Ever see those gigantic billboards that stand high above the freeways? I put 'em up. And I love it up there: you look out and you see nothing but open sky and the occasional passing seagull. And down below, this great big, sprawling city that, as the sun goes down, lights up like a perpetual Christmasland. I never tire of it, never. Sometimes, when the rest of the team has gone home for the day, I stay up there, just sitting, drinking my coffee, and watching stuff below. My private little world. So one evening, I'm sitting up here as usual when I notice this big crowd on the ground: they're all looking up and pointing at something. I figured it was something in the sky behind me, like a plane on fire or a UFO, so I walked to the edge of the board and looked around to see what it was. There wasnt anything, so I wrote it off and sat back down. But the crowd just keeps getting bigger and more excited over whatever the hell it was. Some TV vans, looks like. Then I see flashing lights, which means the cops have come. There's a helicopter up here as well, and occasionally he flashes his floodlight on me, so I wave and smile and think that's it. Short time later, the helicopter veers off, and then this policeman appears on the platform. Winded, I'm sure, because the ladder to the ground is a long one. "Hey," says he, real pleasant-like. I nod in response. "Hey yerself. What's going on?" That seems to throw him a bit, because he stops for a moment, like he's considering real careful like what he's going to say next. "Uhm... nothing, really. Look, are you okay?" "As far as I know." "Nothing bothering you?" That seemed like a pretty odd question. "Should there be?" "No, I guess not. Okay if I join you? Maybe we can talk?" I gesture to the space on the platform next to me, and, after a lot of anxiety, he finally stands and walks towards me. Suddenly I hear this loud noise from the crowd, like everyone had taken a deep breath all at the same time. He's edged his way towards me when I simply say, "Take your time. Keep your hand on the guard rail. Dont look down." He laughs with this distinct nervousness. "I wasnt going to, trust me. I hate heights." Finally, he's made his way next to me and sits, then assumes this professional-cop look of concern and caring. "So, everything's going okay?" "Sure." "No problems at home?" "Nope. Should there be?" "Well, no, I guess." "So what's the deal here?" He just looks at me for a moment, like, again, he's trying to figure out his next move. "Then why do you want to do it?" "Do what?" "Jump." Now it's my turn to look at him for a moment. "Why would I do that?" "Well..." he gestures like it should be perfectly obvious. "I mean... you're up here..." "Dude, I work up here." I point at the billboard behind us. "..... Oh man." Suddenly he breaks out into laughter. "You have no idea how many people are weirded out by you right now. So you're not gonna jump?" "Would it ruin your day if I didnt?" He shook his head. "Good, 'cause I wasnt planning on it. Not today anyway." He just laughs again, then looks out at the view. "Man, I had no idea it was so gorgeous up here." "So enjoy it. Relax. Want a beer?" "I'm not supposed to - oh, what the hell, sure." So he has a beer while I finish my coffee, and we talk about stuff: his family, his work, how much he likes being a cop, how much he likes sitting up here. Finally, he says, "I guess I oughta come down. My wife's gonna kill me for being late as it is." I nod. "Time for me to head off as well." "How do we — " "Same way you got up here." I point at the ladder. He finally steels himself to look down. "It took me a half hour to get up here. You do this every day?" "Worth it, aint it?" He's staring off at the ocean. It's real pretty tonight. "Would... would it be okay if I dropped by again sometime?" "Hey, like I'm gonna tell a cop no?" I go down the ladder first, and I can hear the crowd screaming its approval. I'm a few steps down when I yell up to him. "You coming?" "Yeah," he finally says. "Just wanted to take one more look."