As a kid, on summer days when the heat rose off the asphalt in waves, he could make the whole road move by squinting just right. It never lasted. His eyes got tired and he couldn’t keep the angle and, eventually, he saw that the road was just a road. The magic was gone. His record was 4 minutes 37 seconds.
Luckily, he didn’t have to squeeze his eyes so tight to see Karen as movement in the right direction. He was closing on a new record -- 5 weeks and 2 days. He hoped nothing would break his concentration.