Moments In Time, Seem Like Wine...

After working several hours in the biting cold it was time to see if this baby would kick. Max was cold and wanted desperatley to find a nice place to curl up and sleep, but he knew that was the wrong thing to do at this time. 

"You can do it baby, I have faith in you," he whispered to no one in particular. 

He pulled the rip chord and the engine coughed and sputtered like it was clearing a throat, and then it stopped. 

"Don't do this to me," he said a little louder. "Don't tease me. Work your magic, baby." 

He yanked the rip chord. Again a sputtering; the sound seemed like an eternity to Max. But he began to smile like a kid coming downstairs and discovering Santa had arrived when the motor turned into a sputtering cough and a very, very rough idle. There was hope.