Kiss On The Bridge (8 page)

Anneli’s mind raced. Instead of saying she
really didn’t want to climb the tower she clamped her jaw shut,
biting at the inside of her cheek to hide her nervousness. Besides,
the man she started to have strong feelings for seemed confident
enough to see to her safety.

Anneli held the thin rope in her left hand.
She waited for Wade’s feet to clear a half a body length from the
crown of her head before starting to climb.

The first twenty feet didn’t look easy. They
needed to reach up for the cross bar of the metal structure before
sliding along the thin railing to the other end of the frame. The
rusty metal edges turned their hands orange. On the outside of the
main tower legs there were two rods about the thickness of Wade’s
middle finger. They jutted out of the frame slightly less than ten
inches.

‘Obviously used for the purpose of foot and
handholds,’ thought Anneli studying the rods.

After completing the climbing sequence
several times the duo made it to the first metal platform. The area
looked to be about the same size of a standard car.

Anneli pointed to the ladder welded to the
side. “The next few levels seem easy.”

They climbed to the fourth level before
deciding they were high enough. The pair sat on the painted metal
floor overlooking Darwin, the sea and the surrounds.

“What a picture perfect view,” Anneli
described.

“It sure is,” agreed Wade.

Anneli lay prone to view the sky. Wade lay
next to her on one elbow staring into her eyes. He felt content
nothing and no one will interrupt their time.

“Wade this is a beautiful spot.”

“It’s only beautiful due to the fact you’re
here.”

Anneli sat bolt upright looking at his warm
friendly lazy smile. She needed to bury the idea of throwing
herself at him. If he wanted her it’ll have to be long division.
Marriage the whole works. Never again will anybody try to order her
to do something she didn’t agree to. The man she will give her
virginity to will be of her choosing.

“Wade, thank you for the compliment, you make
this place special too.”

The couple embraced at the same time a low
rumble rolled across the sky. The first rain drop fell onto the
bridge of Anneli’s nose. The second drop hit on the top of her
head. A strong gust of wind buffeted Wade’s shirt. The first
lightning bolt split the sky above Darwin. The billowing black
clouds quickly swallowed the picturesque sunrise. The temperature
dropped several more degrees. Another thunder clap rumbled in the
heavens causing the radio tower to vibrate. A few more drops of
rain fell onto the metal platform causing the water to splatter
into the air.

“A little rain never hurt anyone,” blurted
Anneli, brushing the water from her legs.

In only thirty minutes the sky changed from a
bright red sunrise to a solid charcoal coloured cold front. The ink
coloured clouds were billowing faster.

From their vantage point Wade pointed to
Charlotte bobbing on the sea of white caps. “The wind is
strengthening.”

“Maybe we should get back to Darwin CBD,”
suggested Anneli.

Wade glanced at his watch. “I don’t think we
have enough time. It’s now 9:03am. It’ll take at least fifty
minutes in this wind to get back down the mountain. In my opinion
the two of us on a motorbike is far too dangerous if the rain
saturates the road. I vote we climb down from here to wait for the
storm to blow itself out. The warning the old man gave might have
been correct.”

“No offence, your quaint hut has a lot of
holes. I’m not convinced it’s the safest place to wait out a
storm.”

“You’re right we can’t stay in the hut. I’ve
just thought of a back-up plan.”

By the time Wade finished talking the rain
started to land about their feet. In seconds the myriad of small
dents in the metal floor were pooling.

Hail stones larger than a five cent coin soon
followed.

Wade looked down to study the tops of the
trees growing close the base of the tower. The canopy of leaves
started to thrash about in the gale force wind. The ageing radio
tower felt to be in a state of constant vibration.

The structure suddenly swayed slightly to the
left.

“Wade, I’m scared. This tower doesn’t seem
too stable,” yelled Anneli in a scream.

The tower groaned as it swayed to the right.
Lightning pierced the blackened overhead sky time and again. The
wind ruffled Anneli’s long hair blowing it into a mane as it
streamed away from her scalp. Wade’s clothes were buffeted. They
took on the appearance of a flag in a storm.

Wade took hold of Anneli’s hand to help keep
her upright. “I have to agree. The way this tower is vibrating, she
might topple at any moment. Come on, we’ll have to hurry. We need
to get to the safe place I’m thinking of.”

By the time Wade and Anneli walked over to
the ladder, the wind seemed to have doubled in strength. The sky
looked to be a massive disco ball from the endless flashes of blue.
The deep rumbles were catching up on the lightning strikes.

The first part of the descent was incident
free. By the time they reached the next metal floor the rain easily
soaked the two climbers to the skin. Their clothes clung to their
backs causing robotic movements.

Wade and Anneli didn’t know cyclone Tracy
would hit landfall in only thirty-five minutes.

“We have to hurry,” yelled Wade over the
wind. He grabbed hold of the first rung and started down.

The tower vibrated. Again it swayed slightly
to the left. Wade clung to the main frame. Anneli dropped to all
fours then lay prone. She gave a sharp scream. Any piece of dry
fabric on her mini skirt instantly soaked up the large pool of
water on the metal plate.

When the tower stopped swaying, Wade looked
up at Anneli, giving her a quick nod.

She started down. Three feet above the next
platform Anneli jumped onto the plate.

They both wore a smug expression as they
cuddled in a loving embrace to protect the other from being
buffeted by the gale force wind.

“Before we start our final stage of the
descent, we’ll rest here for a few minutes,” declared Wade.

“Good idea,” replied Anneli, staggering a
little.

The wind started to push the rain sideways.
The tower vibrated yet again. The rivets and the bolts holding the
metal plate Wade and Anneli were standing on snapped. Shrapnel flew
in every direction. One side of the plate kicked up before settling
back on a horizontal plane. Anneli lost her footing and was
wrenched out of Wade’s arms, throwing her across the plate towards
the edge. She screamed in fear. The sudden weight on the rope saw
Wade hydroplaning across the metal surface after her. A surge of
water raised by his slide followed Anneli over the edge, cascading
to the ground in one long water-fall.

The rope between the two tightened to piano
wire tension.

Wade managed to grab hold of a cross beam. He
dug his heels into the metal floor to stop the slide.

“Are you hurt?” called Wade, grimacing from
the effort at stopping the fall.

“No I’m fine,” yelled Anneli over the wind.
“I’ve received a cold shower, but I’ll be okay.”

Wade exhaled a massive sigh and repositioned
his hand hold by pulling himself back an inch or two. Slightly to
his left Wade spied a long bolt sticking out of the floor. If he
could only reach the bolt he’d use it for a perfect foothold and
easily haul Anneli up. “Hold onto something,” he called.

“Wade, if you give me a little slack, I’ll be
able to reach the beam in front of me. It’s just out of reach.”

“The only way to do what you’ve asked is for
me to let go.”

“Trust me. When I have hold of the cross beam
the strain will be off the rope. You’ll be able to haul me up
easily.”

“I’m not going to let go.”

“You have to,” urged Anneli.

“I’ve stumbled on a solution. I just need you
to hold onto something and I’ll be able to pull you up.”

Anneli viewed the ground twenty feet directly
below her. She could only imagine the scene from Wade’s position.
“I’ve another idea,” she called.

“Whatever it is, I’m not buying.”

“I knew you’d never agree to my request. Let
me explain. There’s a bolt wedged precariously on the edge of the
plate. I’ll swing towards the plate above my head, reach up and
grab it.”

“Okay I agree. Make sure you hold on tight.
The moment the rope slackens I’ll reposition myself to pull you
up.”

Anneli moved her legs back and forth to start
a swinging motion. On a forward swing she grabbed hold of the bolt.
Using the sharp thread she started cutting the rope.

Wade’s shoulder started to ache. Soon it’ll
start to pull away from its socket. If he didn’t let go soon he’d
have a dislocated shoulder. “Anneli, have you gripped the bolt?”
His call sounded weak.

“Hold on, I’m almost through.”

The pitch in her voice, the words she spoke
and the way she delivered them gave away her secret. Wade’s eyes
bulged. “Stop cutting the rope,” he yelled.

Anneli doubled her efforts. “How did you
know?”

“I made a calculated guess. Please, the only
thing you have to do is reach out, take the strain from off the
rope so I can pull you up.”

“I can’t reach the cross beam due to the
plate’s over hang. If I time my stunt perfectly when I cut through
the rope my return swing will see me hurtle towards the beam.”

“What if your timing is off?”

“Let’s put it this way. You’re determined
never to let go. On your stubbornness alone, eventually you’ll
either slip, the rope will break, or we’ll be struck by lightning.
After all, this structure is a radio tower and a fragile one at
that. My plan is the only way to save us both.”

Wade knew he couldn’t hold on forever. If he
waited too long his strength will be gone. Whatever they did it
needed to happen now. If Anneli’s plan mistimed in any way she’d
slip from the beam in front of her and plummet to her death.

“Okay,” he called. “If you stop cutting the
rope, I’ll let go.”

Anneli quickly decided he might be stalling
for time. Instead of stopping she kept up her sawing technique.
When the rope slid over the bolt’s thread for the umpteenth time
the ageing bolt sheered clean off. She leaned sideways in a
desperate attempt to catch it. Her fingertip tapped the bolt head,
making it ricochet against the tower frame. She watched it plummet
to the ground, blinking her welling tears into submission.

Anneli hung suspended in midair. Staring at
the rope through fearful eyes she saw one nylon fibre after the
next stretch, fray and snap. She cleared her throat, trying to
sound confident. “Wade, I’ll start swinging. When I say, just let
go.”

Wade slowly shook his head. His mind slipped
into overdrive, desperately searching for a solution, well aware
he’d been in tighter situations.

“If you want to pray to the man upstairs now
might be a good time,” called Anneli.

“Okay, I’m ready,” called Wade.

“You sound a little perplexed. Don’t worry,
it’ll work out, trust me.”

Wade picked up on the terror in Anneli’s
voice. Something sounded wrong, of what, he didn’t know. Before he
could think of what it might be, Anneli started swinging.

The half cut rope quickly frayed more from
the extra strain. The wind intensified further, howling through the
metal structure. The tops of the trees were being bent halfway to
the ground. The lightning flashes came every few seconds. The
thunder could be felt through tower.

The ache in Wade’s arm rapidly developed into
excruciating pain. He estimated in seconds his shoulder might be
wrenched from its socket. In desperation he glanced around the area
for something else to help save them. His gaze zeroed in on the
jutting out bolt Anneli spoke of. The rope must be hooked when he
dived over the side. If Anneli mistimed her swing the bolt could be
used for the perfect back up plan. He didn’t have time to go
through the entire scenario so he prayed the rope will stay strong
enough. “Wait a few extra seconds,” he called.

“No, it’s now or never.”

Even though Anneli didn’t weigh much, the
strain on Wade’s shoulder from the swinging motion seemed to be
taking its toll. He needed to let go.

Wade dug his heels in, setting himself to
dive. He vaguely remembered hearing Anneli’s voice yelling,
‘now.’

Everything happened at once. Wade let go of
the only hand hold which helped to keep them alive. His body
lurched forward at the same time Anneli swung back for the beam in
front of her.

The rope tightened, pulling Wade towards the
edge and perhaps certain death.

In the seconds leading up to this maneuver
being played out, Wade ironed out his backup plan. Deep down he
hoped he didn’t have to risk the highly dangerous stunt. If there
was more time to prepare he’d have thought of something else. He
wanted to kick himself for placing Anneli in such a disastrous
predicament.

Anneli swung too hard. Reaching out for the
beam her hands slipped off the cold wet surface of the metal frame.
She started to plummet towards the ground. Realizing Wade might
soon follow, her eyes widened in fear.

‘If I’m about to die I’m unusually calm,’
Anneli thought. Goose-bumps erupted on her arms. Her long black
hair hung heavy. Water dripped from off the tips. The only thing
she could focus on was the ground rushing up to meet her.

Using his toes for a springboard, Wade dived
for the edge of the structure. He concentrated on the foothold
sticking out. He gritted his teeth, focusing on the rope as it went
from slightly slack to over tight. He dived over the side of the
structure. A torrent of water followed him towards the ground. If
he timed his backup plan to perfection the rope will be snagged on
the foothold allowing him to open his arms and collect Anneli when
they collided. Doubt over his plan made his stomach turn into
knots.