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Damn.
All the way down below, beneath the central part of the scaffolding, one of the mid-range planks from her build-package lay hidden behind a tuft of grass. She’d either dropped it or kicked it there in her frenzy to get done. Whatever the case, it landed at an angle that was unfortunately hidden from her view.
Not far away, a nearby cameraman was already shooting the missing piece in case she found it. As my eyes wandered back to her, I found her somehow staring atme.
Oh boy.
She looked every bit as fearsome and angry as she’d been all throughout the inaugural season. But in person, her eyes were softer. They were locked on me now, almost pleading for help. Searching for anything I could give her, which in the end wasn’t much.
Then again, maybe I could.
“SARAH!”
I yelled the word without even thinking. She’d already turned her attention back to her platform, but immediately looked up at me again.
THERE.
I formed the word silently with my lips, while pointing down beneath the scaffolding. Her eyes followed my outstretched finger. Almost immediately they lit up.
She sees it!
A moment later she was practically tackling the missing piece of her scaffolding. She threw it together so fast it made everyone’s head turn, with all the skill and practice of already having done it several times before.
There we go!
The golden bell rang again, as the hunky blond CFO from Daily Grind pulled tiredly on the string. He sank down beside me, sweating and panting.
“You good?” I asked him.
He nodded, his shirt clinging obscenely to his sweat-soaked body. “Better now.”
Down below, Sarah from the Banshees was finishing platforms in record time. Utilizing the missing piece, she blew past Keeping it in the Family and slammed the final few boards into place…
Holy shit she’s FAST!
A split-second later, she leapt like a gazelle onto the top platform and rang the bell.
“YES!”
Another roar went up, as her other team members scrambled up the scaffolding to pile on top of her. A familiar air horn went off, followed by Noah’s booming voice. Vaguely I could hear him congratulating the winners, while announcing an end to this last grueling leg of the Race.
Sarah wasn’t looking at her teammates though, she was staring at me.Using both hands, she swept her curly red hair away from her face just long enough to lock eyes with me again. Then, still getting pats on the back, she mouthed two words silently and unmistakably in my direction:
Thank you.
