Chapter 7

One hundred thousand dollars. I let out a sigh of relief. The money was still there.

That was five years' worth of blood, sweat, and tears, my only lifeline.

I pushed my cart back to the East River, found a good spot, and set up shop. Then I grabbed a hearty meal at a nearby restaurant and sat by the river, waiting for night to fall.

As darkness settled in, the crowd started to grow, and I began selling hot lemonade. The weather was still bone-chilling, so there weren't many other street vendors out. Most young people didn't want to…