We Did

Chapter Thirteen

The Blue Eyeshadow Girl, River, lightly chuckles. She nods towards me. "Is your friend nervous?"

Isaac looks at how I tight my posture is. "Very," he says. "Right, Mira?"

"A little." I can't even hide the tremor in my voice.

"It's okay," River says. "I was super nervous the first time, too. I actually used to be afraid of heights."

I'm not even afraid of heights but my stomach is still tied up in knots. "And you conquered it immediately by getting sent 2,000 feet up into the air?" I weakly ask.

"Actually, 3,200 feet."

I feel faint. Isaac pats the back of my hand. "Breathe," he whispers. I let out a whooshing noise that sounds more like a wheeze than an even-paced, calm breath.

"You're going to be okay. They explain everything before you start," Eyeshadow Girl says.

"Do you think you could explain everything to her now?" Isaac asks.

River motions to her group of friends that they can go on ahead. They disperse, each of them sending me reassuring glances. River turns her attention back to me. "Have you ever been in an airplane?"

"Yes."

"This is nothing like that."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

"It's a great thing. Safety is the team's top priority, so they make sure the balloon is connected to all the necessary ropes and cables. After they double check everything, the pilot lights a burner and blows fire into the balloon envelope through propane tanks."

"Propane tanks? Fire?" My panic is embarrassingly evident.

"Necessary ropes and cables are better words to focus on," Isaac cuts in. He nods at River. "Please, continue."

"And then you hop into the basket, kick back, and relax."

I chew my lip, glancing at Isaac. He sends me a thumbs up.

"You won't fall out," she continues. "And if you're afraid to look down, then look straight ahead first. Then up, and then down. It helped me feel less nauseous."

I nod. "Thank you. Really."

"No problem. Just remember to have fun!" She gives one last small wave before jogging away towards her friends, who have now taken their place in one of the lines. I turn to Isaac.

"Do you think we'll fall out?"

"Mira, she just said we wouldn't fall out."

"I know, but do you think we'll fall out?"

He places both of his hands firmly on my shoulders and looks me square in the eye. "No."

"What if the wind blows really hard and a giant hole--"

"Mira, we're not going to fall out, and the balloon won't rip and make a giant hole." He puts his hand in mine, pulling me toward the hot air balloons waiting for us on the grass field. "Now, come on."

While we wait in line, I'm able to watch River and her friends fly away in their hot air balloon. She waves enthusiastically at me once their basket starts lifting off the ground. I wave back until I have to squint to even make out the shape of her. I look around me. Nearly everyone has their necks craned up towards the sky. Some parents plop their younger children onto their shoulders, letting their kids wiggle excitedly and point profusely at the hot air balloons. There are so many of us. I wonder how many others are checking this off of a bucket list. I wonder if any of them have a bucket list like mine: one that's not even mine.