It's not a bad walk to the river. The morning heat is still bearable, and my shoes are comfortable. Hank is limping slightly, but he doesn't complain, once. As we get closer to the river, we notice groups of people dotting the shore.

"Is this a vacation spot?" I ask Hank.

"It's a jumping off spot."

"I'm done with jumping."

"Figure of speech," he says. "They're pursuing the American dream."

"Oh," I say, finally understanding that we're about to sneak ...