Fall from Love

either side of the door, and then he pushes them out. I hear a shrill scream for just a second before it’s just the sound of the loud engines, the wind, and the pounding of my heart in my ears again.
    My instructor and I are scooting along the bench, and all I can think about is how quickly Jenna disappeared out the door and into the sky. She was gone in a second. My heart is pounding as the instructor tells me what to do once more as we position ourselves at the door. I don’t hear a word he says. Instead, all my focus is drawn to the ground below and how unbelievably small it looks. My breaths are coming short and quick now as I close my eyes, hoping this will all be over soon. Then I realize that I can’t come all of this way and keep my eyes closed. I open my eyes wide and force myself to look out... to look down.
    Shit, shit, shit!
    My instructor guides my head back and rests it on his left shoulder. The wind is rushing in through the open door and I feel like I’m in the middle of a tornado. I can feel the instructor lean back just slightly and then propel us out of the door. My stomach drops first and I become disoriented for a few seconds. It’s not until we are level and freefalling that I’m able to focus again, to realize how freaking amazing this feels. I can barely breath, my stomach feels like it’s being squeezed by a vice grip, but it’s the most amazing and freeing feeling that I’ve ever experienced. And it’s freaking amazing!
    When the instructor pulls out the parachute, I spend the next few minutes glancing around at the mountains in the distance and taking it all in. I see the landing spot come into focus and my instructor tells me to lift up my legs when we’re getting close to the ground. I do as he says; the landing is smooth and effortless. The instructor unhooks me and helps me to my feet. Just as I stand up, beginning to get my bearings, Jenna runs up to me, screaming. It takes me a minute to process what she’s saying; her voice is so loud and piercing.
    “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!” Jenna yells over and over. “Was that not the most amazing thing ever? Oh, my God. I’ve never felt anything like it. The freefall was ah-mazing! Seriously! The coolest thing ever!” She finishes her outburst and just stares at me, blankly, probably wondering why I’m not sharing her enthusiasm. “So, what did you think?”
    As I stand there and stare at her, I feel tears start to sting behind my eyes. I don’t know why that particular emotion is coming out of me right now, but I have an overwhelming feeling to cry. Jenna notices this and pulls me in for a hug. “Hey, did you not like it?”
    I shake my head. “No, I loved it. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.” My voice cracks and I fight to keep it together.
    Pulling back she looks at me. “Then, why the tears?”
    I shrug. “I don’t know.” And that’s the truth. I don’t know. There’s no way to explain why the tears are coming. Maybe this is how I react to an adrenaline rush? Or maybe it’s that skydiving was always a big fear of mine and I have just overcome it.
    “Come on, let’s go home,” she says wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
     
    ❧
     
    “Hey, do you mind if I call Josh? I can’t wait to tell him what I did,” Jenna asks as we pull back onto the main highway.
    “Sure, but I thought you talked to him earlier. You didn’t tell him then?” I ask, turning on the blinker and merging into traffic.
    “No, I wasn’t sure I was going to go through with it. I didn’t want to come off sounding like a wimp or something. Now, I can’t wait to tell him. He’s going to flip.” She’s still babbling as she puts the phone up to her ear. “I’ve so gotta bring him out here. He would love this sh—Josh! You’re never going to believe what Holly and I just did.” She tries her best not to squeal, but fails miserably. I can’t help smiling as she fills him in on almost every little detail and tells him what a rush it was. She’s quiet for a minute and then she giggles seductively and starts to whisper into the phone. I have to remind myself not to ask her about that when she gets off the phone.
    “Hold on, let me check with her,” she suddenly says, pulling the phone away from her ear and cupping her hand over the bottom of it. “Josh just invited us over to his place for dinner. He says he’s cooking up something new and wants us to try it out.”
    “Sure, sounds good,” I say without