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Amelia snorts. “Are you kidding me? I’d never own a pink car like this. It’s like Barbie threw up all over it. It’s my roommate, Liesel’s.”
She slams her foot on the gas, roaring out from the curb drawing attention to those walking on the sidewalk. I slide in my seat, embarrassed to be seen in such a car.
The wind begins to pick up as we drive out of the city and toward New Jersey. Above us, clouds cluster with gray skies warning us of an impending storm. Turning my head, I scan the back to see if the car has a roof, and thankfully, it does.
“Can you tell me where we’re going?” I yell through the wind.
Amelia’s lips curve upward into a smile, the same smile I remember from when she was a kid, and I asked her why we were climbing a tree in her backyard. Assuming she wanted to climb simply for fun, only to jump into the pool moments later, swallowing a gallon of water in the process.
Amelia doesn’t answer my question, purposely ignoring me as she keeps her eyes on the road. I opt to enjoy the road trip, admiring the view though unsettled at being a passenger. Her driving is somewhat erratic. Others may deem her a maniac. If I want to get home in one piece, I somehow need to convince her that I’m driving back.
Our surroundings change with the view of Randall Airport just ahead. Above us, the sky is blue now, the clouds drifting away toward the ocean. The car begins to slow down as she pulls into the parking lot. When the car stops, I look around, noticing a hangar beside
us.
“We’re here,” she announces while turning off the engine. “Are you ready?”
“What exactly should I be ready for?”
“I think it’s best we get out of the car to have this conversation.”
I unbuckle my seat belt, exiting the car while eyeing her dubiously. She motions for me to follow her, and as we turn the corner, it all comes into view.
There are several people dressed in parachute jumpsuits, many with harnesses. An ultra- lightweight plane sits on the tarmac with gliders all around. It takes a moment for me to realize exactly why we’re here.
“To clarify, you brought us here because we’re going to tandem hang glide?”
Amelia nods her head with a playful smirk without a care in the world that we’ll be flying thousands of feet above the ground.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she says, crossing her arms while we both watch some people above us detach their glider from another plane. “It’s twenty-five hundred feet.”
“Uh, that’s one thing, not to mention the fact that we could die.”
Amelia turns to face me, her eyes boring into me just as they had done when she was a kid, and I questioned her elaborate ideas.
“Don’t give me that look,” I remind her with annoyance.
“And exactly what look am I giving you?”
“The same look you’ve always given me before we’re about to do something incredibly dangerous.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but from memory, you said I was boring. Or was it lame? Unadventurous?”
I purse my lips, trying to control my urge to remind her of all the things that can go wrong in the air. Number one, we free-fall to our death.
“I may have alluded to something of the sort, but what I meant was get out, live a little. This is…”
“Are you scared? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
My eyes lift toward a hang glider soaring a few feet above us, ready to land. Moments later, the man and woman land, feet on the ground, both of them laughing while appearing exhilarated. I’ve done many adventurous things in my lifetime, but of late, life revolves around work. Maybe this is what I need, something crazy to break the monotonous routine of being in front of my laptop.
“Let’s do this,” I tell her.
We follow all the steps we need to, from practical learning to the physical side. After the instructor goes through everything, including our signing waivers, we’re fitted out in the proper gear and shown how to comfortably lay inside the glider.
The crew does all their safety checks while I take one plane and Amelia the other. She yells good luck to me with a thumbs up. I didn’t know whether to say the same or curse her for putting me in such a position.
I release a breath, willing the adrenaline to kick in. The engine of the plane starts at the same time my heart pumps wildly when we begin our ascent down the runway. I bite my lip as every part of my body begins to react with nausea creeping in.
