(18+) Smooth Xscape (Complete)

Ch. 10: Unbelievable!

We had left Mexico City two days ago, heading southeast towards Yucatan. And we'd been discussing if we should travel further south or not, but it somehow made more sense to go to Cuba instead. Don't ask me why. But how we would get there was still an unanswered question. Geeksy had his theories, though. And he gladly spent all day debating whether or not it made any difference to have a roof spoiler on the car, when it came to amount of fuel at a given distance. And he was speaking inch distances, - not miles!

Right now, was one of those moments I just had to get out of the car, and run around it a few times, to keep myself from strangling him, slowly and with disturbing passion. We had stopped to fuel right outside Mérida, when Geeksy caught eye on something interesting. Interesting to him, of course, because when I saw what he was gawking at, I rolled my eyes.

"Blimps?!"

He's a nerd, Gail! He loves strange things like that, and that's why you named him Geeksy, remember?

I mentally facepalmed.

"C-can we...? Do you mind...? Uhm. Just a quick look? Like, over there?"

He tried to hide his eagerness, but failed tremendously. He hardly knew which foot to stand on!

"I ask again: Blimps?! What in the hottest hell is fascinating by blimps?"

"Per definition, it's not blimps, but hot air balloons. And the difference between the two, except the size and shape, is the usage and the ability to maneuver. You can't steer a hot air balloon, because there is no steering mechanism."

"Oh, look how I care," I said and yawned dramatically, but he kept going like he didn't hear me.

"Also the round shape, makes it more difficult to predict the direction you'll end up, unless you don't predict the wind measurements on beforehand. But that's also part of the whole point. It's supposed to be a little unpredictable."

"Yey... And my wind forecasts tells me that we are not blowing anywhere near that place. Capish?"

"Capish comes from Italian 'tu capisci?', which is a infinitive form of capire, that means to understand. And in Italy, the most important hot air balloon events, is the Ferrara Balloons Festival. And even though, I've never been there, I can say with 94,6% certainty, that it's approximately five times as large as this event."

I got speechless for a moment, and just blinked my eyes in disbelief.

"Because that is just a normal thing to know...? Ha! Why do I even ask? You probably know all the technicalities about those enlarged toys too, don't you?"

NOOOOOO, GAIL! DON'T ASK HIM SUCH A QUESTI....

"Hot air balloons usually have a pear-shaped envelope, made of thin airtight coated synthetic material, such as nylon or polyester. And the air is heated with a propane-fired burner. A typical flight will last only a few hours, because of the limited storage space for propane in the wicker basket, that is..."

"OKAY, OKAY! I GIVE UP! Let's go to that stupid balloon festival! Just... Stop talking!!!"

I threw up my hands in surrender, and received a wide smirk from him, while he watched me stomp around the car, back to the driver's seat. With a roar from the engine, we spun out of the gas station area. And not even four minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot and parked among what probably was over two hundred cars.

Geeksy had tunnel vision, and aimed towards the giant balloons with a determination like of a child running towards a candy shop. Some of them were still on the ground, but I counted forty three that already were airborne. It looked like a giant playground! The only thing missing was enormous kids running around, playing with them. The thought made me nauseous. So I grabbed his hand, wanting to leave before we even got inside the gates.