“Ok, I guess I’ll have to go full on swashbuckler for you now. Got to keep your oven lit,” Bill said. He smacked me hard on the ass. It felt good but it did sting a bit.
I couldn’t stifle the giggle. The guy knew exactly how to push my buttons.
We were standing at the top of a huge cliff looking down several feet to the ground below. It was very daunting now that we were actually up there, but I’m no quitter and I was more than ready to do this. It was something on my bucket list, something I’d always wanted to do. And now we were doing this.
Our guides went over the instructions again as they hooked up the harness and tested everything to make sure we didn’t meet our untimely deaths while attempting this feat. But it was still a strong possibility.
“OK, are you ready to do this?” Bill asked as we stood there waiting for the right moment.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.
Bill leaned over and kissed me softly. “Good luck. I love you.”
“I love you.”
And with that we leapt off the cliff.
The sensation of freefalling so far and wondering if the cord was going to break or if it would be ok was exhilarating beyond anything I’d ever experienced. It was an adrenaline rush in such a positive way. I’m not sure where I ever got the itch to do this, but now that I was there I wanted to experience it to the hilt. And it was better than I ever thought it could be.
As the cord swung free and I saw across from me Bill also falling with a huge smile on his face, I felt freer than I’d ever felt before. We were swinging down together. It was wonderful, and it felt like our souls were becoming intertwined. I wanted to be with him until the day I died and I wasn’t sure I cared if it was this day. As long as we were together I was not afraid of anything. I knew that he would always take care of me no matter what.
The cord suddenly snagged as I hit the end of its length and then the slingshot action catapulted my body back up through the air and I felt a whole new sensation of falling, but I was falling upwards. It was incredible. I felt like I was actually flying and I was soaring with the eagles. I was free above all else on the earth. I knew that out there in the air away from the touch of the terrestrial world I had found a kingdom I had never known existed.
And I never wanted to leave.
But leave I had to. Eventually, the ride came to an end. And we were back on land and walking towards the car. I was still full of adrenaline pumping through my veins. I wanted to run. I wanted to shout. I wanted to scream from the heavens what I’d just done and that I was actually unstoppable in anything in the world that I wanted to do.
“Wow, that was insane!” I yelled to Bill. I punched him hard in the arm and he hugged me tightly before kissing me.
“Yeah, it was insane,” he said. “I mean, I felt my heart leap into my throat and then it came right back down. It was magical. I have never wanted anything to never end before, but that was it. I really want to do it again.”
“So, do I. We should make it like a weekly thing, or maybe just yearly. I think that might be more special.” I was talking a mile a minute but I couldn’t contain myself. The adrenaline was racing through me and I wasn’t sure how I was going to sit still in the car.
“Maybe, but I am worried that it’s never going to be that good again. Like, we will chase that high and never conquer that level of feeling ever again, you know? I’m not sure how we can top it. We will have to do something else.”
“Then let’s go skydiving sometime soon. I think that will top it. That’s like bungee jumping to the extreme, right?”
He laughed. “Wow, I think I’ve created a monster of an adrenaline junkie over here.”
“Yeah, I love it. I feel like I’ve never lived before. I want to do more and more.”
“Yeah, but that can become something that is just too much, too.”
I nodded and ran a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I know what you are talking about. But don’t rain on my parade. I want to keep having fun. This honeymoon has been the best!”
He hugged me tightly to him. I loved the feeling of his strong arm around me. We had ways to walk to the car, so I did have a bit of time to get the adrenaline out of my system. Shit, I wanted to run, jump, dance and do everything I could to get out of my system. It was an incredible high. I’d never done a drug before but I could see how one could become very addicted to a feeling like this.