With sharp rock slicing me every time he moved, I did my best to calm him. Grunting, so determined to save his life, I said, “Focus. Make a plan, Sal. What is under this ledge?”
In a panic, he was looking around. “Nowhere to put my feet! I don’t want to die!”
No matter what, I wasn’t going to let him go. “Sal! I have you—” Another section of the edge broke away, causing my shoulders to fall forward. I groaned, silently begging the toe of my boots, which I was digging into any dirt my feet could find, to keep me from sliding forward.
“Angelo!”
God, please help me, I begged the Heavens I hadn’t spoken to since my mother died. My hands tightened. “Sal, I have you.”
Sal stared up at me and the slowly crumbling Earth beneath my chest. “Oh my God.”
I could already feel the ground at my chest shifting, preparing to break away. “It’s okay. We’ll make it,” I quickly told him. “Climb up my arms.”
Nodding, Sal blew out air, then, with incredible trust that I would not release his one hand, Sal let go and used his abdominals to lift his right hand higher to grab onto my lower arms, but they were sweaty, making it impossible to climb up. His hand kept slipping.
A cry escaped him. And it was my name. “Angelo.”
Time stood still for me at that moment. A choice had been presented. A decision had to be made. Which path—
My mind raced to Mrs. Rossi and her words now ringing so true. “…so I can see if you have fallen off—your path.”
Thinking of his mother, who I felt had too much faith in her ‘angel,’ I stared into her son’s eyes below me. Fear was so deep in the golden-brown orbs; I made a choice. Then voiced it to my best friend, “Sal Rossi, I am here with you. You fall? We fall. Together. Understand?”
Dangling below me, his mouth fell open. He knew I was speaking the truth. “Okay, Angelo. Together.”
There may not be a pact more solid than the vow to die together.
Movement in the corner of my eye finally had my ears working beyond hearing Sal. Mr. Rossi had taken off his suit jacket and was climbing as fast as he could, along with other farmhands. He kept looking at me, trying to read my expression, begging, “Don’t let him go!”
I wanted to assure the man who was raising me that I would never drop his blood son but couldn’t spare the breath. I refocused on Sal. “They are coming. We just have to hold on.”
We both jolted as more of the ledge crumbled, and Sal’s weight had us slipping slightly forward, but we didn’t stop staring at each other.
His eyes filled with tears. “I am glad He picked you to be my best friend.”
My eyes welled. We were knocking on Death’s Door. “Me too, Sal. Me too.”
The ledge gave…
Sal and I both shouted out in fear as we began to drop, my waist bending, only my legs still on the ledge, but we still continued to hold on to each other. Our hands stayed locked as we came to the point in our connected lives that we were to say goodbye. In the blink of a second, we both knew it had arrived. We both knew my feet had nothing to grip and hold us up.
In fact, it all happened so fast. I had a hard time comprehending the weight landing on my legs. Then more weight. Then even more.
Mr. Rossi had thrown his body on top of my legs just before they slipped off the edge, and then he grabbed my belt. Another worker threw his body on top of Mr. Rossi. Another joined.
The second to last man laid on his stomach and scooted forward to peer over the edge. “He has him! He has him!” He reached down for Sal’s hand while yelling to someone else, “Hold my legs!”
The last man available to help yelled, “I have you!”
The man next to me told Sal, “Reach to me.”
Sal looked to me at that critical moment, wanting to know if he should with the one hand I didn’t have a hold of.
I nodded. “I won’t let go until it is safe.”
“Mamma! You don’t have to embrace me every time you see me!” Sal winked at me, knowing he was purposely getting her riled.
He ducked as the wooden spoon flew through the air, but I was too slow, for good reason. My body was a bit more damaged than his. Bandages were wrapped around my upper arms, chest, and upper abdomen.
Mrs. Rossi screamed when she saw her spoon bounce off my shoulder.
Sal took no pity on either of us. He laughed. “Mamma! This is how you treat the hero of your almost deceased son?”
She rushed to me, embraced me—causing me more pain, that I would never dare tell her about because I loved her dearly—and began kissing me all over my face as if I were the Virgin Mary herself. “I am so sorry, my Angel.”
“I am fine. I am fine. It is Sal’s fault.”
She jerked to smack him, but Sal jumped out of her reach, still laughing of course.
That is, until Mrs. Rossi said, “You are doing Angelo’s chores tomorrow.”
“Er?” Sal lifted both brows that were usually dancing. “But—”
“But what?” dared his mother. “You think his actions are not worth a little extra work?”
Loving her point of view, I sat on the couch and propped up my feet. “Yes, Sal, what do you say?”
Not doing chores the next day was actually quite boring. Sal laughed as I followed him around, kicking pebbles under my work boots. “Relax, Angelo. You do not have to carry your weight today since you carried the weight of two yesterday.”
A little perplexed at emotions I couldn’t explain, I exhaled frustration. Now that my father was home more, he had informed me I would soon be living with him. He had a cottage on the opposite side of the property. It wasn’t exactly far from the home I had come to treasure, but sharing a room with Sal was what saved me when I first moved there. Leaving that safety zone felt… wrong.
I think the upcoming new scenario bothered Sal, also. When he saw two Suits, my father and his, walking across the vast backyard toward us, he stopped moving and glared at them both.
My father tilted his head at the silent and very unusual disrespect.
Sal’s father leaned in and spoke to him while they continued walking toward us.
My father nodded, then took off his sunglasses to meet Sal eye to eye. “I am not coming to force my son to live with me, not yet, just came to congratulate him for his bravery.”
With shame, Sal’s eyes fell to the ground. “Yes, sir.”
Facing my father, I lifted my chin. “Hello, sir.” I hoped he could see how much I didn’t approve of his decision.
He ignored my cold shoulder and pulled me to him for an embrace. “Well done, Angelo. Your mother would be proud.”
I took a deep inhale, coveting such a compliment. “Thank you, sir.”
“Mr. Rossi tells me he thinks you would have chosen to fall with Sal rather than release him.”
I dipped my stubborn chin. “If he falls, so do I.”
My father studied my face… then exhaled heavily. “It seems separating the two of you would not be wise. Your bond is great, indeed.”
Due to our slow reaction, Mr. Rossi broke into a smile.
Sal stuttered, “D-Does this mean—”
His father happily nodded.
“You get to stay!” Sal wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted.