You're Gonna Fly with Me

The smell of burning fuel rushes past my nostrils as he opens the door of the airplane. “You have one option here, you must succeed,” he yells over the rushing wind and the constant drone of the engines.

I pulled the gloves on over my nails, which I’d bitten to the quick. “You’re gonna fly with me.”

“Yes,” he responded as he strapped me to him, tandem style. “Ready?” he asked as he checked the straps.

“No!”

“Don’t forget, you’re only option is success today, if you choose any other option you will be six feet under with no ceremony,” his shouting rushed past my ear like a whisper under water.

Why did he just remind me I could die? I wondered as he pushed himself out of the plane and suddenly the earth was rushing up to meet us. I grabbed for the doorway of the airplane, but it was long gone, there was nothing but air between me and the meeting of earth. I began to panic, rolling myself into the fetal position to best avoid the pain of our earth shattering descent. 

I felt the instructor wrap his arms tighter around me in an attempt to pry me out of my comforting position and back into the instructed skydiving pose. I turned my head to see him over my shoulder, and I saw clouds whizzing past, followed by the earth spiraling to us, and clouds again. Oh no, we are out of control. What did I do to … and he kicked me again.

Quickly I remembered the appropriate pose and struggled to glide, rather than free fall in fetal position. My arms and legs were stretched out and our descent seemed to slow. The beauty of earth from this distance was awe inspiring, and the possibility that I may survive this double dog dare was becoming more probable as I felt the parachute open and slow our descent further.

Our bodies dropped down, dangling from the parachute like a hangman’s noose. The wind was merely rolling by, rather than spiraling into my nostrils and later my lungs. I smelled the coolness of spring. I felt the sun washing over me. The wind was no longer a roar, but a gentle calling to try this crazy stunt again.

As our feet touched the ground, I realized that risks are only worth taking if you have someone else to share the fall.