Dear Reader,
This story has been marinating in my brain for a very long time. What happened that day impacted me forever. It made me keenly aware of how one choice changes so many lives.
Part 1 is HERE if you want to read it, but briefly, Lia has asked Megan to take care of her kids for a few hours. Lia is joining her husband in one last parachute jump before they leave for the States.
I played with the ending and came up with a few, but decided on this version. I know what happened that day on the Mekong River, so my question is, are you dissatisfied by my ending, or do you like making your own inference based on the details? I’m curious.
The Last Jump, The End
Vietiane, Laos 1968
Along the Mekong
Even though Michael and Pam knew Megan and her two boys, even though they were used to staying and playing together, today, they didn’t want their mother to leave. Michael held on to Lia’s hand the way he’d done at age three. Pam must have picked up her brother’s anxiety because it wasn’t until Megan brought out the toy chest and the promise of ice cream that Pam slid from her mother’s lap.
“I’ll be back by one, and we’ll go for a swim.” Lia kissed them both and left while Megan served bowls of vanilla to the tribe of four expat kids. “Thanks,” Lia mouthed, slipping out the door.
“What took so long?” Nick asked as Lia climbed into the Jeep.
“Our kids needed a little extra reassurance. And some ice cream.” She kissed his cheek.
They drove to Wattay Airport—really only an airstrip with a tower. Murphy met them, his preflight already done.
“I’m not sure about today,” Murphy said, pointing overhead. “Those buildups are coming in early.”
Nick glanced at the sky. “Well, let’s get going, then. We can beat those clouds if we take off right now.” He took Lia’s arm. “Ready?”
Lia was hearing Megan’s voice from yesterday. If Murphy says it’s a no-go, listen to him. He knows this weather. “Nick, are you sure. I mean—” The disappointment on her husband’s face stopped her, and without saying more, she climbed into the plane.
Murphy took off into the soggy air. They circled and gained altitude above the city, and then turned north, following the brown ribbon of water. The Mekong slithered its way from China, through Laos, and into Cambodia like a great snake. From above, it looked benign, but it was swift and ruthless, taking with it anything not strong enough to escape the current. It wasn’t unusual to spot a hapless cow on its way to the South China Sea.
Murphy yelled over his shoulder, something Lia couldn’t make out. But then he pointed ahead. The clouds that had towered over the land had grown much larger, and there were more of them.
Lia leaned close to Nick and shouted, “ I think we should wait.”
“No, honey. The weather’s just a little ahead of schedule today. We’ll be fine.” He kissed her cheek. “It’s a great day for your last jump. And thanks for doing this. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing we’re doing. Then we’re going home.”
Home. Lia wondered how it would be without geckos popping out of the toaster or shoes turning green because she’d forgotten to put them in the sun. No more frozen milk or flour that squirmed with life when she added water. She closed her eyes and thought about her parents. They’d be so relieved to have her stateside.
Murphy shouted from the front. “We’re at altitude, Nick, but the wind’s shifting. I don’t like it.”
Nick waved him off. “We’re going right now. Plenty of time.”
Lia looked at Murphy, but he refused to meet her gaze. He swung south in a wide arc.
Nick leaned out the door, then tumbled forward.
Lia took his place. The wind tore at her and pushed its way into her lungs. She felt suddenly full and light at the same time. The last jump. I’m going home, and Nick is going with me. For a while, she’d been afraid she was going to lose him. She couldn’t do that.
Her stomach tightened for a moment, then she felt the real force of the wind and the rush of her body free-falling into space. Spreading her arms, she reached out and faced the earth rising to meet her.
Below, Nick’s chute billowed out. She pulled her cord. The harness cinched around her as the white canopy snapped overhead and dangled her like a puppet in the air. Now her breath came easily. The hardest part was over. She knew how to land.
The plane circled above and then headed back to the field as the wind turned and began to gust sharply from the north. Meg could see Nick to her right. He signaled her to maneuver herself as far in his direction as possible. He shouted something, but his words were carried into the dark clouds that began to shadow them.
She struggled with the lines. Her muscles strained with each pull. She wiped her palms one at a time on her pant legs. It was taking all of Nick’s strength to change his position, and despite her best effort, the wind had its way with her chute. She was still headed south. She signaled him to go on without her. God, Nick, we don’t have to land exactly together. He shook his head and pointed down.
She was headed toward the Mekong, not the cleared space they’d planned. Now she understood why Nick wanted her to pull herself against the wind. She tried again, tugging against the lines, but it was no use. The river grew larger. It rushed under her boots, carrying bits and pieces of China to the sea.
Now, the only thing she could see was water. The current in the middle surged on its way south. At the edges, muddy water swirled and eddied as it backed up against debris along the banks.
She twisted around to find Nick just to her left. They would land together after all. She felt the sting of tears as the water rose to meet her. She fumbled with the buckle of the harness. She had to get it off—had to gather her chute in and not get tangled in the lines. Her only hope was to be free once she hit the water.
Nick was yelling at her.
She couldn’t understand him.
The water washed away his words as she plunged into the belly of the snake.
This was a fictionalized version of what happened that day. The real ending? Well, here it is: A search party found their bodies together. They’d been caught in a snag along the Mekong and drowned. A few weeks later, their grandparents came to take the two children stateside.
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Very well done. I thought the ending was good; I didn’t need more and would even have been satisfied if it had ended when she realizes she’s going to land in the river, and him with her.
A damned shame that “one last jump” led them to make it really the last jump.
One last time can definitely be the last time. It brought the emotions out of me and I think I will be thinking about it the whole day.