“Not really. Lost my appetite.”

“You can have some of mine. Now tell me about your parachuting days.”

“Not much to tell.”

“Come on. Start from the beginning. I’m curious.” Matt stirred his coffee in an effort to cool it.

“It was my first year of college. Part of the freshman orientation included an introduction to the different clubs on campus. The Parachute Club happened to be one of them. Sounded exciting. My friend Anna, talked me into joining. She and I practiced PLF’s on almost a daily basis.”

“What are those?”

“Oh. Sorry.” Jorden laughed. “PLF means parachute landing falls. Anna and I jumped off car hoods and practiced rolling over on our landings. We also went through additional hours of training and instruction. Afterward, we went to an Army/Navy surplus store and bought secondhand orange jump suits and worn combat boots. Ugly! What a sight we were!”

“And? Your first jump? Were you scared?”

“Terrified—but exhilarated!”

“Well go on,” Matt encouraged her.

“My first jump took place in mid-October around five thirty in the afternoon. The small plane took off and circled until it reached the right altitude—probably around three to five thousand feet—I’m not sure, can’t remember.” Jorden lifted her coffee cup, put her elbows on the table, and took a sip while she thought.

“What else do I remember? I climbed out of the airplane, stepped onto the wheel, held onto the wing and looked down. After what seemed like an eternity—I pushed off. It was terrifying! Soon I felt a jolt and jerked upward. The static line had opened the parachute. The sight was unbelievable. Farm land spread out below me with the drop zone off in the distance.” Jorden looked up at the diner’s wall clock and remembered—time seemed to stop as she floated downward.

“I felt motionless—as if I were suspended in the air,” Jorden laughed. “Foolish me, I started pulling on the toggle lines to change direction. I pulled one to turn left and the other to the right.”

“You were supposed to land on a target? Right?”

“Yes, a big X. But I had fun changing directions and of course I went way over the target. While I floated down, the ground appeared to rise up. Before I knew it, the land beneath my feet seemed to rush up and smack me! Anyway, that’s what it felt like. I ended up in a pasture next to a pond where a horse was grazing. Lucky I didn’t land in the water.” Jorden’s blue eyes sparkled, her skin glowed and excitement rang out in her voice.

Matt reached for her hands. “Seems like you enjoyed it.”

“Oh, I did. After the third jump, my parents found out and went crazy—another story.” She chuckled.

“Amazing!”

Jorden looked up at Matt, trying to read his thoughts. “You don’t believe me?”