The duo resumed their pace once they cleared 42nd Street. The crowds were thinning and the streets grew quiet near St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Tim could feel his mouth growing dry and so he stopped to purchase bottles of water for him and Marcus from a man with a cooler on the corner of 51st Street.

“Selling them for ten bucks a bottle at the park! You got yourself a bargain, friend!” the man added confidentially.

“Thanks pal,” he muttered, turning away in disgust.

“As if five bucks a bottle is any better…” he thought, shaking his head.

Strong sunlight filled the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, illuminating the park’s southern entrance with glorious golden glow. The shade of the trees would provide a welcome respite from th...

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