Chapter 29: Find your cheeseburger...

(A few days after defeating Hades...)

(Manhattan Bridge...)

Grim leaned against the cold railing of the bridge, gazing down at the churning waters below with a sense of detachment.

This will be his third attempt at Jumping off something high to end it all...oh you thought he had changed, of course, he has, but his ultimate goal is still the same nevertheless.

At the precipice of a futile attempt to end an endless life. Immortality, a gift to some, was his unending curse.

As he inched forward, ready to embrace the fleeting hope of an end, a sudden jolt stopped him.

A young man, with eyes as lifeless as the river below, had bumped into him.

"Whoa, sorry," the young man stammered, stepping back in surprise.

Grim sighed with an echo of weariness. "No harm done. I'm not exactly here for the view anyway." He replied turning to his new suicidal companion.

The man's eyes widened in a mix of horror and confusion. "Wait, were you...?"

"Jumping? Yes. But don't worry, it's nothing personal against the bridge," Grim replied dryly.

The man frowned, "Are you some kind of twisted guardian angel here to stop me?" He said cautiously." Because if you are nothing you will say or do will stop me from ending it today, I've already decided..."

Grim laughed, a sound devoid of mirth. "Angel? Far from it. I'm just a guy who's been alive way too long, but it's complicated. I'm not like you."

The man's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Grim sighed,"I'm immortal. Every time I try, I just... end up back here."

The man laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "That's crazy. Immortal?"

"Believe it or not," Grim replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Immortal?" the man asked sceptically.

"In the flesh, or so it seems," Grim responded, glancing down at the waters again.

"So, why jump if you can't die?" the man inquired, his curiosity piqued despite himself.

Grim shrugged. "Ever heard of the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and expecting different results. Yet, here I am."

"That sounds... frustrating," the man admitted.

"Frustrating is when your toast lands butter-side down. This is just tragic."

There was a pause. The man seemed to be wrestling with this information, and perhaps his own reasons for being there.

"Why are you here?" Grim asked, tilting his head slightly.

The man sighed. "Life's just too much. The love of my life cheated on me...my cat was run over this morning, no one in my family even bothered to call to comfort me...and I've been fired from the job of my dreams."

Not one good thing has gone right for me in my life...so I thought...maybe it's better to end it. "

Grim nodded, understanding. "I get it. But I guess for you, there's still a chance things might get better. For me, it's just the same old, same old."

"That's a weirdly positive outlook for someone trying to jump off a bridge," the man pointed out.

Grim chuckled. "I'm full of contradictions."

The man looked at Grim, a faint smile tugging at his lips despite the grim situation. "What would you do if you could die?"

"I'd probably eat a big, greasy cheeseburger. Heart disease seems like a less dramatic way to go."

The man laughed, a genuine sound that seemed out of place in their setting. "And here I thought I'd meet a philosopher, not a comedian on this bridge."

Grim grinned, a rare occurrence. "I'm here all eternity, folks."

Their laughter faded, and there was a moment of silence as they both looked out over the water.

"You know," Grim said softly, "even if everything feels pointless, there's always something small worth sticking around for. Like a good cheeseburger."

The man nodded slowly, deep in thought. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should find my cheeseburger."

Grim smiled, a genuine curve of his lips. "Go find it. And when you do, enjoy every bite."

With that, Grim turned and leapt from the bridge, the air rushing past him as he fell towards the water.

The man rushed to the railing, looking down in shock. But there was no sign of Grim.

.

.

.

.

Thirty minutes later, Grim emerged on the shoreline, shaking water from his hair, his face the picture of disappointment.

"I live to see another day I guess..." Grim thought.

But on the bridge above, the man walked away, a new determination in his step.

Grim's words, though meant in jest had unknowingly given him a renewed sense of purpose.

A reason to find his metaphorical cheeseburger in life.

...

Grim checked his watch(courtesy of Brad). It was half past six. He was supposed to meet Doreen Green, who was definitely not Squirrel Girl, at the Chimichanga place at five.

As he sat there, already on his fifth chimichanga, he couldn't help but wonder where she was.

His journey to the restaurant had been nothing short of a calamity, a series of unfortunate events that would have spelt the end for most people.

First, there was the runaway bus that he narrowly sidestepped, only for it to crash into a fire hydrant, sending a geyser of water sky-high.

"Close call," he had muttered, barely glancing back as he continued on his path.

Then, there was the incident at the construction site, where a misplaced hammer fell from the scaffolding, aiming straight for his head.

Grim had merely tilted his head, letting the tool bounce harmlessly off the pavement.

"Someone's going to need that," he quipped, stepping over the hammer and moving on.

As he neared the restaurant, a freak lightning strike hit a nearby pole, causing a cascade of sparks and a power outage in the surrounding block.

Grim, unfazed, simply walked passed his thoughts on the date but not a date.

Now, as he sat at a table for two, surrounded by the wrappers of his numerous chimichangas, Grim couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

He glanced at his watch again. Over an hour late. He sighed, pushing the plate away. Maybe she got caught up in something big, he thought.

He decided to wait a little longer, ordering another round of chimichangas.