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“Well, I don’t love the idea of being thought of as a chicken, but I also don’t love the idea of dying. What if we don’t do it?” Gwen says.
“Then the three of us have a long hike back down the way we came and, instead of going back to Lima this afternoon, we’ll have to stay one more night at the lodge.”
Gwen raises her eyebrows at me. “Oh, high stakes.”
Shit. We look at each other and nod. “We gotta do it,” I say. “I have to get home.”
“I know.”
“Okay, I’ll go first,” I tell her. “That way if it goes south, I can yell up to you not to come.”
“Theoretically. So long as you’re not dead.”
Thiago lets out a huff. “You won’t be dead. Now, stand right here, on that part of the ledge. You’re going to step off and fall. Don’t try to jump far from the edge. Just step off, got it?”
I move so I’m standing where he said to. “Yep. Got it.”
“And whatever you do, don’t try to catch her. You’ll just end up breaking your back.”
“Hey, I resent that remark,” Gwen says.
I chuckle a little, then smile at her. “See you on the other side?”
“I’ll be there.”
I look down, my heart pounding so hard I can feel my pulse in my ear drums. My hands go clammy, my muscles tense up. I force my right foot into the air. Then I set it back down. “You’re sure this is safe?” I ask.
“Completely.”
“Because I really can’t afford to die. I have a lot of people counting on me back home. My little brother, my employees… I can’t let them down.”
“You won’t. But if you don’t jump, you’ll be letting yourself down.”
I turn and look at him. “I’m kind of okay with that, actually. My regular life doesn’t require random acts of bravery, so…”
“Everyone’s life demands random acts of bravery,” he says. “Without them, we don’t truly live.”
“Shit, you’ve got me there, don’t you, Thiago?”
He nods solemnly. I look back at Gwen and sigh through my nostrils. “He’s got me there.”
“He makes a very compelling argument.”
“Plus, I really do need to get back home. Michael’s probably a wreck by now.”
“Then go, Ty. I’ll see you in a minute,” Gwen says. “I promise.”
I turn back and without thinking, I shut my eyes and step off the edge.
I expect to free fall until my heart is in my throat. I expect to feel the wind whizzing past. I expect to land hard in a deep pool of water. But I don’t. Instead, I drop down what feels like only a few feet, and I land on a patch of grass. The rest of the group is waiting and they all clap when they see me.
Bursting out laughing, I call back up. “It’s fine, Gwen! Come on down so we can go home!”
33
A Guide to Letting Go When You Really Freaking Don’t Want to Let Go…
Gwen
