Free My Cousin Wendy by Al Sloane Page A

sudden he seemed to almost stop, then went into a dive. We all rushed to the side and looked down to see him almost run into the earth. He definitely had something in his talons as he climbed back up and off into the distance.
    I think we all realized that we were together on the same side of the basket at the same time. Wendy, Beth and Kathi grabbed on tighter, expecting the basket to tip sideways. The fact that it didn't did more than all the reassurance Joe or I could have given them. The rest of the trip was fairly relaxed. We all kept one hand on the rail for the most part but there wasn't any more frantic grabbing.
    It never did get hot. It was warmer than it had been on the ground and we were able to take off our sweatshirts but it never to the hundred degree level that was expected today. The sky was a deep blue with some wispy clouds scattered throughout. Wendy's shirt exclaimed she was PREGGERS.
    The Coachella Valley spread out from us in all directions. There are populated areas here and there, housing developments that have spread up over the last ten years or so. Palm Springs in the distance is more established. We could see the tram going up to the mountain near Palm Springs.
    Most of what we could see was not developed. Interstate 10 looked like a black snake, making its way across the sand. Homes, trailers, even rusty shacks dotted the landscape but it was mostly sand and cactus.
    We just spent the better part of the day floating as the wind took us. Not that it was windy. We felt a gentle breeze, very pleasant. We drifted back west. We saw the windmills in the pass and the casino where we'd eaten last night. There were a lot of cars in both the casino and the Hadley's parking lots.
    We had a couple of emergencies, both having to do with Wendy.
    About an hour after we were up and everyone was convinced we weren't going to crash and finally relaxed, Wendy hugged me. "I don't feel very well, Pete."
    "Are you going to be sick?" I had visions of Wendy leaning over the edge, spewing her eggs onto whoever was unlucky enough to be below us on the ground.
    "No. I've got this heartburn. I've gotten it a few times lately. Usually when I eat too fast."
    "Well, today would be the day to get it, then."
    "Stop it. It hurts. I feel miserable."
    "What can I do?"
    "Just hold me tight."
    I held her to me and she tightened her arms around my back. She would swallow ocassionally in an attempt to stop it.
    June came over holding out a tube of Tums. "Here, Wendy. Try a couple of these."
    Wendy looked. "I don't want to take anything. The baby."
    "It's OK. They're mostly calcium and some flavor. The baby will be fine. All the contortions the heartburn's causing can't be any good for her."
    Wendy took one, June convinced her to take three of them. Wendy continued to hold on tight.
    After a couple of minutes she relaxed a bit, laid her cheek against my chest and sighed. I kept holding on.
    We continued to float, taking in the sights. Beth pointed out what must have been a coyote going after something, probably a jackrabbit.
    Shortly after 11, Wendy came up to me and whispered in my ear. "Pete. I have to pee."
    "OK. I'll tell Joe to stop at the next gas station."
    "I mean it. I have to go. Bad."
    "Damn it Wendy, I told you to go before we left."
    She was near tears. "I can't help it. I have to pee more now that I'm pregnant."
    "OK. I'll do what I can. Joe. We have a problem. Wendy has to pee. Do we hold her over the side or what?" Wendy sucked air and grabbed on tighter. I don't think she liked that idea.
    Joe had been through this before. "We don't have to go that far. But most women find it almost as embarrassing." He stuck a finger in a hole I hadn't noticed in the platform and lifted up a door about a foot square. He pulled out a contraption that could only be made for a woman.
    It had a plastic hose that went into a container that looked like it could hold several gallons. The end he pulled out had something like a funnel. The usual