In moments, the envelope was out of the trailer and the cart was at the far end of the tarp, disgorging its cargo one Velcro belted section at a time. Cassie unbound each piece and collected the belts while Mark and Linda (or Glenda) followed behind her to spread out the balloon silk into a shape resembling the final inverted tear drop shape. After unbinding the envelope, Cassie organized the belts for later when they repacked.
Captain Bob explained to one of the passengers that they were welcome to help. “But don’t step on the balloon. It costs $800.00 per square foot and more time than you want to consider repairing it. I can step on it since I’m the one who pays for any repairs.”
Jon had climbed on the basket again to double check the bindings, and gestured her over when Cassie looked over at him. “Cassie, get the bundle of tethers for me, it’s inside the trailer.” He winked at her and she nodded at him, trotting around to the back side of the white trailer. There was the object of her affection, standing there looking into the dark recess of the trailer. He watched her as she stepped into the back and made her way to the front where the bindings were.
“Hi, my name is Brendan.” His voice was smooth and low, a warm creamy cup of coffee with a hit of sweetness. Cassie got chills when he spoke.
“Hi,
“Actually, it’s Brendan, but you can call me Brandon, or Dan, or Hey You. Just don’t call me late…”
“For dinner.” they said at the same time. Brendan smiled and Cassie tittered nervously. “Pleased to meet you, Cassie. Is that short for anything?”
“Actually, yes, it’s short for Cassiopeia.” The words were out of her mouth before she could think. She could not believe her tongue this morning; what could she possibly be thinking? Cassie hardly ever admitted her true name. Her mother had been both an astronomy buff and a great lover of Greek Mythology. Most people thought Cassie was short for Cassandra, which was also Greek and much more common. Her name’s derivation was slightly embarrassing; everyone who knew astronomy associated her with the constellation Cassiopeia, the giant W gracing the evening sky most of the year.
“Truly? That is a beautiful name, full of the sparkle of the stars. What a long and lovely history your name has.” Brendan’s eyes twinkled and he flashed a both charming and disarming grin at her. She thought he was teasing her for a moment, but his eyes were intent and she shook off the feeling. “Thank you for your sharing. True names are very precious.”
Cassie laughed a short sharp bark of laughter, caught off guard by his solemn remark. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. I just don’t think of it as my true name. I couldn’t tell you what my true name is; I don’t even know it myself.”
Brendan shook his head and took the bundle of tether ropes in his arms. “One of the greatest gifts of man is the naming of things. Even if the named does not feel connection to the name, the act and intention of naming has great power. Your family chose this name and it is powerful. You are right not to share it with everyone.”
Cassie had no answer for his remarks so she wisely kept her tongue for once. She followed him out of the trailer and back toward Jon. She began taking single strands out of the neatly stacked bundle in Brendan’s arms and handing it to Jon while he connected them to the basket’s frame.
“Thanks for lending a hand, man. My name’s Jon.”
“My pleasure, Jon. I am Brendan.”
“Great. If you like, once we get these attached to the envelope, you can help by holding open the mouth so the blowers can inflate it.”
“I’d love to help.”
“Is this your first flight?”
“Yes, today’s going to be my first balloon flight.”
“Wonderful, it’s a great day for it. I almost wish I was going up today.”
“Me, too,” piped in Cassie. “It is so peaceful in the sky.” She looked up and sighed.
“Come back to us here on Earth, Cassie. Why don’t you help our friend Brendan with the balloon mouth?” Jon turned his back to Brendan and winked again at her.
“Sure think, Chief.” Cassie grinned and led Brendan across the few feet to the orange fire resistant fabric making up the mouth of the Cherokee Woman. Captain Bob strode over and helped Jon get the basket on its side. He checked the connections on the burners and double checked the straps connecting the envelope to the basket.
When he finished, he smiled and came over to explain the blowers, ready to be turned on to inflate the balloon. “Stand either in front or behind the blowers. If anything breaks, it will come out in this direction,” he indicated the same plane as the fan’s powerful blades, “and you do not want to be there when it does. Safety first!” He started the first fan, then crossed to the other fan, which started loudly but then puttered out.
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