The Dating Game

Chapter Forty-One

Juliet

Finally the information had been disclosed by Justin to what we were doing today.

Dad didn't have the faintest clue, either so it was utterly worthless interrogating him on the ordeal.

Justin sat up front in the car with Dad to navigate him through the town to our destination. I sat in the back, leaning acutely to the side so I perhaps blocked a disproportionately large proportion of the back window from Dad. He kept glancing back but it seemed to only to be me. Then we pulled up before I knew it.

"Hot air balloon?" I questioned, pointing idly at the sandwich sign having formerly just sprang out from the car.

Leisurely Justin opened the door and hopped down onto the sidewalk next to where we'd parked. "Yeah," he said, beaming.

"Why are we at a hot air balloon rental, Justin?" Dad queried, surveying the drastically-coloured sandwich board now in front of him.

"Well, Juliet said she had always wanted to go on one so I thought why not today?"

Grateful that Justin hadn't indicated or insinuated anything about a bucket list, Dad happily lead the way into the shop. This wasn't where they began the trip – the hot air balloon was getting ready for us in the local park secreted somewhere in the back so people couldn't wander aimlessly around it.

But for now, it was the briefing and what not to do and what to do when we're inside and in it. They also notified us of any emergency precautions and the perils of it – all of which were perturbing Dad quietly. He was showing early and apparent signs of discomfort by the frown lingering incessantly upon his lips. Then he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"But all in all, it's safe?" Dad asked for the umpteenth time.

The man who was briefing us nodded, chuckling with ease. "Yes, yes, it's completely safe."

Dad, still conflicted and indecisive, nodded tentatively before taking the lead of Justin and I and following the man. He took us to sign some agreements for the liability and culpability if anything happens to go precariously wrong and disastrous. Again, this did nothing to soften or diminish Dad's ever-growing nerves.

Papers signed, we were driven to the local park by a worker in a big 4x4 car. We made it to the park in about fifteen minutes and from there we were able to get into the hot air balloon. Dad was alarmingly in the way a lot by standing right in the middle instead of near the edge so the man with us on the balloon could get things started.

"Dad, perhaps you should move to the side," I pointed out.

"Right," he huffed, stepping a foot to the left. "Yes, side." Then he peered over the edge. "We're a bit high up, aren't we?"

"And we're still gaining height!" cheered the man, glancing over the side and grinning broadly. "But don't worry," he added to me, "we get a lot of adults like your dad. As soon as we reach maximum height and begin just floating around, he'll warm up a bit."

And about an hour later, Dad couldn't stop gawking down at the town and across the sky. The man who was running the hot air balloon nodded at Justin and I who were impressed with the abrupt modification to Dad's preceding moods and presumptions about this trip. But he wasn't looking back much and instead just dreamily across as if he was in a trance.

Justin leaned in. "Do you think I've made a good impression for your dad yet?"

Turning to him, I stole a hasty glimpse at Dad to see him enjoying the sunset as we hovered over town just before looking at Justin . "I think you did a long time ago," I whispered back. "Just give me a minute, okay?"