have been less than a minute. I felt
Brad’s hands gripping me, and somehow I felt reassured. Maybe this was going to
be OK. Maybe I wouldn’t die. Just a few months in hospital, perhaps, then a
lifetime in a wheelchair.
Then something
happened…It felt as if I was being pulled up into the air, but in fact we had
just slowed dramatically. I looked up and saw our parachute open above
us…possibly the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my life. The billowing
cloud of blue and white material looked magical. We weren’t going to die!
Now my world
view changed completely. I was floating in space with a hot guy arm’s around
me, and a spectacular view of the world to enjoy. The adrenaline from the fall
was pumping through me, and I was experiencing a huge high. I could see the
ocean below, the surf crashing on the beach, and the green of the parkland
beyond. Better than sex? I wasn’t sure about that, but it was pretty awesome. We
floated downwards, circling around landing area, swinging in closer and closer.
Suddenly the ground seemed to rush up towards my feet, and I realized that we
were almost down, and coming in fast. Brad told me to lift my legs, and he
guided us down to the grass, coming to a neat running landing.
A moment later,
I was sitting on the grass feeling totally exhilarated. Heck, what had I been
scared of? I wanted to do it again! But more than anything else, I was more
intrigued than ever by my parachuting partner. There really was more to this
guy than met they eye. This put a whole new spin on the phrase ‘flying doctor.’
Brad unclipped
himself from my parachute pack and helped me out of it. I jumped to my feet and
hugged him. I couldn’t help it! The moment was so intense. He didn’t seem to
mind, in fact, he was laughing.
When we left in
the Land Cruiser an hour later, I was still on a high. I couldn’t wait to tell
Ellen about this…she would be laughing on the other side of her face when I
told her about it. Better still, I had a DVD of the event to prove it. But all
that was to come later. I was starving, and when Brad suggested finding a
restaurant to get a meal, I was all for the idea. We drove into Wollongong and
soon came across an Italian restaurant that looked friendly and inviting. It’s
a good job Aussie restaurants are very relaxed about dress code. I felt scruffy
in my rumpled clothes, although Brad somehow managed to look immaculately
groomed. I wondered vaguely how he did that. Anyway, half an hour later, we
were enjoying some excellent pasta and discussing the adventures of the day.
‘Well, you did
it,’ Brad grinned. I felt that I had gone up in his estimation that day. I
guess he was used to women who chickened out of scary activities. Ha…not me!
I’m up for anything…LOL!
‘Of course, I
wouldn’t have missed it for the world,’ I lied. ‘Thanks for an awesome day. I’m
still feeling a buzz.’ And that was the truth…I was just glad to be alive.
‘Great,’ Brad
smiled. ‘I think working with you is going to fun.’ He reached across the table
and squeezed my hand once again. It was just a friendly squeeze, but it sent a
feeling like an electric shock shooting up my arm. What kind of fun was he
talking about? I had some ideas that I would like to suggest, but I didn’t
think this was the moment.
‘I’m looking
forward to it,’ I said. ‘You are full of surprises. I can’t wait to see what
happens next.’
By the time the
meal was over, I was more intrigued than ever by this complex and mysterious
man. He was driven to succeed, certainly, but there was more to him than a
desire for power and money. As we talked about his career, I realized that he
genuinely cared about people, and wanted to leave his mark on the world. By
comparison, I felt shallow and self-centred. My life had been primarily driven
by my hormones, with not much thought into making the world a better place. If
I left a few guys with smiles on their faces, that was good