Anyone going to an amusement park might have seen the likes of me. I held purses, cellphones and sunglasses while my loved ones threw themselves on roller coasters. I admired their bravery, but refused to challenge my own limitations. Looking at them, I began to remember what I did on that pleasant spring morning twelve years ago.
To celebrate my husband’s sixty-fifth birthday, we’d driven an hour south to Skydive Miami in Homestead, Florida. Joe had finished hundreds of jumps when he once served in the army and he wanted a closer look at the newer wing style of a plane.
We headed for the skydiving (跳伞) office. My mind was racing. Joe had struggled to describe the feeling of flying but I’d never fully understand it. I told myself that I didn’t want to hear about it and that I wanted to see and feel it by myself. When he came closer to the sign-up window for an application, I squeezed his arm.
“Why not make it two?”
“You’re kidding,” he laughed. “You’d do that.”
“It’s an once-in-a-lifetime offer. I want to share this with you.”
Smiling in disbelief, he held up two fingers. We filled out paperwork. Joe paid extra for a video of my first jump. After putting on jumpsuits, we filed into the training room. Using a mock-up (模型) of a plane door, we learned to roll out, maintain a stable free-fall position, and lift our feet at landing. In the tiny, windowless classroom, everything seemed easy. I repeated the steps with my instructor, Pete. Joe smiled with pride at his remarkably confident wife.
When our flight was called, we boarded the small plane where we sat cross-legged in pairs on the floor, with instructors directly behind their students. Pete fixed his harness (背带) to mine as the plane roared down the runway. Through the clear, roll-up door, I watched the treetops fall away. My stomach lurched (突然跳动) as two realities hit me: This was actually happening, and I’d made a terrible mistake. My mouth was dry as the Sahara. I thought I couldn’t do this. I saw Joe chatting with his instructor.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150 词左右；2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Then, Joe and his instructor jumped out of the plane and my heart was in my throat.
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But I told myself not to give up.
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