Free Carpe Diem by Rae Matthews

two.”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about you pervert.” I smile.
    “What? I’m talking about skydiving. I’m sure he would be happy to show you how to skydive… What did you think I was talking about?”
    “Yeah right.”
    “I think someone needs to get her mind out of the gutter.”
    I give him a playful shove and walk over to join Abby in line for registration. She is up next and is as giddy as a little kid at Christmas. As Flynn and I approach Abby, the woman behind the window welcomes us and hands us each a clipboard. She asks us to fill out the attached paperwork and when we bring it back she will need to see our driver’s license.
    The waivers seem to be pretty basic. If you die it’s not our fault and no one can sue us. If you are injured it is not our fault and you cannot sue us. You understand by signing this document that you are participating in an extreme sport that could result in your death. Then it asks for emergency contact information in case of injury or death.
    I look at the last line again. Who do I want them to call in case I die? I don’t want them to call Bryna, I’m not sure she would be able to handle that. My parents would have a heart attack at the thought of me falling from a plane to my death so I suppose I should put down Casey since she is the only person left that would understand what in the world am I doing jumping from a plane. I finish filling out the rest of the form and sign my name. I open my purse and reach for my wallet and instead feel a sharp stab into my finger.
    “Ouch, what the heck,” I yelp.
    “What happened?” Flynn asks.
    “I don’t know, my purse stabbed me.”
    I open my purse wide and look for my attacker. Carefully, I move around the objects on the bottom, still searching when my eye catches something red. I remove my wallet and find about a two-inch piece of Jack’s red cup. I stare at it for a moment. I have to admit that I had actually put the shattered cup out of my mind and now here it is staring right at me pulling my thought back to it.
    “What is it?” Abby asks, leaning over to get a look for herself.
    “I guess Jack wanted to come with,” I remark with a smile.
    “Uh, I don’t get it.”
    I reach back into my purse again and pull out the shard that had found its way into my purse when the cup shattered in front of us.
    “Oh, honey. I am so sorry. Are you okay?” she asks me, offering a hug.
    “Actually, I’m good. It kind of feels like it was meant to be. A little piece of Jack is here with us and it feels right,” I say with a smile.
    I open my wallet, pull out my driver’s license, put the piece of ceramic glass in the coin pocket, and zip it up.
    After we return our paperwork and she takes a copy of our driver’s license, we are directed to an upstairs office where we need to watch a short video.
    Most of the information was the same as the waivers. “This is an extreme sport that can cause death.” “If you die, it is not our fault and you cannot sue us.” The part I found comical was the disclaimer about getting into our harnesses. “While your instructor is getting you harnessed up, there might be touching that under other circumstances could be considered inappropriate. Please know our instructors are professional and that any touching he or she does on your person is for your safety.” Abby and I had to laugh like two twelve year old girls when we heard that.
    Abby had a few moments of second thought when she got to the part about, “Should your instructor experience an issue such as a heart attack or stroke that causes them to lose consciousness the chute will automatically deploy at twenty-five hundred feet. At that time, you should reach for the straps that will fall down and do your best to steer back to the landing zone where our teams on the ground will be ready to assist you.” I talked her off the ledge, and we all verbally confirmed we understood the information in the video and were instructed