After Olivia

17

The bright afternoon sun and white wisps of artistically painted clouds decorated the Arizona sky, or perhaps it was Utah or Western Colorado. The gentle brush strokes of a silent breeze gave life to the scenery. A great canyon carved into the landscape of Bill's dream promised adventure. Excitement!

"What the hell am I wearing?" Olivia asked as she moved towards Bill. "More importantly, where are we?"

"Ahhh, well, it sort of looks like the Grand Canyon, or at least what I remember of it. Then again, I'm not sure. And that, my dear, is a wingsuit."

"I look like a flying squirrel," she said as she flapped her arms.

"And a beautiful one at that!"

Olivia inched closer to the edge of the cliff that Bill seemed poised to jump from. She looked down for a moment then stepped back a couple paces. Her face took on a look that was a blend of excitement and concern.

"Are you ready?" Bill asked.

"You know, most people that dream of flying, just sort of levitate and fly around. Isn't that what it says in those articles you read? Plus, you're terrified of heights."

"Come on, where's the fun in levitation? This makes it so much more... real! Without the terrifying part."

"Okay, if you say so," Olivia said as she slipped on her helmet.

"I will never get to do this in real life, so this is as close as I will ever come to doing something so crazy," Bill said as he fumbled with his phone and a set of ear buds.

"What brought this on?" Olivia asked before answering her own question, "You asked her! Right? And she said yes?"

"Saturday after she gets off of work."

Bill looked to Olivia, the smile on her face expressed what he hoped her spirit would be feeling for him. He paused as they shared each other's gaze for a moment.

"I'm so happy for you," Olivia said. "Do you know what you are doing?"

"What, this or... dating? 'Cause I don't' have a clue about dating—"

"Yeah, this."

"Sure, I Googled it. Jump, spread your arms and legs, fly around, then parachute to land. Simple!"

"Sounds good enough for a dream, but please, if you decide to try this in real life, do a bit more research. What are you listening to?"

"Just putting on some Foo Fighters."

"Learn to fly?"

Bill nodded as he slipped on his helmet and replied, "I'm not sure if all of the words are fitting for this occasion, but..."

Olivia tilted her head and seemed to ponder the song briefly then said, "I think it works. After you!"

As the instrumental intro filled Bill's head, he took the leap from the edge of the ravine. The feeling of falling rushed in as the rocky cliff face around him swept by.

"Don't wake up. Don't wake up..." Bill muttered to himself as he fought off the urge to break out of the dream.

After fourteen seconds of free fall, as Dave Grohl's lyrics took over, Bill spread his arms and let the fabric of the suit catch the air. He looked back and saw Olivia close behind. Despite the downward plunge, the canyon floor seemed farther away than when he stepped off the ledge. He dipped to the left, then corrected right to fly along the canyon wall.

Olivia moved up alongside Bill. The orange rock surface on his left disappeared and the vast opening of a larger canyon welcomed the flyers with sandy coloured formations and lush green fields and forest. A quick maneuver to the left directed Bill towards an elevated area covered in grasses and trees. A narrow pathway, reminiscent of the trail featured in the photo of Emily and Olivia on the dresser, twisted along the downward slope. Bill guided himself between the trees, flying little more than his own height over the surface. Olivia flew directly behind him, following him through the path towards another portion of the canyon.

Through the narrow opening of a natural bridge the couple found a river that flowed into churning rapids and ultimately to a waterfall. The cool mist that rose in the air beyond the falls felt as real as the rest of the dream, the sensation of falling, and the exhilaration of flight. As the song came to an end, the canyon floor approached. The parachutes unfolded and gently brought Bill and Olivia into the open area on the hill above the gazebo. The helmets and suits disappeared as their feet settled onto the grassy slope.

Olivia smiled at Bill, as she looked over her left shoulder and strolled towards the pond. Bill followed and took a seat on the bench beside her.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

"A plan?"

"For your date?"

"No, I don't have a clue what to do, where to go... Nothing!" Bill said with a hint of concern.

"Good! Don't plan anything. Play it by ear, or maybe I should say wing it, considering..." she replied with a smirk.

"Just pick her up and... then what?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Bill reached to the ground between his feet and lifted a small flat rock. He flicked his wrist and watched the stone skip along the surface of the pond several times before it disappeared under the water. He turned his eyes towards Olivia and took a deep breath.

"Did you tell Emily about it?"

"Yeah, I called her as soon as I left the diner," Bill replied. "Crap, with all this going on, and her leaving Roger, I forgot about her promotion. We were going to celebrate."

"I'm sure she understands. Besides, she's probably not in the mood to celebrate anything right now."

"Do you think the timing is okay? She just broke up with Roger and here I am... calling her and rambling on about going on a date," Bill said.

"You know how she is; this is probably the best thing that could happen for her. She feels good because you feel good. You're moving on and so is she, really. You'll see, she'll bounce back quick, once she realizes how little he really did for her. He wasn't there for her when I—" Olivia took a solemn pause. "Christ, she called him at the airport before he even checked in. What kind of guy gets that kind of news and tells his girlfriend, 'I'll call you when I get to the hotel' then hangs up and leaves?"

"Roger! That's who! Then he used that lame excuse about being hammered and not really understanding what she said. Hell, even his buddies were pissed off about how he handled it."

"So, you just go on your date, and show her life can move forward and she will follow," Olivia said with the stubborn tone she used when trying to stress her point of view.

AN - I could help but give you one more reason to despise Roger... 

I just added the youtube video of Foo Fighters, Learn To Fly to the chapter image area.