“You might be a lucky girl and get a
cloud jump,” Barry said.
I did not want a cloud jump.
The pilot announced that we were
nearly in position for Neil and Mat-
thew’s jump. They shimmied toward
the gaping hole where the plane’s door
should have been and nudged them-
selves awkwardly into a spooning
crouch on the lip of the doorway.
Seeing them inch toward open
space was nauseating, and I looked
away. I couldn’t watch them vanish
into the sky; I stared at the plane’s
riveted metal wall instead. The pilot
dipped the plane slightly to the right,
tipping Neil and Matthew out thedoor, and then, liberated of their
combined 270 pounds, the Cessna
sprang back suddenly to the left. My
stomach clenched and jerked and I
swallowed hard.
Now it was our turn. Barry directed
me to roll over and scuttle into posi-
tion as the pilot got us lined up for
another jump. My breath came fast;
I struggled for control. I desperately
wanted to shout, “No, no, I changed
my mind. I don’t want to do this!”
I clenched my jaw. I knew that if I
said the word, they would take me back
down to the ground, keep my money
and let me walk away. The whole day
would be for nothing.reader’s digest
92 april 2020