Diving to His Death

Diving to His Death

"If you don't take chances," said the man in the striped pajamas, "you might as well not be alive." Walter had been looking at his wife, Nancy, when he said that.

“I’m surprised you just said that considering what happened to you.” Nancy tried to stop from bursting out laughing. But she couldn’t. She finally started laughing at Walter. Walter just sat there – with both his arms and legs in casts.

The End

Just Kidding

Almost One Month Ago

     “This is crazy. You’re going to get yourself killed doing this.” Nancy sat next to Walter on an old looking airplane on the inside.

     “No, I’m not. This isn’t the craziest thing I have done. And I survived all of them too.”

     “I wouldn’t call it surviving exactly. You got hurt, sometimes very seriously, when you did something like this before.”

     “If you feel like that, then why are you here?” Walter hadn’t looked at Nancy since they started that conversation. He just stared straight ahead – to cover the fear on his face.

     “I’m here to try to talk you out of doing this. If I can’t, I’m here to be a witness to your death.”

     When Walter didn’t re-act to that Nancy continued. “I started a million-dollar insurance policy on you a year ago when you had your mid-life crisis - and started doing all of these crazy stunts.”

     “I know you started one. I’ve been paying the high premiums ever since then.”

     Nancy adjusted her seat strap so she could glance out the window behind her. “It looks like we are pretty high up already. How high do we have to be before you dive to your death?”

     Walter looked out the window next to him. The window on the other side of him – away from Nancy to cover his fear. “I’m not sure how high we are, but I don’t think we are high enough for me to make my jump though.”

     “You’re still going to do this! Aren’t you? What can I say, or do, to stop you from killing yourself?”

     “There’s nothing you can do, or say, to stop me. I’m going to do this.”

     Walter looked at Nancy. The fear on his face was gone. “I’m not going to dive to my death. Tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, people have done this. And none of them have died.”

     “None that you know of. How do you know no one has died?”

     Neither talked for several minutes. Nancy was the first to break that silence. “Okay, maybe, just maybe, you are right about not dying. You could still get seriously hurt though.”

     “What’s the worst that could happen to me – besides death? Jaime Sommers got hurt doing this. And she survived.”

     “Yeah, she did – with bionics. Do you want bionics now too?”

     “Actually, bionics would be great. But I’m not going to need them because nothing is going to happen to me.”

     Just then a bright light shined through a door as it opened to let Brandon enter. It disappeared when the door closed. They were once again in semi-darkness. “Are you ready to do this? We will be over the Jump Zone in a few minutes.”

     “I’m more than ready. But my wife isn’t.”

     “I can’t stop him from doing this, but you can. You won’t do it will you? Is the money you get out of this worth a man dying? How many people have died doing this?”

     “Don’t panic. He’s going to be just fine. Walter is one of my best students. He can do this. I’m sure of it.”

     “I’m not. You don’t know Walter like I do. He’s an accident waiting to happen. Just about every crazy thing he has been doing lately has resulted in him getting almost killed by it.”

     “The operative word I just heard is ‘almost’ right. He hasn’t gotten killed yet. And he’s not going to do it this time either.”

     While Brandon and Nancy talked Brandon helped Walter get ready for his jump. Brandon secured the seat strap around Nancy. Then he fastened Walter to a tie rope next to the door. And finally himself to that tie rope too.

     A few seconds later Brandon opened the door. Walter got into position. When the red light next to the door turned green Walter jumped. Brandon helped him. Then he looked out that door. About a minute passed before he said it. “Oh, no.”

     Nancy got up and raced toward the door. “What happened?”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     Walter laid in a hospital bed in a full body cast from the neck down. His arms and legs raised. “Thanks for bringing in my favorite pajamas.”

     “I told you something like this was going to happen. Didn’t I tell you that you would get hurt if you jumped?”

     “Actually, you said that I would die if I did it. I’m not dead am I. Maybe you will collect that insurance money next time.”

     “What do you mean by that. You’re not going to try something like this again are you?”

     Just then Doctor Helen entered. “How are you doing Walter?”

     “I’m doing just fine doctor. In fact, I’m doing great at the moment.”

     “That’s the pain killers I had them give you. You’re lucky to be alive after hitting the water like that.”

     “I thought that was the best way to survive after my chutes didn’t open. Why didn’t they open.” Walter looked at Nancy. “Did you tamper with my chutes to collect the insurance on me”

     “Of course I didn’t. You know I would never do that to you. I love you stupid.”

     “I’m sorry. I know you love me – and I love you too.” A few seconds later he added. “Thanks again for the pajamas.”

     Nancy smiled. “You do know you are going to have to live in those things for the next eight months.”