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Nikki stepped clumsily into the main room. “I think your shoes are a little too big for me, Gems. What are you guys laughing at?”
“Nothing!” we said together, not at all convincing.
“Oh, just shut up, the both of you. We’d better be back by a reasonable hour. I have after dinner plans with Siti tonight. And I want time enough to change into something nice before I go.”
“Stop knocking my clothes, Nik. And if the shoes are too big, just take another pair of socks.”
“We’ll be back in plenty of time,” said Jason. “Just so long as we get there on time. Are we ready?”
* * *
A boat and a bus ride later, we arrived at the edge between jungle and village. There, at the entrance to a small building where a group of tourists was already gathered, was a sign that read ZipFiji.
“Oh my god, we’re going ziplining?” shrieked Nikki.
“Yeah. You like it?”
Nikki squealed and hugged him. “I have always wanted to do this!” she shouted and took off toward the building.
I was speechless. I had never even considered something like this would be possible.
“As always, Nikki is more than enthusiastic,” said Jason, turning to look at me. “But you don’t seem very happy. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
“No, I want to,” I said. “But this must have been terribly expensive.”
He waved me off. “It’s all comped. The magazine wanted me to try anything I could; gave me a list of everything to do on the islands and said all I had to do was call them up and confirm a reservation wherever I wanted.”
“Well, aren’t you the luckiest kid in town?” His smug grin said it all. “Have you done this before?”
“Not at all. But it looks like fun, don’t you think?”
The three of us got suited up in safety harnesses, white helmets, and bulky work gloves to protect our fingers from rope burns and such. After a quick safety procedures instruction, our group made its way up a path to the first platform. Our group was comprised of a small Australian family, a young newlywed Japanese couple, and the three of us. The Australian family had a daughter that must have been only ten or so, but her precious face was alight with such excitement and determination as to put Nikki to shame.
The Japanese couple insisted on going last, while the young girl volunteered to go first. I admired her spirit. She stepped onto the little stage where two men helped fasten her to the zipline, her father recording the moment with his phone. He wore a proud grin on his face to rival any parent as she waved to him. “Are you ready?” asked one of the men who had attached her lanyard to the line. She nodded, beaming. “Now when you get to the other side, shout Bula! Okay?”
“Bula!” she demonstrated.
“Very good,” he laughed. “Here you go. One, two, three!”
She stepped off the platform and zoomed out into the jungle, a tiny squeal of exhilaration trailing after her. Next, her mother stepped up, waving to her husband and his phone as well. He followed, though with the rest of his family gone, his nerves were much more evident as his hands shook when he put his phone in a secure pocket. He let out a little yip as he stepped out, pink coloring his ears as he went.
Next, it was our turn to figure out who would go. “Nikki, you want to go next?” I asked, seeing she was behind me.
The excitement she had shown bouncing her way up the trail to this point had fizzled out as she looked over the edge of the platform. “I wouldn’t want to go in front of you,” she said. “I’m already behind you. You should go. Unless you’re too scared,” she said, tacking on the dig at the last second.
I looked to Jason, hiding his amusement well, and he waved me forward. “All right, fine. I’ll go next.”
I stepped up, holding out my lanyard to the men who attached me to the line. As they worked, checking that everything was holding fast and was safe, I could see over the edge. The drop was gradual at first, but as always, being above it made the distance look exponentially larger. The jungle surrounded us in all directions, the verdant expanse overwhelming me. I started to understand what the Australian man was thinking.
I didn’t hear the men talking to me, but I’d heard what they had said to each person before me, so I simply nodded along. I gripped the lanyard with one hand and placed a loose hold on the line above to keep myself from spinning on the way down. My heart leapt in my throat and my fingers tingled as I stepped off the platform.
For a second, I thought about closing my eyes, but as soon as the air started rushing past my face, I forgot it.
It was magnificent. I felt enthralled by my surroundings, the humming life of the wilderness flashing past me as I glided through the canopy. I took a risk and let go of the line for a moment and let myself turn back to see the platform I had just left, and saw Jason staring after me. He seemed concerned, and I realized that I hadn’t made a single sound since I stepped up. I waved, and when I started to smile, I felt that there was already a giant grin in its place. I let out a crow of elation, and Jason’s concern melted away.
As I arrived at the second platform, I shouted, “Bula!” and giggled. As Jason zipped in behind me, I found myself bouncing on the balls of my feet.
“So you like it?” he asked, a little breathless.
