Walking A Tightrope Over The Ohio River(pg. 12)

     The day moved so slow and the sun had to be dragging its solar heat above 90 degrees, sweat was pouring out of me, each minute I looked below at those cables and weighing in my options how I was going to walk this cable of death, wondering if I had the endurance after a hot day in this blistering sun, in fact, it can really drain a man's power. I looked at my watch and it was barely noon and I'm already worn out thinking why didn't I tell Bobby I'll do it tomorrow on a Saturday, but then again I'd be stuck up here all weekend by myself because Stingray and the boys always head home for the weekend. 
     I had to carry all the helium bottles around that day too, unfortunate for me, I was very tired, and thought maybe I'll just forfeit a hundred bucks to this kid but I'm Little Joe, hell no I won't ever surrender, I will do this, but I thought do I have the strength to teeter all away across this distance of almost a mile, the widest section of Ohio River, and there was a reason the Madison Regatta was stationed here-it's a wide and one of the longest bridges on the Ohio River. 
     Finally, the work day ended, I was exhausted, beat down, and weak, I sat down for almost an hour after work in the shade gathering my game plan, and reviving what strength I had left, and I looked up and here comes Bobby with his friend waving a hundred dollar bill with the biggest smirk on his face, he was laughing because he thought I'd chicken out because the day was a rough day, hot, sweaty, and laborious. 
     "Here's my hundred!" Bobby shouted to all heavens.
     "Hey, here's mine," as I handed my hundred to his friend for whom I've never met.
     We drove to the Milton side of the bridge and I looked one last time below and thought this is it, the moment of triumph. Bobby was so sure I'd back out of this or quit half-way through, or fall to my death. His smug face wrote his intentions and emotions like time on the face of Madison's courthouse clock. 
     Bobby parked the car under the bridge and we walked up to the bridge, my knees were shaking like a pair of cricket's legs. We were on the construction side of the bridge and the night crew was gone that night because they never worked on Friday night. I then stretched my arms and legs one last time and slid down the hot trestle. 
     "Just hand over my money when I'm done," I said meaning real business. 

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