The Ultimate Jib Bunny

Only then did she remove her shoe to inspect the damage. There it was, the middle toe, left foot—purple, top to bottom. Grotesque, frankly. Guilt swept over me as Heidi limped back and showed the injury to her captain. "Look what happened," she said. "Do you think it's broken?"

Cayard gently pushed down on her toe with his index finger. "Owww!" Heidi cried out. "Don't do that!"

"It could be broken," Cayard said. "When did that happen?"

"This morning. First race." She grinned. She was holding her foot up like a purple badge of courage. "I can't wait to show them this back in New York," she said. "They'll never believe it. My first time sailing, and I break a toe."

"We ought to get some ice on that," I said. "But think of it this way: You were able to end your sailing career undefeated."

"End?" she said. "Who said this is the end? This is just the beginning. But next time, I want to drive. The driver doesn't get hurt."

So as we began this story with an end, we now end it with a beginning. Nice, eh? Perfectly rounded. Like a moon.