Crosswind on the Bridge

I slipped outside into the early chill, leaving the apartment behind to climb the concrete steps of the pedestrian footbridge. Midway across the span, a stiff paper transit ticket was caught against a rusted rivet on the handrail, snapping frantically in the updraft. The sharp flutter broke the morning's quiet cadence. I stepped across the cold iron girder to reach it. Bracing against an upright strut, I worked the paper beneath a heavy steel cable clamp, pressing down until it seated flat against the metal. The flapping stopped. Down below, the low, steady roll of morning traffic hummed through the ironwork. The bridge was still again.