Marcus Meets a Friend

As he neared the branch, Marcus was sweating, breathing deeply, and every muscle in his body pained. Sensing he was close to exhaustion, his new friend offered her advice. “If you balance your foot on that one”—she pointed to a joint—“it’s easy to pull yourself onto the branch.” He mustered all the energy he could and with one big heave managed to balance himself on the branch. “Thanks for the help—I suppose!” he said sarcastically, wondering why she had not offered a hand to help him earlier. Reading what the expression on his face really meant, she was clever in moving him past resentment. “I remember my first climb and how proud I felt after successfully completing it. I would not be a very good friend if I denied you the same experience,” she said.