Then I remembered I had bought one specifically for him. It was a disposable camera so he could use them all up, then I could get them developed for him.
Delving into my bag, I grabbed the camera and nudged Jeremy’s shoulder. He turned, saw the camera, and gasped a little. “Thank you!” He beamed at me, turning to take a picture of everything he could.
As he snapped away, I looked down and admired all the boats along the River Thames. In the distance, I could spot Grosvenor Bridge and Victoria Station. Seeing everything from up here felt strange. It made me see London in a completely different light. It was like I was seeing the city all over again, but from a different perspective. I loved it.
“Hey, Tyler!” Jeremy shouted.
I turned and he took a picture. “Jeremy, I wasn’t ready for that!”
He just smiled. “Come on. Let’s take a selfie.”
Smiling, I moved myself forward so Jeremy and I could move in as close together as we could. Jeremy quickly snapped our picture and I moved away. “That’s going to be my favourite,” he shouted.
I nodded. “I think it will be mine, too. I will have to get a copy and blow it up.” Jeremy smiled, then went back to staring ahead.
It wasn’t long before we were passing the House of Commons, following the river past Tower Bridge. It was a little way past there that Charlie suddenly turned and we were flying back to Redhill. We were soon over the countryside, which amazed me. I didn’t realise England could get so green so quickly once you left London.
“Now, do you want to have a go at the control?” Charlie asked.
Jeremy looked excited, but also a little hesitant. “Don’t worry,” Charlie said. “I won’t let you fall from the sky.” He chuckled and Jeremy soon followed. I, on the other hand, didn’t find that comment so amusing. Maybe I was a little more scared of flying than I thought.
Charlie motioned to Jeremy to grab the joystick and held his hand in place for a minute to show him how to control it. Once Charlie was satisfied, he let Jeremy take control and even asked him to slowly turn to the right a little. He did and we went a little off course, but Charlie soon had us back on track. I think I lost a few weeks of my life.
“Are you okay back there?” Charlie asked, noticing my worried expression.
Shaking myself out of it, I smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you. This is all new for me, too.”
Charlie chuckled and looked at Jeremy. “He’s a natural. I may have to worry about my job with this kid around.” Charlie smiled and Jeremy beamed with joy.
“So,” Charlie continued. “Now that you’ve had a try, would you come again?”
Jeremy nodded enthusiastically. “In a second! This has got to be the best day I’ve ever had in my life.”
Jeremy continued to beam, but I couldn’t help feeling saddened by his comment. In such a short amount of years, Jeremy never got to have days like this where he was spoiled rotten by someone who cared for him, and it wasn’t right. It shouldn’t have been that way.
As we got closer to Redhill, Charlie took back the controls and started descending towards his landing pad. I checked the time and it was a little more than the scheduled half-hour. I smiled a little, hoping that was because the pilot was enjoying Jeremy’s company so much that time simply got away from him.
As we landed, my stomach seemed to come back down to earth, and I sighed. I did enjoy the ride. I just got nervous when people joked about falling from the sky. I’d always feared dying in a plane crash or drowning at sea. It was something I knew I should never think about, but I thought about it nonetheless.
“How was that?” Charlie asked me as he switched everything off.
“It was great. Thank you. It’s certainly been a memorable day.”
“You’re welcome.” Charlie smiled. “Maybe next time you could come and take some lessons.” He looked at Jeremy with a wink and I could tell he was getting a huge kick out of this.
Getting out of the helicopter, Charlie opened the door for me, handing me a card. “If Jeremy’s interested in some lessons, I can give him a very good discount. He really does have a natural talent.”
Taking the card from his hand, I smiled. “Thank you, Charlie. It’s definitely something to consider.”
And I did consider a lot of things when we, eventually, said goodbye and headed back to the hospital. Although Jeremy looked over-the-moon about his birthday present, I couldn’t help this nagging feeling that he was hiding how he was truly feeling.
“Are you okay?” I asked when we were in the car and halfway home.
Jeremy took his eyes away from his window and stared at me a moment. “Me? I’m fine. A little tired, but feeling great after that. I can’t thank you enough for this day. It is one I will never forget.” He smiled brightly, turning his head back to stare out of the window. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I could see Jeremy’s hand motioning a little my way. With his palm upturned in a gesture of affection, I couldn’t help the teary smile that overwhelmed me. I took his hand and he wrapped his fingers tightly around mine, squeezing slightly. He never looked over, never said a word, but I knew Jeremy was trying his best at giving me something other than his normal jovial, flirtatious self.