Life on Banana Street
Falling To Death
-My POV-
It’s been 2 and a half weeks since I’ve known my fate. And the time isn’t slowing down. It’s speeding up. I have to make the most of it. “Billie, let’s go skydiving.” He stared at me with wide eyes.
“I don’t think that would be such a good idea…” he said then looked back to his magazine.
“Come on!” I pleaded going over to him and kneeling next to him, kissing his knuckles. He looked into my eyes deeply and questioned my sudden urgency of falling from the sky. “Please?” it sounded transparent but he heard me.
“I don’t think it’s good for you.” He focused his attention back to the TV and looked as if he were about to erupt on the inside.
“Why not? Don’t I get a say in what I want to do?”
“Addie, listen to me. It’s not a good idea,” he growled, his eyes black.
“Why the fuck not?” my eye brows arched.
“The doctor said-”
I snickered. “You’d rather do what the doctor says that what I say?”
“Yes, Addie. I want to spend as much time I can with you while I can.” I climbed up into his lap and kissed him lightly.
“Then come skydiving with me.” He kissed me this time and put his arms around my waist while I put mine around his neck. He pulled back, our arms still in place and he breathed, “Alright, I’ll let you go. But we have to do something first,” he smiled deviously and kissed me again.
“Mhm,” I said around his lips as he carried me upstairs.
****
Billie was driving to the other side of town in the Fairlane, his arm around me. When we’d stop at lights, he’d look at me and smile or reach down and kiss me. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, are you going to be scared up on that plane?”
I looked at him like he was stupid. “Please Billie. Ask yourself that.” He nodded and smiled.
“Anything for you, my dear.” We pulled up to California’s Sky Diving and got out of the car while the paparazzi followed quickly but almost unseen behind us.
“Hello, welcome to California’s Sky Diving. What can I do for you?”
“She wants to go sky diving and I’m going with her,” Billie said and hugged me tightly next to him.
The old man smiled and said, “I like to see young people out here doing what’s good for the soul.” Billie smiled as I did as well. “That’ll be…$52.97.” Billie reached in his pocket and took out 3 20 dollar bills.
“Keep the change.”
“Alright, we need all personal items be put in a locker,” he paused and gave him a key. “Locker 409 and here’s your suits to put on.” He then handed me two suits. “I’ll get you guys strapped in when you’re situated. We found locker 409, Billie singing 409 In Your Coffeemaker the whole way, and put everything in there while I went into the changing room to put on my suit. When we were changed, we went back to the front desk and the old man strapped parachutes, goggles and unanimous items on us. A younger, greaser type dude walked out then and said he was the pilot, followed by a man with blonde hair who I suspected to be the dive instructor.
“Are you absolutely positive you want to do this?” Billie asked me before we boarded the plane.
“Absolutely.” He kissed the top of my head and sent me into the plane first.
“OKAY! I AM GREG THE DIVE INSTRUCTOR. IF YOU DO WHAT I SAY, WE WILL HAVE NO PROBLEMS!” he said over the loud plane engine. We both nodded as the plane rose above a few thousand feet. My heart was pounding. It felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and I could tell Billie was nervous as well; he was squeezing my hand like a lady in labor. The side door of the plane opened and Greg motioned for me to come over to him. “OKAY! ON THE COUNT OF THREE, I WANT YOU TO JUMP OUT OF THE PLANE!” I nodded nervously. “1! 2! 3!!!” I hopped out of the plane and felt the wind whipping my face erratically. Suddenly, someone grabbed me around my waist.
“ARE YOU HAVING FUN?” Billie yelled.
“HELL YES!” I screamed and let out an excited squeal.
Greg was to the side screaming. “SEPARATE, I WOULDN’T WANT ONE OF YOU TO GET HURT BY THE PARACHUTE!” Billie then pushed me aside as if to get leverage to move to the side. The feeling of it all was indescribable. The thrill sent shivers up my spine. I never wanted it to end. Free falling, wherever the wind took me. “ON THE COUNT OF 3, PULL THE STRING TO RELEASE THE PARACHUTE!” Greg yelled. “1! 2! 3!” I pulled the string and I wasn’t falling so hard now, it was actually peaceful. I looked at Billie and he was having trouble trying to steer the thing. And then it was over. I was on the ground and it felt weird walking. Greg took the parachute off of me and I went to go lay by Billie where he was laying down.
“Did you have fun?” I asked.
“Hold on,” he said and stared at the sky. I waited and he grabbed my hand. “It was on the top ten list of greatest things I’ve ever done.” I smiled and he kissed my hand.
“What did it rank?”
He thought. “5.” I rolled over to look at him.
“What’s your number 1?” He played with my fingers.
“Marrying you. Or the day of our marriage, since it took like a week,” he laughed. I blushed and reached over to stroke his cheek. “What’s your number 1?” he asked me.
I grabbed Billie around the waist and whispered in his ear, “Making you the one.” He stroked my hair.
“Well, I’m getting out of this uncomfortable suit,” he said and got up, pulling my hand to help me up. We got in the car after we had changed and I almost fell asleep.
“Billie…” I started.
“What babe?” his mind elsewhere.
“Tell me something.”
“Anything,” he answered.
“How much do you love me?” I asked looking into his eyes. He stopped in front of our house and looked back into mine.
“There aren’t enough words, rather, there are no words that describe how much I love you.”
It’s been 2 and a half weeks since I’ve known my fate. And the time isn’t slowing down. It’s speeding up. I have to make the most of it. “Billie, let’s go skydiving.” He stared at me with wide eyes.
“I don’t think that would be such a good idea…” he said then looked back to his magazine.
“Come on!” I pleaded going over to him and kneeling next to him, kissing his knuckles. He looked into my eyes deeply and questioned my sudden urgency of falling from the sky. “Please?” it sounded transparent but he heard me.
“I don’t think it’s good for you.” He focused his attention back to the TV and looked as if he were about to erupt on the inside.
“Why not? Don’t I get a say in what I want to do?”
“Addie, listen to me. It’s not a good idea,” he growled, his eyes black.
“Why the fuck not?” my eye brows arched.
“The doctor said-”
I snickered. “You’d rather do what the doctor says that what I say?”
“Yes, Addie. I want to spend as much time I can with you while I can.” I climbed up into his lap and kissed him lightly.
“Then come skydiving with me.” He kissed me this time and put his arms around my waist while I put mine around his neck. He pulled back, our arms still in place and he breathed, “Alright, I’ll let you go. But we have to do something first,” he smiled deviously and kissed me again.
“Mhm,” I said around his lips as he carried me upstairs.
****
Billie was driving to the other side of town in the Fairlane, his arm around me. When we’d stop at lights, he’d look at me and smile or reach down and kiss me. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, are you going to be scared up on that plane?”
I looked at him like he was stupid. “Please Billie. Ask yourself that.” He nodded and smiled.
“Anything for you, my dear.” We pulled up to California’s Sky Diving and got out of the car while the paparazzi followed quickly but almost unseen behind us.
“Hello, welcome to California’s Sky Diving. What can I do for you?”
“She wants to go sky diving and I’m going with her,” Billie said and hugged me tightly next to him.
The old man smiled and said, “I like to see young people out here doing what’s good for the soul.” Billie smiled as I did as well. “That’ll be…$52.97.” Billie reached in his pocket and took out 3 20 dollar bills.
“Keep the change.”
“Alright, we need all personal items be put in a locker,” he paused and gave him a key. “Locker 409 and here’s your suits to put on.” He then handed me two suits. “I’ll get you guys strapped in when you’re situated. We found locker 409, Billie singing 409 In Your Coffeemaker the whole way, and put everything in there while I went into the changing room to put on my suit. When we were changed, we went back to the front desk and the old man strapped parachutes, goggles and unanimous items on us. A younger, greaser type dude walked out then and said he was the pilot, followed by a man with blonde hair who I suspected to be the dive instructor.
“Are you absolutely positive you want to do this?” Billie asked me before we boarded the plane.
“Absolutely.” He kissed the top of my head and sent me into the plane first.
“OKAY! I AM GREG THE DIVE INSTRUCTOR. IF YOU DO WHAT I SAY, WE WILL HAVE NO PROBLEMS!” he said over the loud plane engine. We both nodded as the plane rose above a few thousand feet. My heart was pounding. It felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and I could tell Billie was nervous as well; he was squeezing my hand like a lady in labor. The side door of the plane opened and Greg motioned for me to come over to him. “OKAY! ON THE COUNT OF THREE, I WANT YOU TO JUMP OUT OF THE PLANE!” I nodded nervously. “1! 2! 3!!!” I hopped out of the plane and felt the wind whipping my face erratically. Suddenly, someone grabbed me around my waist.
“ARE YOU HAVING FUN?” Billie yelled.
“HELL YES!” I screamed and let out an excited squeal.
Greg was to the side screaming. “SEPARATE, I WOULDN’T WANT ONE OF YOU TO GET HURT BY THE PARACHUTE!” Billie then pushed me aside as if to get leverage to move to the side. The feeling of it all was indescribable. The thrill sent shivers up my spine. I never wanted it to end. Free falling, wherever the wind took me. “ON THE COUNT OF 3, PULL THE STRING TO RELEASE THE PARACHUTE!” Greg yelled. “1! 2! 3!” I pulled the string and I wasn’t falling so hard now, it was actually peaceful. I looked at Billie and he was having trouble trying to steer the thing. And then it was over. I was on the ground and it felt weird walking. Greg took the parachute off of me and I went to go lay by Billie where he was laying down.
“Did you have fun?” I asked.
“Hold on,” he said and stared at the sky. I waited and he grabbed my hand. “It was on the top ten list of greatest things I’ve ever done.” I smiled and he kissed my hand.
“What did it rank?”
He thought. “5.” I rolled over to look at him.
“What’s your number 1?” He played with my fingers.
“Marrying you. Or the day of our marriage, since it took like a week,” he laughed. I blushed and reached over to stroke his cheek. “What’s your number 1?” he asked me.
I grabbed Billie around the waist and whispered in his ear, “Making you the one.” He stroked my hair.
“Well, I’m getting out of this uncomfortable suit,” he said and got up, pulling my hand to help me up. We got in the car after we had changed and I almost fell asleep.
“Billie…” I started.
“What babe?” his mind elsewhere.
“Tell me something.”
“Anything,” he answered.
“How much do you love me?” I asked looking into his eyes. He stopped in front of our house and looked back into mine.
“There aren’t enough words, rather, there are no words that describe how much I love you.”