Carpe Diem, page 6
I, of course, asked for details, but he was a brick wall. I got nothing out of him, other than Casey would not be coming and that it would be only Abby and him joining me on this one.
The last month waiting and waiting to find out when and what I would be doing next has been extremely annoying. No one would tell me anything and Flynn was the worst, he kept insisting that this was all part of Jack’s plan and that I would find out only when it was time. I joked that I doubt it was Jack’s plan to end up in divorce court because toying with me like this may have done just that.
I have to admit I was impressed with Abby, even when I called Abby to come over to calm my nerves, she didn’t crack under the pressure, or the three bottles of wine, or the half-asleep interrogation I tried on her. Nothing, nada, el zippo… this makes me think she has no idea what we are doing but wants me to think she does.
I wish Bryna had come home for summer break. I might have been able to pull some information from her. Unfortunately, for me, she is a good girl who listens to her mother. After a good lecture from me about going on and living her life and not worrying about me, she decided to actually listen to me and stayed living with her friends and got a job there for the summer.
“Coffee is ready, get your ass down here,” Abby yells at me from downstairs.
“Coming, Mother,” I shout back at her.
“Don’t make me come up there and get you,” she yells, laughing.
Now that I am fully awake and it is getting closer to getting my answers, my tummy is fluttering with excitement. I jump out of bed and run toward the stairs, my feet quickly taking each step as it has done a thousand times before.
Turning the corner, I see Abby leaning on the kitchen island, coffee in hand with a smirk on her face. Jack’s red coffee mug is across from her, steaming with the freakily brewed brown liquid heaven waiting for me.
“Happy twenty years and one month anniversary,” she tells me.
“That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard, but thank you,” I reply.
As I approach the cup, I see that it is sitting on top of an envelope with my name scribbled in Jack’s handwriting.
“You asshole! Did you have that letter all night?” I demand, reaching across the island to give her a friend-punch to the bicep.
“Ouch, yes! You didn’t have to hit me so hard,” she says, laughing and rubbing her arm.
“Oh my God, I hate you. Why didn’t you let me have it last night?”
“Because that is was not part of the plan… The plan was for you to find it with your coffee.”
“How in the hell did you not break last night? I was determined to get information out of you.”
“For one, Flynn prepped me, and two, I have no idea what we are doing today. My job was to place the letter.”
“But how did he know I would call and invite you over last night.”
“Really? Why would he make it a point to tell you Casey isn’t coming and that I was?”
“Touché.”
“Okay, now open the damn letter. It has been a small slice of hell having and not being able to open it.”
I give her a dirty little look and finally pick up the envelope, rip open the side and pull out the letter.
Good morning Beautiful,
I hope you are ready for some fun, I probably should have picked an easier adventure, from your list, but I have to try to top last month… so put on some comfortable clothes, grab your tennis shoes and a hair thingy because baby, we are going skydiving today. That’s right, go big or go home, we are gonna jump out of a plane at 14,000 feet.
Why you ask? Well, you are the one that put this idiotic, insane thing on your list so ask yourself. So stop giving me that look and go get ready so we can go risk our lives for an amazing adrenaline rush.
Jack
P.S. you might want to bring an extra pair of panties, you know just in case.
Has he lost his freaking mind? Jump out of a plane? Why would he think I would still want to do that at this age? Sure, when I was eighteen it sounded like a great idea. Not at freaking thirty-nine.
“Come on, are you going to tell me?” Abby begs.
“Yeah, um I think Jack was going crazy?” I respond in disbelief.
“Why, what are we doing?” Abby asks again.
When I don’t answer her, she runs around the island to read the letter for herself. I don’t stop her as she grabs the letter and begins to read it. I pick up the red mug to let the warm liquid comfort me as I watch her excitement grow.
“Hell yeah! I have always wanted to skydive,” Abby suddenly shouts out.
“Are you batshit crazy?”
“Hey, it’s on your list don’t blame me.”
“I wanted to do it when I was eighteen, not now. No, we need to call Flynn to change it, we can do something else today.”
“Good luck with that one.”
“This is my gift and if I want to exchange it, I can.” I laugh.
“Sure you can, just like Jack would have let you exchange it.”
I look at Abby and know she is right. Jack never would have let me exchange it for another item on my list. He worked so hard on planning everything that he would have found a way to talk me into it.
I take my last sip of coffee, hold out the red mug, and whisper a few words to Jack.
“Fine, have it your way, I will go jump out of a plane and you can sit up on your cloud and laugh all you want, but when I see you again, you better watch out ’cause I am going to kick your angel ass.”
I look over my shoulder to see that Abby is not paying attention to my madness then whisper one last thing, “I love you, and I love that you did this, I just wish you were here with me.” I kiss the cup and set it back on the island.
I know, I know. Who in their right mind kisses a cup as if it is their dead husband? I guess that would be me… He used that cup so much and it was his absolute favorite. He said it fit perfectly in his hand and didn’t get too hot when the coffee was poured into it.
An hour later, Flynn is walking into the kitchen and has a goofy-looking smile on his face. He knows me too well and knows how I must have reacted to the letter. In fact, he doesn’t bother to ask after Abby gives him a smile and a nod. I hate them. They are loving every minute of this.
“Okay ready?” Flynn finally asks.
“You really couldn’t have made any changes to his plan?” I blurt.
“Nope.”
“Whatever… let’s get this over with. And if I die today you guys better hope I don’t come back and haunt you,” I say.
“Oh come on, deep down inside your inner child is screaming with excitement,” Abby says.
Abby might be a little bit right, thinking about jumping from a plane for the last hour brought back all the feelings I had about it the day I wrote it on the list. The idea of losing all control and letting gravity take over is an exciting idea.
Abby and Flynn turn to leave as I pick up the red coffee cup to put it in the sink and that is when the unthinkable happens. Why, why did I have to pick up the cup right now, why couldn’t I have left it where it was and clean it up later, why had I set my purse next to my feet, why, why, why? Those questions ran through my head as I tripped on my purse precisely enough for me to lose my grip on the coffee mug. Jack’s favorite red coffee mug. My body moves quickly, flailing about making a valiant effort to save the red cup from its fate.
“Nooooooo,” I scream.
Flynn and Abby turn around just in time to see me and the red cup on the floor, my finger only inches away from being able to save the one thing that makes me feel like a piece of Jack is still with me.
“Piper! Are you okay? What happened?” Abby says as she runs to my side.
“Jack’s coffee cup…”
We all take a moment to examine the shattered pieces that used to be Jack’s favorite coffee cup. The cup that he would use every morning at our breakfast—it’s weird, I’m not quite sure where he got the cup from. It was the only one we had that looked like that and he has had it for as long as I can remember.
“Piper, I am so sorry,” Abby says, breaking the silence.
“My heart feels as it has broken all over again. I know it is just a cup, but…”
“I know,” she says, interrupting me.
“I knew the cup wouldn’t last forever, I foolishly hoped it would,” I say, wiping a tear from my eye.
“Maybe we can glue it back together. The pieces look big enough,” Abby says as she picks up a few of the pieces and tries to twist and turn the edges to make it fit back together.
“It’s okay, let’s just go. I will clean this up later.”
“Are you sure? We can clean it up for you,” Flynn asked.
“No, thank you, I will do it later. I know it’s strange, but I want to do it myself and I don’t want to do it right now,” I reply.
They each nod as I pick myself up off the ground, brush-off my jeans, then pick up my purse and with my head held high, I make my way to the front door.
“Let’s do this!”
The drive was not as long as I thought it was going to be. Don’t get me wrong, two hours is still a long ride, however after the morning I had, I truly thought it would feel longer with the anticipation that has been growing. Flynn and Abby did a great job at redirecting my attention to what we were about to do and building back up my excitement.
Turning down the road, we are greeted by the sight of three parachutes floating down with the blue sky above them. For those few, their adventure is coming to an end as ours is only beginning.
When we finally pull up to the small airport, it was not what I expected. Granted I’m not actually sure what I was expecting, it’s not like I have any experience with this. The parking lot is covered with gravel and behind the sign that reads “Skydivers check in at hangar number two.” You can see four small plane hangars.
My heart is pounding and my stomach is alive with the excitement. Are we actually going through with this? Are we truly dumb enough to jump out of a plane where our only chance of survival is the skill of the person attached to us.
All three of us have smiles on our faces as we exit the car and silently follow the path that leads us to hangar number two. As we approach the hangar, there is a small door propped open with a sign that says Drop Zone Skydiving Inc. It’s not anything special, but it works.
As we enter the hangar, we see several employees to our left repacking parachutes behind a rope line. A small waiting area with couches faces a television currently playing a video of people jumping. To our right, there is a small plane also behind a rope line, and in front of us there is an office with a small window, the sign next to it says registration.
“Here we go, no turning back now,” Abby says and does a hop skip right for the window.
“I think you are a little too eager to die.” I laugh.
“Die, who’s going to die?”
The strong Australian accent coming from behind me startles me. As I turn to look, I see a gorgeous, tall, dark-haired Aussie with dark eyes staring back at me. My heart skips when he smiles and winks at me then turns to go about his business. I watch him walk away until Flynn whispers in my ear.
“I’m sure he would be happy to show you a thing or two.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about you pervert.” I smile.
“What? I’m talking about skydiving. I’m sure he would be happy to show you how to skydive… What did you think I was talking about?”
“Yeah right.”
“I think someone needs to get her mind out of the gutter.”
I give him a playful shove and walk over to join Abby in line for registration. She is up next and is as giddy as a little kid at Christmas. As Flynn and I approach Abby, the woman behind the window welcomes us and hands us each a clipboard. She asks us to fill out the attached paperwork and when we bring it back she will need to see our driver’s license.
The waivers seem to be pretty basic. If you die it’s not our fault and no one can sue us. If you are injured it is not our fault and you cannot sue us. You understand by signing this document that you are participating in an extreme sport that could result in your death. Then it asks for emergency contact information in case of injury or death.
I look at the last line again. Who do I want them to call in case I die? I don’t want them to call Bryna, I’m not sure she would be able to handle that. My parents would have a heart attack at the thought of me falling from a plane to my death so I suppose I should put down Casey since she is the only person left that would understand what in the world am I doing jumping from a plane. I finish filling out the rest of the form and sign my name. I open my purse and reach for my wallet and instead feel a sharp stab into my finger.
“Ouch, what the heck,” I yelp.
“What happened?” Flynn asks.
“I don’t know, my purse stabbed me.”
I open my purse wide and look for my attacker. Carefully, I move around the objects on the bottom, still searching when my eye catches something red. I remove my wallet and find about a two-inch piece of Jack’s red cup. I stare at it for a moment. I have to admit that I had actually put the shattered cup out of my mind and now here it is staring right at me pulling my thought back to it.
“What is it?” Abby asks, leaning over to get a look for herself.
“I guess Jack wanted to come with,” I remark with a smile.
“Uh, I don’t get it.”
I reach back into my purse again and pull out the shard that had found its way into my purse when the cup shattered in front of us.
“Oh, honey. I am so sorry. Are you okay?” she asks me, offering a hug.
“Actually, I’m good. It kind of feels like it was meant to be. A little piece of Jack is here with us and it feels right,” I say with a smile.
I open my wallet, pull out my driver’s license, put the piece of ceramic glass in the coin pocket, and zip it up.
After we return our paperwork and she takes a copy of our driver’s license, we are directed to an upstairs office where we need to watch a short video.
Most of the information was the same as the waivers. “This is an extreme sport that can cause death.” “If you die, it is not our fault and you cannot sue us.” The part I found comical was the disclaimer about getting into our harnesses. “While your instructor is getting you harnessed up, there might be touching that under other circumstances could be considered inappropriate. Please know our instructors are professional and that any touching he or she does on your person is for your safety.” Abby and I had to laugh like two twelve year old girls when we heard that.
Abby had a few moments of second thought when she got to the part about, “Should your instructor experience an issue such as a heart attack or stroke that causes them to lose consciousness the chute will automatically deploy at twenty-five hundred feet. At that time, you should reach for the straps that will fall down and do your best to steer back to the landing zone where our teams on the ground will be ready to assist you.” I talked her off the ledge, and we all verbally confirmed we understood the information in the video and were instructed to hang out until we were called to the deck.
“Piper, Abby, and Flynn, you’re on deck so let’s get you suited up,” the woman behind the window yells then directs us to stand in the large yellow squares on the floor where an instructor will meet us to put our harness on.
I start to blush when the hot Aussie catches my eye and is walking toward me. Abby gives me a nudge and a smile then mouths the words Oh my gawd he is hot. I nod in agreement while Flynn chuckles at our schoolgirl behavior.
“Hello again, you must be Piper. I’m Brandon. I will be your instructor today.”
“Hello, yes I am,” I say, extending my hand to shake his hand.
“Nah, that’s way too formal for us, give me a high-five,” he says, raising his hand in the air.
His accent is intoxicating, his excitement is contagious. You can tell that jumping out of planes is something he loves to do to the extreme and that he can’t wait to get back up in the air.
I give him his high-five along with a nervous laugh. Two more instructors have joined us. Another Aussie named Gus and a good ole American boy named Todd. All good looking and fit guys, but Brandon is by far the hottest of them.
I’m too busy watching everyone around me to realize that Brandon is trying to talk to me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I started daydreaming I guess.”
“Ah, no worries. Let’s get this harness on you,” he replies with a smile.
“Gawd that smile is amazing.” I didn’t realize I was talking out loud until Abby and Flynn both dropped their jaws to the floor and Brandon blushed a little.
Pardon me while I go crawl into a hole and die now.
After getting our harness on and set, we all take a group picture and then we are being instructed to go wait in the “yard.” They also told us to watch the sky for the divers that are getting ready to jump.
A moment later, we are watching the plane fly overhead and one by one, we see three black little dots falling from the plane. If you were standing anywhere else and saw this you would be in a panic, but here it is normal, here it is sane, here it makes sense and here we pay to jump out of a plane.
Less than a minute later, we see the chutes open and the three are safely floating to the ground. What I didn’t expect was to be able to hear the sound of the chute opening while standing on the ground. The rippling sound of the fabric being let loose from the pack and the air grabbing a hold was mesmerizing. About Five minutes later the jumpers are on the ground safe and a minute after that the plane is landing. I found it hysterical that the jumpers made it back before the plane did. I will blame my outburst of laughter on my nerves.
“All right, Next team lets go,” the pilot calls.
“Okay, Piper, here we go. Can you look into this camera for me?”
I look into a small camera he has mounted to his hand, he presses a button and asks me a few basic questions.
