Derby Spirit Prevails in the End (Part 4)

All Eyes on the Prize
The first person with a key was Adam.

"How ya feelin' Adam?" yelled one person. "No more 15-foot Whaler, no more engine problems," yelled another. Then it was quiet. But only a loud sigh, not the loud click eagerly anticipated by the enthusiastic crowd, echoed in the room.

Next was Walter. "Aw," was all he said in disappointment. Then Bernie. "No way," he said fatalistically. "Ahh," was all he said as he tried to turn a key that did not move amidst shouts of encouragement from the crowd.

The next four fishermen watched intently as Scott put his key in the lock. "C'mon, baby," he said. The lock snapped open and the crowd cheered.

"I feel like I've been inducted into the hall of fame. This is a fantasy. I dream about the derby 52 weeks of the year, and my wife lets me disappear one month out of the year," the excited fisherman told the crowd. He added, "I want to thank God, God bless all of you."

For all the hard fishermen the 53rd annual derby had ended.