It's Tough At Times

He was sweating....he could not afford to slip up this time. Success in his mission was critical. It had taken him a long time and a lot of effort to get to this point. Blowing things now, would mean a lot of effort gone to waste. Not to mention the enormous embarassment.....no, he just had to get the job done.....he could not falter.

The darkness wasn't making things easy though. It was as if he was searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack......except that the light being so bad reduced his chances even further. His hands had been trembling since the moment he had realized that this was the moment he had been waiting for, but now, they were also becoming numb. Not a good sign when you were involved in such a delicate operation.

"Relax...easy does it. Just a slight press and then a tug should do it....just be calm", he told himself. If only it was that easy!!! Still, he had to try. Slowly he let his fingers stop shaking. Then, he pressed....and nothing happened. He could feel that the damn thing was still in the same position. No change whatsoever....what the Hell was it going to take? Dynamite?????

He also realized that he didn't really have time on his side. He swore silently. A more experienced person would have finished this task with consummate ease. His peers had spoken about it so casually. Maybe he should have gone into a bit more detail then....but it was too late now....the moment had arrived and it was upto him now to deliver.....

He drew a deep breath and changed the angle with which he had grasped it. Gave him a little more leverage this time......then he slowly pressed his fingers close again......it had to happen this time......

He felt her move slightly and snuggle closer.... Damn! It can be really tough opening a clasp!!!

** The inspiration for this post came from a close friend of mine who recited something similar years ago....it comes nowhere close to that rendition.....the language and expressions she incorporated were stunning and not something I can manage to put into words.....thanks Carol....