Up ahead, he can see some sort of structure high in the air and is relieved as they go further up the drive to see a much lower one. This one has a net.
“Come on over here”, Isabella walks towards the high rig. Eli leaves his gear in the car and follows along. “You climb up on this side,” she says, “and I’ll climb up on the other side once you're on the platform I’ll explain how to get onto the bar.”
He pauses, thinks about the lessons of the last few days and slowly reaches for the ladder. She smacks him on the hand and pushes him away.
“What are you stupid?” she hisses.
Bewildered, he asks, “What do you want?”
“I want to know how safe you are. I'm not happy with my answer.” The more emotional she gets the more her accent comes out. He has to muster his focus to hear what she is saying and keep the dumb grin off his face.
“I don't know what I'm doing here, you're the expert and the teacher. I trust you to know what's right and what's not because I don't know the difference yet.” he responds in his defense.
“I appreciate it. I did just tell you to trust me and there's an important distinction everyone needs to make. So, let's do that.”
She looks to him for agreement. He nods. “Many people avoid fear anytime they feel it. For them fear means they can't do something, they let fear stop them everywhere in life, until they are practically living in a cave. That you don't want to do. Fear actually lights the way; it says come this way. This is where you can grow. This is where you can learn. This is where you can expand.”
He nods agreeing. “On the other hand, you want to pay attention to danger. Danger is something you should avoid. Going up that high with no instructions, no experience and no safety lines is dangerous. Whatever had you hesitate before you reached for the ladder, you want to pay attention to, because it was telling you there is something dangerous.”
He thinks about it and admits, “It makes sense. I haven't looked at it that way, but I can't argue with any of it and I want to. Especially the fear part, but when I think about the things people are afraid of there's something they can learn, gain or there is more
freedom they could get from facing the fear or however you want to phrase it.” Suddenly feeling self-conscious he stops.
She graces him with a big smile. “Exactly. Before we start, how's your shoulder?”
He holds his arm up getting ready to move it around. She grabs his wrists and gives it a yank. He pulls back and scowls.
“That's good,” she says, “that's honest. How did it hurt? Is it a sharp stabbing pain like when you get injured and it causes damage or is it more like the kind of pain at the gym?”
“Neither” he says, “it's more like it hasn't been moved enough the way it's supposed to be for the last few days.”
She smiles again. “That's good. This is what I need from you. I need you to be honest because you are going to be my catcher and my safety is going to be in your hands to some extent. We will have a net for your safety of course, and mine because I'm going to be teaching this to you and I want both of us to get through this in one piece. The thing about trapeze is you need to have good communication and trust with the person you're working with. My partner and I have been working together for years. You and I will have days.”
“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” – Jhumpa Lahiri
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