Memories are confusing! They make you laugh when you remember the times you cried together and make you cry when you remember the times you laughed together.
Being in a long distant relationship, I always have real, up close and personal interactions with memories and moments on a daily basis. Sometimes it is “you-forgot-to-call-back” moments and the other times it is “I-am-too-busy-to-talk” moments. In case it wasn’t clear, I was referring to my partner. Varun and I have been together for 5 years now and we drive each other just crazy. We are not one of those boring “run of the mill” couples but we are practical jokers. Well quite literally! We love playing pranks on each other which involves either one of us getting irritated and frustrated. I remember one such incident wherein I literally, figuratively and relatively ate a memory! Sounds bizarre? Well, it is as true as it gets.
This happened when Varun and I were traveling to New Zealand for a vacation. I was pretty excited as I was also going to see my sister. We had planned a 2-week trip and a lot of activities etc. were also on the list. And one such activity was from my bucket list and that was sky diving. New Zealand is known for its natural beauty, beaches, harbours, and adventure activities. Anyhow, we reached NZ and started with our exploration project as Varun used to call it. Finally, my dream-come-true day was there. It was the day when I had to jump off a helicopter from 12000 ft. in the sky. My sister had arranged for the whole thing and Varun was there to ensure that everything went on smoothly.
While I was getting harnessed I saw Varun and my Sister speaking with the tandem guy. Tandem is the person who jumps with you and you both are sort of attached to each other. Until you have the certification to jump alone, you need to go with a tandem. I asked Varun what was he talking about and he said he was just being careful with the whole thing as there is some risk involved and that he was making sure that Joe (my tandem guy) takes care of me throughout. Also, Joe taught me a few signals that I should understand when he signals mid-air. So the adventure started with 4 people plus one pilot in a small helicopter. As soon as we reached 8000 ft. I saw the other girl jump with her tandem.
We went further up as I had chosen 12000 ft. Then the moment finally came when I was sitting on the edge of the chopper with the gate open. And the next thing I remember- we are tossing and turning in the air! OMG- I cannot describe that moment. Gasping for oxygen, trying to keep my eyes open, shouting, realizing what was happening was too much for me.
Free falling is the most liberating thing you can experience. Your body feels so light and all your stress and worries start to fade away. While I was thinking about all this I felt a tap on my shoulder. I remembered what it meant. It was time for me to leave both my hands from my harness and feel like a bird. It was simply marvellous. Moments later I saw Joe’s hand signaling danger. I tried to ask him what and all I could understand was him signaling me that the parachute was stuck and was not opening. I was petrified as we were going to hit the ground at an unimaginable speed. 3 secs (which felt like an eternity) later I felt a jerk and we were being pulled up again in the sky.
The parachute Gods heard my prayers and I was now cruising through a bright sunny day in the NZ sky. Finally, after a couple of minutes, we landed on the ground and I hugged Joe for saving my life. Then I hugged Varun and was telling him about my triumph with the destiny moment. To my surprise, I saw him and Joe high fiving each other and Varun said GOTCHA!
I realised that this mid-air fiasco was a brilliantly sought after plan hatched by none other than Varun. Not only that, he had asked Joe to take continuous pictures with the Go-Pro camera. We got the pictures in the pen drive and till date, anyone who sees them- laughs hysterically! I was looking so scared at them and the way Joe had captured each moment was hilarious. Yesterday was my 3 year anniversary of the famous dive and Varun surprised me with a cake which had my pathetic “mid-air I-am-going-to-die” face printed on it. He got a Photo cake for me and the minute I saw that picture a smile came on my face.
After all, that picture was filled with my most precious moment. Varun took the cake before I could cut it and smashed it on my face and said GOTCHA! I fondly ate my memory or whatever that was left of it… A memory that was filled with many happy moments.
(I am planning to get back at Varun for this, comment with your suggestions)
