There’s no choice now, so I let go of the top rung of the ladder and grab the enclosing rail at the front of the car, which immediately swings open a bit.
The guys hadn’t mentioned that when they came down.
There are a few empty beer cans in the car and what I’m pretty sure was some kind of smoking device, although it doesn’t look like it was something to be used with pot — I’m starting to get familiar with those by now.
I take another step up and I’m starting to realize that leaning as far forward as I am, while it certainly seemed like a good idea in theory, is going to lead me to falling into the car. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a problem, but with the metal bar at the front swinging open freely, chances are I’d end up falling out the front of the car.
The good news, I guess, is that that would save me tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
Not worth it.
My only real option is to steady myself as best I can and straighten myself up so I can simply step into the car.
“I think we should go back down,” Jace says.
“Shh!” I scold. “I’m concentrating here.”
Slowly, I start to get back to standing nearly straight up, and I hold onto the back edge of the car with one hand while I step up to the very top rung.
With my heart as the only sound I can hear, I gingerly work one foot off the top rung and over the car itself.
I’m slow, deliberate in lowering my foot to the floor of the car, but I’m almost there.
I have to kick a couple beer cans out of the way before I set my foot down, but once it’s in there, my second foot comes a lot more easily.
Still with a death grip on the back of the car, I move to the far side and start to sit down. The car rocks a little, back and forth, and I’m absolutely certain I’m going to die right until my butt hits the seat.
After a moment, the rocking subsides, and I look back toward the ladder at Jace, whose head is just coming up above the top of the ladder to the side of the car.
“The front doesn’t stay closed,” I tell him, “so don’t get cute and try to rock this thing while we’re sitting in it or I might just have to throw you out of it to save myself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says.
It’s dark, but I could swear that he’s a few shades lighter in color as he climbs the final rungs to the top.
“You’ll want to lean forward a little bit,” I tell him, “but not too much. I think the best way is just to step in.”
“Okay,” he says, though I’m pretty sure he’s not hearing anything I’m saying.
“You’re going to be fine,” I tell him. “If I can do this, you can do this.”
“Yeah, that logic doesn’t really work, but I’m willing to try.”
I’d never considered that Jace might be scared of heights, too, but as he leans forward, bringing one foot slowly over the side of the car, I could swear that his face is a pale shade of green.
“I wish you didn’t tell me about the front of the car,” he says.
“Had to,” I tell him. “If I didn’t, you might have tried to use it for support and-”
“Please stop,” he pleads.
It’s almost nice being the one talking him through this. It might be a lot nicer if I wasn’t still so terrified, myself.
His eyes are on me as his foot comes down onto the floor of the car, and I hold out my hand to him. He’s gripping the back with one hand, but with the other, he slowly, deliberately reaches out and takes mine.
“You’re almost there,” I tell him. “When you get in, just sit down slowly and lean back a little. You’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” he says, though his voice is hardly anything but air.