feet!
14,000 feet! I get scared
going up a step ladder. There was no way anyone was going to make me jump from
14,000 feet. But if I didn’t, I would make a total fool of myself, ruin any
chance of a relationship with Brad and probably lose my job, too.
I’ve been fucked a few
times, but never as well and truly fucked as this. What the hell was I going to
do? I thought fast, and by the time Brad came back with a bottle of water, I
had a plan. I would just go along with things for a while, and then at the last
minute, I would fake sickness again, and they would have to go up without me.
Brilliant! I was feeling better already.
I recovered a little, and by
the time we got into the preparations stage, I was almost back to normal. I
didn’t even have to listen to the trainer. After all, I wasn’t going anywhere.
I just smiled and nodded at him, and pretended to listen. But all I was hearing
was ‘blah, blah, blah…’
Well, that was a dumb
attitude. Because to cut a long story short, my plan didn’t work out. I kind of
got sucked into the whole process, and somehow that opportunity to butt out
never arose. The next couple of hours flew by, and before I knew it, I was
sardine-sandwiched into one of the tiny planes with Brad seated right behind
me. But all was not lost…I had a plan B. When it came to the big moment when I
was supposed to jump, I would just refuse to go. I would play the scared little
woman routine. Easy. They can’t make you commit suicide, right?
The whole idea certainly
seemed suicidal to me. I’m not comfortable flying in a jumbo jet, never mind a
minute and rather frail-looking Cessna. There weren’t even any seats. When the
plane started to hurtle down the runway, I thought I was going to throw up
again. I clenched my fists so tightly that they turned white. Soon we were up
in the air, and I felt more vulnerable than I had ever felt before. The plane
circled higher and higher. There were twelve of us in the plane, five newbies
including me, five experienced jumpers, the pilot and the leader of the group.
I felt Brad lean closer to
me, reaching around the parachute pack that was perched on my back. I saw him
clip some straps onto my pack. ‘You’re OK now…you don’t have to do anything.
Just enjoy the ride. We are nearly at 14,000 feet.’
Oh, bollocks, now there was
no way out. Brad and I were strapped together, and he was going to take me down
with him. I was going to die. I resigned myself to my fate. I’d had a good
life. I’d had more fun than most women get in eighty years. I suppose it all
had to end sooner or later, and it turns out it was going to be sooner. Maybe
this was some kind of divine retribution for my sinful ways.
I was trying to remember if
I had written a will, when the leader guy threw the door open. Shit. A cold
wind whistled through the compartment and I looked outside to see
nothing…absolutely nothing except blue sky all around us, bluer than any sky I
had ever seen before. If I hadn’t been so shit scared, it would have been
beautiful. I realized with a shock that we were first in line for the exit. Brad
shuffled us forwards, closer to the edge, and there was nothing I could do
except panic. I found myself sitting in the doorway with my legs dangling over
the edge. Now was the time to shout that I couldn’t jump…
…I never got the chance.
Brad pushed forward, and we were out of the plane and spinning. I started to
scream. I was hurtling through thin air, wind rushing past me. As we spun, I
saw the plane disappear into the distance, fast becoming a tiny speck. We
cleared some clouds, and then looking down, I saw the ground below me, a
distant spot that seemed to be slowly getting nearer. The rushing wind lasted
for what seemed an eternity, but must