On Monday evening Sarah set her alarm for three AM. She made a point that night to get to bed by ten PM, as the next day would begin before sunrise. She wondered how the whole ballooning experience would go, but felt somehow more secure knowing Jess was orchestrating the entire excursion. Upon waking at the ungodly hour, she took a quick shower to awaken her senses and drank a cup of vanilla flavored coffee, hastily brewed while she got dressed. Just like clockwork, Jess Danford pressed the buzzer of her gate at the witching hour of  four AM.

            "Who's there," she asked, half in jest, knowing who it was.

            "Your local kidnapper," Jess said softly into the speaker. "I've come to abduct you for the day. And I demand that you to open this gate!"

            The electronic switch buzzed for him and the latch was freed. In the absence of any morning light Jess proceeded up to Sarah's apartment in the damp, coastal air. When let in, he greeted her with a boyish smile.

            "You ready?" he asked eagerly, leaning forward to kiss her on the lips.

            She noticed he was dressed the most casually she had seen him yet, even while on Santorini. He sported military style camouflage pants with black Nike running shoes, and a tan, warm-looking windbreaker. His hair seemed to be still wet, suggesting he also had a shower that morning. Sarah could detect that lemon fresh cologne once again on him, making his delicious presence near her as they embraced briefly. It seemed to be a hint of more romantic moments to come. These she now felt herself anticipating fully and tried to slow down her eagerness by making some obligatory conversation.

            "So what else should I be bringing with me . . .  on this important mission, Captain Jess?" 

            "Just a warm jacket and . . .  your courage, Sarah."

            He stepped back, holding her two hands, and sized up her choice of attire. It was a forest green athletic running suit, closely fit to her body, and new white trainers. Her hair was pulled back and tied into a ponytail, giving her the look of a college girl on a science outing to the countryside.

            "You're stunning," he added, smiling again, as his eyes caught hers. It was an adoring look, and one she felt she needed to see for the day to go well.

            "OK then! So let's move," Jess said enthusiastically.

            "Lead the way," Sarah responded, throwing the strap of a gray canvass day bag over her shoulder to carry her wallet, cell phone, a hair brush and hand lotion.

The two made it out onto the street where a different car--a black, 4x4 off-road vehicle waited for them.

            "New Car?" she inquired as they got in and put on their seat-belts.

            "No. I've just got this client . . . He has a huge car leasing businesses. Here in San Diego,  LA and San Francisco . . . All the high end stuff. He gets me anything I need while I'm over here on the west coast. I'm not really into cars, but . . .yeah. It's a nice perk with him."

            "Sweet." She said, settling into the comfortable bucket seat. They pulled away from the curb and loudly rolled out onto the empty, dark roadway. Within a few minutes, Jess had navigated onto Interstate 15 and they were cruising northwards towards Los Angeles.

            While en route, Jess seemed charged by the experience of having Sarah with him again. And she too was exited by the outing, for Sarah could tell he was a man of action. The Jeep and whole idea of leaving the earth on balloons seem to suit Jess' energetic personality. Somehow his description of being on "business" in San Diego did not jibe with the day's itinerary, yet she did not care. The fact was, she now looked forward to being with him again under any circumstance.

            When they arrived at a flat airfield just outside the little town called Perris, Sarah could see an assortment of late model trucks unloading the large folded Balloons and beside them the wicker gondolas, equipped with the tall flame-throwing devices. Many people were arriving at the same time out on the flatland and were at various stages of getting their enormous and colorful balloon envelopes spread out and ready to inflate.

            Jess seemed to be looking for a certain vehicle there. And when he saw it parked like the others he commandeered his Jeep over next to it. The truck, still with the large gondola in it, was bright red and trimmed in chrome. These colors soon began to sparkle in the morning's early light. For there was a  pink aura of sunrise just illuminating the bleak, fat landscape as far as the eyes could see.

            A middle-aged, physically-fit man wearing a flight jacket and pilot glasses was already out spreading his balloon onto the field. The envelope was a multicolored affair with a high-tech checkerboard design integrating rose, turquoise and dark blue panels of colors.

            "Hey Jess!" the short haired man called out cheerfully as he looked over at the two of them. He had an ex-military, or perhaps retired-pilot look about him. "See you bought along an attractive crew for us today."

            "Yeah, Dabs. This is Sarah."

            The man paused momentarily in the midst of his industry and reached over to take Sarah's hand. He kept his leather gloves on and went right back to the task of opening  the balloon's huge nylon envelope. Jess suddenly grabbed a rope lying out on the ground and ran with it, pulling the rest of the deflated balloon out into the distance. He kept running for what seemed to be half the distance of a basketball court, spreading the colorful material out in front of them. After this was done to Dab's satisfaction he gave the signal for Jess to come back and assist with the next task to prepare for the launch.

            The balloonist next brought out of the back of his truck a large, industrial sized fan.  It was powered by a gasoline generator which he started up with a pull of a rope. It produced a loud roar, and one that was mirrored from many places on the airfield as other balloonists prepared to inflate air into their own colorful envelopes. Many of the balloons were already in various stages of inflation, and were gently rising around them. While their balloon was filling with air from the powerful fan, Jess and Dabs carried off the back of the truck the gondola and two large propane gas tanks which they placed and secured tightly inside the wicker structure.

            Within no time, other tall, majestic balloons around them were being attached to gondolas with stainless steel cables. Jess went over to the Jeep and locked the doors. By this time, Dabs had already shut off the fan and now held a large pole-like torch which shot a deadly-looking flame inside the partially  opened balloon. This caused the huge structure to steadily rise above them from the massive flame's hot air. The colorful structure, like so many others on the field, began to tower above them now, growing to the size of a three story building.

            As Dabs quickly stepped up into the gondola, checked its cables and activated the on-board flame jets attached to the propane tanks, he put on a helmet and the balloon was soon almost fully inflated. It showed signs of lifting off steadily. He then signaled for Jess to throw the hand-held flame-thrower back into the truck and for him and Sarah to quickly climb on board. The two stepped up into the wicker basket which was just big enough for three or four people to stand in—the railing only reaching waist high to an adult.

            As Dabs instructed them to put on helmets found on the floor of the gondola, he pulled a short, red looped rope on the structure of the metal bars above them. This activated the propane tanks and released an enormous , sustained flame from a furnace nozzle up into the center of the balloon. It gave off a loud roar.  After several seconds the colorful envelope, full and parabolic, began to lift the three of them skyward.

            Jess moved closer to Sarah and held her in his arms securely as their altitude increased. It was an exhilarating feeling rising straight up off the Earth and not having the slightest hint of the light breeze which began to move them laterally across the land.  When Dabs finally released the rope and the loud jet flame went off, it was an amazing sensation of total silence. It created an on board atmosphere where even a whisper could be detected. Sarah, though not afraid of heights, looked down below them at the trucks and other balloon crews helping to lift off colorful ships into the sky. These trucks and people soon looked like children's toys below them.

            Sarah could also now feel the strong arms of Jess around her. She was amazed at the experience of floating so freely above the world. At times he placed his body closely and warmly against hers as they cruised ever higher and away from the departure point. This feeling of her new man so close was one of security to Sarah but at the same time it made her feel alive and profoundly aroused by Jess' nearness and gentle affection.

            In the silence between the roar of the jet to maintain lift, Dabs took out a remote radio phone and called down to someone on the ground.

        "You got a copy on us Hersch?"

         A distant sounding voice squawked back through the device's speaker.

"Yeah Dabs I've got you covered. We're getting in the chase truck now. Looks like you'll be going northeast a while. Over toward the Thompson farm area. Keep an eye on the wind strength up there today. The breeze is up early, pal. Could get a little rough over by the Perris Reservoir."

        "That's a copy, Hersch."

        Jess quietly explained to Sarah that there was a second truck in the balloon team operation which was a 'chase crew,' assigned to go into the countryside wherever Dabs might decide or be forced to land.

        "There's not a lot of navigation with these beautiful things," he explained to her in a reassuring voice. "Sometimes, if the air comes up and our ground speed increases we can go up or down to find another current direction to follow. There's many different streams of air at different altitudes," he whispered.

        Sarah nodded and adjusted the strap on her helmet. The whole idea of not really knowing where they would land was a bit unsettling to her. As she looked down at the houses and little neighborhoods around Perris they looked like clusters of tiny boxes. Even the roads were now only gray ribbons sprawling out in many directions below.

        As their balloon glided across the central flatland of Riverside County, a large lake could be seen in the distance.

        "Can you take us down by the water surface of the reservoir?" Jess asked Dabs.

        "Let's see what we can do," he said, refraining from giving the balloon any more hot air through the flame jet. This allowed the large craft to continue descending as they neared the lake.  It was mesmerizing how they traveled so silently through the early morning sky without feeling a breath of air. Soon Dabs had found a current at an altitude which would lead them to the reservoir. 

        "Why was the guy in the truck worried out the wind," Sarah asked about Hersch's comment. "I don't feel any air up here. It's so still."

        "That's because we are moving at the same speed with what ever breeze there is," Jess told her. "And you see . . .we're now following that small current to the lake." The houses below them looked much closer now as they floated over them and Sarah could hear the sound of dogs barking below. She could see them running hysterically out of the houses and back yards barking incessantly as the balloon flew above them."

        "Dogs at this altitude know something is invading, but they can't locate where or what it is," Dabs said smiling, "They hear the sound of the flame, but they never think to look up. Dogs are just not curious about the sky," he said whimsically.

        Both Jess and Sarah found this amusing and in a moment of laughter watched the dogs run excitedly out into the street, looking right and left but never up, Jess  leaned closer and kissed Sarah on the lips. She enjoyed the kiss as long as it lasted and pressed herself against his body, ever closer, to signal her satisfaction. It was a passive yet intended gesture, implying she would be amenable to his advances later. All of this nonverbal messaging was under the radar screen of Dabs who was doing his best to find the right altitude to be carried steadily over the lake.

        As the balloon approached the silver surface of the water, Dabs refrained from anymore jets of heat and the gondola descended nearer the water as they passed  over it. And just as they seemed to be on a collision course with the water's surface, the pilot pulled the red chord and stabilized the descent once more. This enabled the craft to now hover only four or five meters over the reservoir. They seemed suspended above it in air, and their reflection of the giant balloon next to them on the mirror of the water was spectacular.

        In this moment of awe and rarified beauty, Jess held Sarah tighter, giving her a feeling out him she wanted to preserve, wanted to keep in her life for a long time. There was a longer kiss not shielded from Dab's amused gaze, and at its conclusion Jess reminded Sarah that it was now eight o'clock and she must call in to her work. It was imperative, he told her that she must explain to her colleagues that she would not be coming in that day.

        "Oh, my God! You're right, Jess. Almost forgot ."

        From the day bag she had on her shoulder Sarah took out her smart phone and speed-dialed the clinic.

        "Good morning. Bresner's Speech and Language Center," a pleasant voice answered. It was Kate, the clinic's secretary.

        "Hello . . . Katie?"      

        "That you Sarah?

        "Yes. . . listen. I won't be. . . I mean I have . . I'm pretty ill this morning, Katie. And won't be coming in. For any of my appointments today."

        "What's wrong Sarah? How sick are you?"

        At that moment Jess and Debs were both smiling, listening in on how badly Sarah's excuse was going down.

        "Well. . . pretty bad, actually." Sarah shook her fist at the two of men in mock anger, while  she almost burst out laughing."

        Just then the balloon was continuing its rapid descent toward the water below. Debs could not wait any longer, and risk a splash down. He pulled the red chord causing a terrific thundering sound once more as the flame shot up into the center of the envelope. The roar lasted a good ten seconds, leaving Sarah unable to hear Katie. Finally it stopped and the balloon slowly climbed skyward again away from the water.

        "Sarah? Sarah! What was that sound? You OK? Where are you, anyway?"

        "Yeah. Katie. I'm . . . OK. That was just . . . a jet! They seem to be flying very low over here on the coast today. . . Very strange actually." 

She was covering her eyes now so as not see Jess and Dabs.

        "Well . . . so you won't be in at all?  Not even this afternoon?

        Sarah looked out at the desert mountains and the ground below, which they now seemed to be flying over rather quickly.

        "Yeah, Katie. It really looks that way.  I'm feeling pretty . . . scared . . . I mean bad right now. So  really . . . I got to go.  Be in tomorrow. I promise."

        "Well OK, sweetie. Take care. I'll call all your appointments. Reschedule for tomorrow. afternoon."

        "Right. Thanks. Bye."

        The balloon seemed to have gained an incredible amount of speed in just a few minutes and was heading for the mountains. In their path would be dense trees and what seemed to be power lines  and poles in the distance.

        "We've  got to get this baby down fast," Debs said with obvious concern in his voice. The wind had apparently come up considerably and he called the ground crew to confirm their location and to let them know a landing was urgent.

        "OK. We copy that, Dabs," the voice squawked back. "Yeah we've got visual of you. You're getting into some dangerous territory over there, pal.  Looks like your wind speed is above the red line now. Put her down anywhere you can, Dabs. We'll get there right away. Should be a pretty rough landing so tighten your helmets."

        Sarah was now petrified. She could see in Jess' and Debs' faces that this was not an ordinary ride. The balloon was moving extremely fast over the land now and its rough terrain---large rocks and bushes, did not look like an inviting place to land.

        All Dabs could do was let the balloon come down on its own to the ground. It was obvious they would be dragged while waiting for the air to be dumped out from release cables which the pilot now clutched with both hands. All three of the agitated passengers could only wait and brace for the emergency impact. And just before it seemed they were about to make a hard crash, the seasoned pilot pulled the red chord once more giving the quickly descending balloon a bit of a breaking action as the gondola slowed and hit the tops of the first bushes in its contact with the Earth.

        "Dive out free of the basket and roll!" Dab shouted to them as he pulled the safely cables instantly opening and releasing the hot air out of the balloon's envelope. At that moment the gondola was also set free from the balloon by the release of another safety cable. At a great speed the the basket hit a few large bushes and then tipped over. Both Jess and Sarah were thrown out with great force and they skidded across a sandy surface of the ground, rolling in the process, as instructed by Dabs. Both of them missed several large rocks as they tumbled along for several meters.            

        After coming to an abrupt stop, Jess ran over to Sarah and checked her condition. Miraculously, she was uninjured, except for some minor scratches on one hand where she impacted along the ground. She just seemed a bit shaken up by the ordeal. Jess then ran toward the balloon envelope, which was still being dragged forward in the breeze. Debs had rolled out of the gondola several meters back and was also now running toward the envelope where he and Jess tackled it and gathered it up into a large ball of fabric to diffuse the wind's energy. Debs ran back to the gondola and checked the propane tanks, seeing if they had been damaged or were leaking.  Fortunately they were intact as well.  

        Sarah remained sitting on the ground, taking a few deep breaths where she had finally landed. She slowly removed her helmet as the two men walked up carrying the heavy rolled-up envelope. Within minutes the ground crew truck arrived, coming off a dirt road. Hersch, a tall, thin man about the age of Dabs and with a beard, got out of the truck. Two other crew members, looking to be college age, ran over to the three balloonists to assess their condition.

        "I think we're all OK, Jeff . . . Meyers," Dabs told them. "Just get your truck over there closer to the gondola to load it up. Don't think there was any damage to the rig or the envelope. But God. . . . I haven't had a forced landing like that in what. . . three years?"

        "Yeah buddy, a few more minutes up there and you guys would have been in those power lines." Hersch pointed up towards the hill. They all looked at the distant wires which stretched menacing out across the foothills.

        "So . . . you gonna call it a day?" Hersch asked with resignation in his voice?

        "Oh hell yes," Dabs said. "Most the balloons are down now I see. It turned out to be a spooky wind today . . . maybe a storm last night . . . out over the Pacific."

        Hersch looked down at Sarah still sitting on the ground. She had stopped shaking, though she could tell her knee might later have a bruise.

        "You OK, babes?"     

        "Yeah," she answered. "So is that the way all balloon rides end?"

        All the men laughed.

        "Nope," Hersch said in a comforting way. "You and Jess just got a little more for your money this morning. That's all."

        He reached over and knuckle punched with Dabs.

        After the gondola, propane tanks and envelope were all loaded into the crew's truck, the younger men, along with Hersch, also got into the back. This made room in the cab for Jess, Sarah and Dabs. The pilot commandeered them all back to the launching area along a series of dirt roads. 

                                                                             *     *     *

        Within another two hours, Jess and Sarah were sitting out on the open terrace of a stately winery near a town known as Temecula. The green vineyards sprawled out in front of them for what seemed to be miles. They had tasted several of its wines, and under the circumstances of their hazardous adventure, Jess suggested they stay there for lunch and relax. The winery was magnificent with old Spanish colonial charm and featured a full restaurant and reception hall for gatherings such as weddings and concerts.

        As they walked over to the dining area with its sweeping vistas of the valley below, Jess paused and took Sarah in his arms.    

        "I must say you've had a pretty rough introduction to the world of flight this morning, beautiful."

        "It was pretty exciting," she said as an understatement. "I think probably it's the most intense thing that's happened to me since I won a tennis tournament in high school."

        Jess smiled back and gently pushed her ponytail off her shoulder. He kissed her more passionately than while in the gondola and Sarah pressed her body against his.

        "Look. There's a famous little bed and breakfast inn not far from here.," Jess whispered. "It's called Rothmore. A perfectly relaxing and secluded place to . . . just unwind. What do you say we stop the tour after lunch today and go there?  We'll take a room . . .  and just . . . as I say, unwind?  We can be back in San Diego sometime tonight so you can get even more rest  . . . and make all your appointments tomorrow."

        Sarah kept her arms around him and smiled. "Convince me that that's a pretty great idea," she whispered back.

        "How would I do that?" he asked, smiling.

        "Another kiss? Like the last one?"

        "Well . . . if you insist. . . "

        The two kissed again, long and passionately. Sarah knew from the stirrings their embrace brought out in her that it would not just be a morning to remember. She was now ready to let Jess have that afternoon, and into the evening, what they now both wanted. 

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Text and e-book copyright © 2015 Califia Montalvo

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