For Every Missing Shade

Entry 33

More specifically, it looked like two scared-shitless parents and the daughter that talked them into doing it.

They answered a couple more questions like if it was possible to die from terminal velocity, how many people died a year from skydiving, and one really weird one about what if a bird attacks your parachute and rips it up, to which the instructor specified that there were no more death-related questions allowed. "I swear, it's safe," he said. "If it wasn't, then I'd probably be dead by now because I've been doing it three times a day for five years."

After that answer and a clap of their hands, we buddied off and climbed into their small plane. I assumed it was a military plane by the the mesh seats that faced the opposite wall, the dingy lights above us, and the general lack of comfort.

Emma was seated across from me. She stuck out her tongue as her instructor closed the door to the plane.

"So the name's Rob, but mos' dudes jus' call me Boogie," my instructor said to me.

"Boogie as in the dance or the stuff you pick out of your nose?" I joked.

"I like you man," Boogie laughed. "I'll letchyou decide which one."

"So what do I need to know for me to, ya know, not be a human pancake by the end of this."

"Well, for first-timers like you, I really do most of the work. You just need to know a couple of things so ya have more fun."

"Okay, give it to me."

"Well first, don't try to do tricks or flips right out of the gate. Stay straight and have your arms out as much as possible. Once we get used to the resistance and we're not moving sideways at 200 miles per hour, then we can maybe do some epic shit."

"Okay, sounds good. What el-" The plane's engine burst into full speed down the runway. My nerves suddenly tripled and my stomach went into my throat.

Boogie must have seen what happened because he held onto my arm and yelled, "hey man, you're already in the plane so there's nothing to worry about. You have two choices: worry about the jump until you do it, or take a couple of deep breaths and get pumped about it. Either way, the jump is going to be the time o' your life. It's only going to get better depending on your mindset beforehand."

I nodded and took a couple of deep breaths. I looked ahead again at Emma. She was talking with her instructor, but of course, she was joking around and laughing the whole time. I tried to channel my inner Emma myself and look around the plane with a different attitude. I saw the two parents on the other side of the wall as well. Both were ghost-faced and worried.

"Hey, well at least I'm not them," I said, pointing at the parents.

Boogie laughed. "We always got people like that, least one on every flight. They fight it up until the very last minute and then, nine times out of ten, they jump and have a kick-ass time."

"The funny thing is, I didn't know that this is what we were doing until about ten minutes before we got to the airport."

"No way, how?"

"My girlfriend and I are taking this road trip where she gets to plan everything and I don't get to know what we're doing until it happens. She said it's better that way."

"Mad props to her, dude. You two seem like a pretty tight bunch."

"Yeah, she's amazing," I said while looking at her. She caught my eye and winked at me under her goggles. I smiled as she turned back towards her instructor to say what I assume was the punchline of another amazing joke.

"Well I hope you two make it all the way, man."

"Uh, yeah," I said, unsure whether I should tell him the truth, "I hope we do too."