“Oh, okay.”
“I spoke with Mykel earlier today and I let him know that you won’t be working again until Monday. I didn’t give him any reason, but I let him know it was with my full permission. He won’t be going to the balloon festival tomorrow because Mya is still too young and of course he wants to be with her and Angel.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Yeah, nothing to worry about, I’m like this every year.”
“Well if you need anything, just let me know. If you need more time than just Monday, I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem. I will be back around lunch tomorrow; would it be okay if I checked in on you?”
“You are always welcome to visit me.”
“Alright, I will see you tomorrow then.”
I walked with Sebastian to the door and gave him a hug goodbye. I felt bad that there was nothing that I could say or do to make him feel better. I wished he had a loving wife to go home to who could help him get through the rough times.
Chapter 14
Balloons & Apples
In the morning, Cali came up to my room in the elevator and greeted me with a cup of fresh coffee.
“Good morning sleepy-head!” she said , far too excited for the given hour.
“Ugh, thanks for the coffee. Did you drink a pot of it before you came up?”
She laughed and said, “You know I don’t drink that stuff.”
“More for me then.”
“Come on, we have to get ready.”
“Pick out my clothes for me, I’m too sleepy.”
“You know, personal assistant doesn’t mean I pick out your clothes,” she joked.
“No, but friend does!”
She chose my comfortable jeans with a button up shirt and a black sweater to wear.
“How would you like your hair this morning?” she asked.
“Will you do that fishtail thing you’ve done before?”
“I’m sure I can do that while you drink your coffee. Do you want some breakfast?”
“Cali, you seriously don’t need to wait on me.”
“I know, I just have a lot of energy this morning.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
Tyran knocked on the door while Cali was just finishing my braid. I yelled for him to come in and he joined us at the table. He didn’t look much more awake than I did so Cali poured him a cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” he said as he added some cream.
“You’re usually much more excited when we go to the festival,” Cali noted.
“You usually don’t see me until we’re already there. I’ll get excited soon.”
As we made our way through the tunnels to the van, I started to get excited. The balloon festival was always my favorite time of year. I see it as the beginning of fall, which has always been my favorite season. It was a short ride to the front gate; apparently they weren’t going to make me walk the quarter mile. Although there were fifteen people in the van, we split up quickly and my group consisted of Cali, Storm and Tyran.
Some of the vendors were still setting up and the pilots were unpacking their balloons by the light of their vehicle. There was already about a hundred spectators there for the morning liftoff. The four of us wandered slowly to each balloon as they started to inflate and the sun began to rise. The weather was perfect for the event which was exciting because it didn’t take much for the entire show to be canceled.
I looked around at the different people walking about, and wondered if I would know any of them. Most of my classmates would be at college and the ones who were home would probably wait until the evening liftoff so they could sleep in. Tyran said that if I did recognize anyone, I could still say hello and chat with them for a minute, I just obviously couldn’t tell them about Tamporlea. I understood that, but the kid in me wanted to tell everyone. I could just picture myself smiling as a friend would tell me about college and I would tell them, 'College wasn’t really for me. As it turns out, I was a princess all my life and now I’m Queen of my own Gypsy kingdom.’ Of course they wouldn’t believe me, but I would do it for the shock value and the look on their faces.
Suddenly, Cali gasped and pulled me aside with a frantic look on her face leaving Tyran and Storm behind.
“Jasmine, your mom is here.”
“Where?!” I said excitedly.
“Behind you sitting at the picnic table.”
“I want to go see her. Come with me.”
“No, you can’t!”
“Cali, don’t be ridiculous. Of course I am going to say hello.”
Cali waved over Storm and Tyran.
“What’s going on?” Tyran asked.
“Jasmine’s mom is here.”
“Oh! That’s awesome, let’s go say hello!” Tyran said.
“Ha!” I said before sticking my tongue out at Cali like a child who just got her own way. Obviously Tyran trusted that I could handle the situation.
As we got closer and I saw for sure that it was my mother, I was suddenly nervous. She looked very tired and I wondered what prompted her to wake up and make the morning show. She looked up at us approaching and when she recognized me, she got up and ran over. She gave me a big hug while my friends watched.
“Jasmine! I have missed you so much!”
“I miss you too mom.”
“You need to call more.”
I avoided commenting on that and introduced her to the group. “Mom, these are my friends, Tyran, Storm and Cali.”
“Wow, such unique names. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Taylor. If you’ll excuse us, we’re going to head over to that balloon over there. Come over when you’re done chatting with your mom,” Tyran said.
“Sure. I won’t be too long,” I promised. My mom and I sat down at the picnic table and she held my hand across the table, excited to see me.
“What have you been doing?” she asked.
“Oh you know. It’s been busy but a lot of fun. I’m doing really well mom.”
“That’s good.”
“How have you been? Are you doing okay without me at home?”
“Oh, I’ve been okay. Some days are better than others but I am doing better than expected. I’ve met someone.”
“You have?” I asked with shock coloring my voice.
“Jazzy, he’s wonderful. He has a good job and he’s never been married, no kids, never been to prison or anything.”
“Is he a hermit?” I asked.
“No! He’s totally normal. He’s here somewhere, if you want to say hello.”
“Actually mom, I should probably get going,” I said looking at my anxious group.
“So soon?”
“I know. I would love to spend all day with you, but I think they have plans for me.”
“Promise you’ll call more.”
“I’ll do my best. Give me one last hug okay?”
I held onto her like it was the last time I was going to see her. There were no tears in her eyes like when we said goodbye at the campsite. She was happy and I was happy for her. It was obvious that she was doing just fine without me.
“Love you mom.”
“Love you more.”
As I made my way over to the group, I had a hard time keeping myself from crying. I wasn’t sad that I was leaving my mom again, they were tears of joy because I was actually able to see her. Although it was a brief meeting, it was more than I expected and better than anything else that could happen.
“You okay?” Cali asked.
“Yeah, surprisingly, I’m good. So is she.”
“That’s good!”
“Yeah, it was really good to see her.”
“Come on, we have a surprise for you.”
“You do?”
Cali laughed and pulled me with her to where the others were in front of a balloon. Tyran gave me a hug and asked if I was okay. I told him I was fine and that seeing my mom was
the best thing that could have happened today.
“So, what do you think?” Cali asked excitedly.
“Uh, what do you mean?”
“Surprise!” The three of them shouted.
“What?”
“So you told me that you loved the balloon festival and always wanted to go in a balloon, and we are making that happen today,” Cali announced.
“Oh my God! But did you forget that I am also afraid of heights?”
“You’ll be fine,” she said.
“Then you’re coming with me.”
“Actually, I’m coming with you,” Tyran said.
“And Storm and I will be in the car chasing the balloon,” Cali said.
“This has been planned for a while then,” I realized.
“Yes, but they weren’t official plans until you said that we were still going to the festival.”
I saw a man approach us as we were talking. He was an older gentleman with kind eyes and a bright smile on his face. “Which of you are Jasmine and Tyran?” he asked. Tyran and I raised our hands and he said, “I’ll need you to come with me to sign some release papers and stuff.”
“Have fun!” Cali said.
The balloon was swaying back and forth in the light breeze. It was bright green with black and white diamonds on it. I couldn’t even believe what I was about to do. I was excited, nervous and scared all rolled into one. Tyran didn’t seem nervous at all which put me at ease at least a little bit.
The pilot, whose name was John, was giving us instructions like don’t look straight down, instead look out to the horizon, when we land make sure to bend your knees. He had a very soothing voice and he told us we would be fine and not to be scared. He had been piloting balloons for over thirty years.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes! Oh shoot, I wish I had a camera,” I said.
“Your wish, my command,” Tyran said pulling out a camera from his coat pocket.
Tyran lifted me into the basket and then he climbed in. John’s co-pilot was his son, Scott. The ride usually lasts about an hour and it takes about five minutes to reach their final altitude. He said we would really start to relax once we were just gliding.
Tyran had his arm around me, holding me close to him. I was trembling from nerves without even realizing it. He told me to look and I saw that the whole kingdom had joined together in front of the balloon to see us off.
I saw that some balloons were starting to lift off and I could hear cheers as each balloon left the ground. I held one arm tightly around Tyran and I gripped onto the side of the basket with the other hand. The burner roared loudly above us and I could feel the heat from it. I could feel the basket starting to lift and it made a creaking noise as it slowly became airborne. Tyran and I waved to the crowd that was becoming smaller and smaller as we went higher into the air.
The view was incredible when we reached our altitude. Seeing the other balloons in the distance was amazing to say the least. The pilot was in touch with the ground crew using a radio talking about altitude, wind speed and air pressure. When my nerves were finally calm I really enjoyed flying. The sun was shining brightly over the mountains and the treetops were already starting to change color. Tyran was taking pictures, still with one arm around me.
This was the most peaceful experience I ever had. Just the idea of being so far above the ground, away from everything that was bothering me was really amazing. I didn’t talk much on the flight, but I was thinking of how right it felt being with Tyran at this moment. I couldn’t imagine sharing this experience with anyone else. I looked at him and he was smiling at me.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“I love you.”
His smile quickly turned into a look of shock and he pulled me into a hug.
“I can take a picture of you guys together if you would like,” Scott said.
Tyran handed him the camera and he took three pictures, one of us facing him, one of us facing each other and the final one with our back to him as we looked out to the scenery.
“Do you mind taking one more?” I asked.
Scott nodded and I pulled Tyran close to me and I kissed him, the first time since just before the Battle for Tamporlea. When Tyran took the camera back from Scott, I noticed that he was no longer looking out into the horizon but was staring at me. I wanted to know what he was thinking and I realized that he could probably hear exactly what I was thinking. At this moment, nothing mattered but the fact that Tyran and I were here, together.
Too soon for my liking, the balloon began to descend. I think I would have given anything to stay up in the clouds forever. I was surprised that the ride had actually lasted longer than an hour and we were just about fifteen miles from where we took off. As we were just below the tree tops, the ground seemed to be coming at us fast, just as the pilot warned. Of course we hadn’t sped up, it was just the point of view that was skewing our perception.
“Bend your knees guys,” Scott reminded us.
The balloon made three little hops along the ground before settling out and I saw the ground crew running toward us, ready to catch the envelope as it deflated. When we were able to get out of the basket Tyran got out first and then lifted me down to the ground like a child. Cali and Storm were running to us hand in hand and Tyran looked at me questioningly.
“Don’t say anything,” I said.
“My lips are sealed,” he said putting his arm around me again.
As some of the crew were packing the balloon, the rest of us assembled at a small table and they set out some fruit and champagne glasses. There was a bottle of sparkling cider that one lady was opening. When the crew made their way over to us, she handed everyone a glass and we toasted to a successful and beautiful flight.
“Looks like the owners of this land aren’t home,” John said.
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“If you had a balloon land in your field, would you just sit in your house or would you run out to greet the people?”
He had a point, I couldn’t just sit back and watch, I’d be running before the balloon hit the ground.
“We’ll just leave them a thank you basket on their doorstep then,” the lady said.
“Thank you Maggie.”
“John,” I said. “Thank you so much for the most beautiful experience I’ve ever had. That was truly amazing.”
“It was our pleasure. I’m so glad you enjoyed yourself. You know, no matter how many times I fly, it’s still as breathtaking as the first. It’s never mundane.”
“I think you might have the best job in the world,” I said honestly.
“I think so too.”
Eventually we said our goodbyes after taking pictures with John and Scott. As Tyran and I made our way to the car, Cali told me that she took pictures from the car. I couldn’t describe the feeling I had, it was surreal and there didn’t seem to be strong enough words to describe the experience.
“So, what do you want to do?” Cali asked. “We could go back to the airport and check out the vendors or whatever you have in mind.”
“How much time do we have?” I asked.
“We don’t have to be back to Tamporlea until around one so we still have plenty of time to do anything you want.”
“I don’t want to waste this time together. I think it’s going to be the only time we can be out in public as couples, at least for a while,” I said.
“Where can we go?” Storm asked.
I tried to think of someplace close that we would all enjoy and decided on going to an apple orchard. It was something that I loved and during the second week of September there was sure to be apples ripe enough for picking. I directed Storm where to go and when we pulled into the orchard there were several workers handing out bags and telling the drivers where to go.
“How many bags would you like?” one of the workers asked.
“Eight please,” Storm said. The teenager looked shocked as he handed over the bags and Sto
rm paid him. I think he was wondering what on earth we would do with eighty pounds of apples. I was wondering if it would be enough for the whole palace.
Tyran and I separated from Storm and Cali as we picked the ripest Macintosh apples from their trees. There weren’t too many other people in the orchard which was nice. Tyran and I laughed and kissed and just enjoyed being together. I refused to dwell on the fact that we had to return to reality and we’d have to pretend we were barely friends.
Occasionally we would hear Cali and Storm laughing and I knew that this was the perfect way for us to spend some time together. When our bags were filled, we put them in the trunk of the car and drove to the barn where fresh donuts were being made. I watched through the window as the dough was fried and flipped and drained on the conveyor belt. I made Tyran buy a dozen for the ride home.
“This was a lot of fun,” Cali said.
“I see you and Storm are getting along great,” I said with a smile.
“Yes, it was great to have a day to really be together. I don’t even want to think about…”
“So don’t think about it. We still have the drive back. Hey, come with me, the hives are over here.”
“Hives?”
“See? They make their own honey here and I used to get a whole handful of the flavored honey sticks when I was little. My favorite was cinnamon,” I said pointing to the buckets that were separated by flavor.
“Let’s buy some for the palace,” she suggested.
“Really?”
“Sure! I think it would be a nice treat.”
Cali and I went to the lady at the register and asked if we could purchase all of the honey sticks in the buckets.
“You’re serious?” she asked.
“Yes, but we don’t want to leave the buckets empty for the rest of the people coming in today.”
“Actually, we have plenty more out back if you want these. Do you mind if I ask what they’re for? I’ve never known anyone to buy almost a thousand of these.”
“Uh…” I hesitated.
“We’re going to use them as part of a wedding favor,” Cali chimed in.
“Oh, well that sounds neat,” she said.
The lady helped us put the sticks into different gallon zipper bags so we didn’t mix up the flavors. Once we paid and returned to the car, the four of us realized that we had to make our way back to Tamporlea. It was a quiet trip back as Tyran and I held hands.
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