Three weeks later I was still as poor as ever, with no end in sight. It was already September, which meant winter was coming, and while the Seattle winters were really mild compared to those in Boston, it still meant bringing out the space heater and risking a higher heating bill I couldn’t really afford. Instead, I figured I’d just have to dig out my big blanket and hope that would do it.
I was going out every day and dropping off resumes wherever I could, but it all seemed so hopeless. Every day I’d see that I had no new calls for interviews, and I wondered if I was ever going to get a job again. I briefly considered going back to Boston with my tail between my legs, but I knew that wasn’t an option.
Then one day, everything changed. I was walking past the Space Needle with a pile of resumes in my hand when I noticed something was going on. I looked around and noticed the streets around the base were closed off to cars, and tents had been set up. Music was blasting from somewhere, and I could smell the food trucks all coming in to the nearby streets to get some extra business.
What’s going on? I wondered. I made my way slowly through the crowd, happily accepting a free pack of chips from some girls handing them out for promotion, thrilled to be able to get some free junk food. Over to my left I saw a cordoned off area, probably about fifty feet by fifty feet, with a giant red X in the middle. I figured whatever was about to happen was going to be over there, so I made my way to it, standing next to the hastily erected fence to keep people away.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice announced over an invisible loudspeaker, the voice filling the entire area. “Welcome to the Space Needle Jump. Today, you’re going to see a feat that is rarely ever performed, as we watch an American daredevil base jump off this amazing local landmark. ARE YOU READY?” he cried, and the noise from the crowd became deafening.
I looked up and shielded my eyes from the glaring sun with my hand. I spotted a figure standing on the top of the Space Needle, his arms out, like a professional diver getting ready to drop into the pool.
For a second, it was like time stood still. The crowd was silent, every single eye in the square looking at the tiny figure up above, hundreds of feet in the air. Then, almost as though it was in slow motion, the figure leaned over and began to fall. A small gasp from the crowd greeted the man as he began to float down towards the ground, quickly reaching terminal velocity, when suddenly the parachute from his pack sprang to life and the freefall to the earth stopped.
The crowd cheered as the man got closer and closer to the dot, only a few feet away from where I was standing. With impeccable timing, the man landed right in the middle of the dot, his parachute floating softly on top of him, covering him completely a few seconds later.
As the man emerged from his cocoon, taking off his helmet, I stared in shock. That smile. That wavy blonde hair that made him look like he should be on a beach in Australia. That muscular body that obviously spent hours at the gym.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Kiegan Hunt!” the announcer blared over the speakers, but I wasn’t listening. I didn’t need to hear. I’d already recognized him.
With that million watt smile on his face, the one that had so often come after making me feel my worst, he looked up at the crowd and waved triumphantly.
“Kiegan Versus the World premieres this Tuesday on NBC, don’t forget to tune in at ten to watch!” the announcer continued, and the crowd exploded with cheers. I wasn’t one of them. I was looking up, staring into the face of the man I’d sworn never to think about again just a few weeks ago. His eyes scanned the crowd and found mine. They stopped, the recognition instant. He smiled, I knew that smile so well, and I knew he recognized me.
Fuck, I though, then I turned and forced my way through the crowd, away from the new makeshift stage, as Kiegan was being handed a microphone, ready to wow the crowd with his charisma.
Tears threatened to flood my eyes as I raced as far away as I could. When I got two blocks away I leaned against a wall, closed my eyes and took three deep breaths. Everything was going to be fine. He couldn’t find me. There was no way. I could just walk away, and once again, never see him again.
I did walk away, but not before getting another couple of bags of chips from the ladies handing them out. The last thing I heard from my brother’s mouth was him bragging about how he was going to beat so many superstars at whatever adrenaline pumping challenge the world could think of. Whatever. Not interesting.