Almost

On top of the six story office building stands a man. Above him is nothing but cloudy sky, threatening the rain that the weather man predicted as a 60% chance for today, along with a few late geese. Below him a few cars go by in the unnatural twilight, headlights on. Some people pass by on the sidewalk, acting for all the world as if nothing was different about today. But it is different, the man knows. Today is the day the world changes forever.

He leans a little further over the edge of the roof.

He closes his eyes tightly.

He stretches his arms out as if he thought he could sprout wings and fly off.

He begins the final move forward that will push his center of gravity over the ledge.

Suddenly, he feels a vice-like grip clamp down on his outstretched right arm. It startles him out of his reverie, as he jerks to a sudden halt leaning precariously over the edge of the building. He turns to look at what has stopped his fall. There, holding onto him for all he's worth, is his best friend. The door to the roof several meters behind them is open; ah, thinks the man, that must be how he got up here. He must have known something was wrong today. The friend gives a heave, and the man stumbles down on hands and knees onto the too-solid surface of the roof. The friend holds the sobbing man and guides him down the stairs to the ground floor, where a cab is waiting to take them to a local bar they both frequent. Several drinks, a few hours, and a long conversation later, they both part ways. The man's steps are not as slow or heavy now. Maybe things really can get better.

A few months go by. The man meets a friend of his sister's and they hit it off immediately. She's everything he's been looking for in a girl. Soon they're both head over heels in love with each other. It takes him a few more months, but he gets up the courage to ask her to marry him. She says yes, and they immediately run off and elope in the Florida Keys, where they have the wildest honeymoon either of them could imagine. Blissful years pass, both of them falling more in love with each other every day. Two years into their marriage they have a beautiful baby girl. She has her mother's eyes, but her father's mouth and nose. As the man stands in the delivery room looking into the blinking eyes of his daughter, he realizes just how much of life he would have missed had it not been for his friend on that roof years ago.

There is a muffled loud sound.

The people on the sidewalk scream. A car screeches to a halt, causing the car behind it to smash into its rear bumper. Someone yells something about 911 as people begin to pile out of their cars to gawk at the mess. Nobody can tell who the man was yet, though they're pretty sure it's a man given the clothes he was wearing. They wonder aloud what could possibly cause someone to be that desperate, all the while staring at the bloody mess on the ground. As the ambulances' screaming sirens begin to arrive on the scene, the bystanders reluctantly give way to let the uniformed men through to the scene. They check for a pulse, shake their heads, and begin to lift the body onto a stretcher.

Funny thing, one of them comments. The other looks at him questioningly. The first looks confused. Look at his face, he says.

It almost looks as though... he's smiling.