoming waters, leaving the spot I was so fearfully clinging to just seconds before. I welcomed the cool water’s splash on my upturned face and anxiously anticipated the rush of the current that would carry me down to my new adventure. It all happened in only a few seconds, and I had finally released my tight grip and let go, letting it carry me away from the broken past.