Yes… He thought to himself, it had to be the adrenalin rush. Every time he left the house he became instantly hooked. There was nothing like the pleasure that overcame him the moment he stepped out the door. Not even his fear of death could consume his love of running.

He felt that passion now as he bolted along his favorite path. He could hear every thump his special red running shoes caused the moment contact was established with the sidewalk. Though nothing could beat running in the rain. When it did, he loved the sound of his sneakers kicking up small waves of water from the puddles below his feet.

A fresh breeze strengthened in force as he sprinted against it. The sensation of the crispy morning air cooled the rapidly forming sweat on his brow. A great swooshing noise roared past his ears as if he were standing beside a large waterfall.

Despite the cool air around him his body continued to grow warmer like a volcano as he dashed across the small bridge that hung above a small stream. The clear water beneath was there one moment and gone the next as he flashed by. He swerved past the other pedestrians at full speed. Some cursed back at him for the hundred billionth time and some just stepped out of the way. This side of town was used to his daily roundabouts. He didn’t bother to cross open streets either because he knew he would have to stop and wait. So he had found a safe way to the hangout spot.

Finally the stinger reached its goal. He almost skidded to a stop to buckle over. He refused and continued to run. A shearing pain dug into his side, but he would sooth it later. He was going to best his time and there was no slowing him down.

Now he could see his destination. The park center. The Wishing Fountain. He was almost there. Pace by pace he ran. He pushed his body harder then ever before. He could feel the pain begin to grow, and he shoved it aside. His throat was becoming rusty and dry. Breath was now hard to come by.

Twenty paces from the fountain he began to slow down. The moment he reached it he stopped the stop watch. As he slowed to a jog around the small platform he could feel his heart pounding like the blades of a helicopter. He wasn’t sure if it was from running so hard or if it was from the anticipation of knowing his latest time. Like his grandfather always said, “Anticipation is the best part.”

He began to slow down to a fast walk. Breath was finally coming back to him. When he slowed his pace to a slow walk he sighed with satisfaction.

Finally he was able to sit down on the edge of the fountain to relax. His heart was still beating furiously, but it was no longer his concern. Now he was thinking about the time on his watch. Excitement burned in his chest much hotter then the stinging pain of the run. He waited for himself to relax.

His eyes came to rest on two young boys playing catch with a red dodge ball, passing it back and forth. He watched as the ball went over the head of one of the kids and rolled into the street. As the kid went after it he frowned and within seconds his mind had connected the dots.

Fear clouded his mind and heart. Swift as lightning he stood up and raced to save the kid from the oncoming car.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

“Hey, are you coming?”

The words of his friend Willis snapped him back to reality. He could feel his heart racing steadily from the memory. Outside his room window his eyes roamed the streets of the motel like humming birds looking for bright flowers. That sad shock over came him once again as the realization of his accident replayed itself in his mind once again.

“Let’s go or we’ll be late.”

He backed himself away from the window, turned himself around, and moved toward the door where a ten year old boy waited for him. Looking at the boy he had saved from the road he smiled. His time in the wheel chair was short, and very hard to endure, but seeing Willis’s face as much as the boy could muster really encouraged him. He had done something worth while.

As the boy rolled him out the door he thought back to the day of the crash. He never did get to see his ending time. But that didn’t matter anymore. As long as Willis was safe and he, himself was alive. Nothing else mattered.