TheBanyanTree: Hot Air Balloon and the runaway bride

[NancyIee at aol.com]

When I lived on the farm in Minnesota, we had a neighbor who had a hot air  
balloon. It was black, with a jagged yellow lightning on both sides.  On  any 
Saturday in Summer, we could tell that particular balloon from all the  others 
that followed and drifted far above the Minnesota River.  I knew  from talking 
to our neighbor, that one could rent a ride on his balloon for a  tiny 
fortune. A champagne toast to celebrate, and a silent view of the  countryside.
 
One Saturday afternoon in June,  we watched as the balloon rose softly  into 
the sky. A bride and groom had ventured to buy each other an adventure, a  
wedding gift of a peaceful float over their farm and all the other farms in the  
area.  It was a second marriage, widow to widower, touchingly joining for  
companionship in their golden years.
 
There was not much wind, so the balloon tended to hover more than travel,  
and when their time was up, the pilot started to look to our gentle pasture  
behind the barn as a landing spot. As the balloon descended, we went out to meet  
it. Perhaps the groom was anxious to be back on the earth, perhaps the breeze 
 was a bit fretful and that spot in the pasture a bit bumpy. Whatever was the 
 reason, when the balloon touched down, the basket bumped, as they sometimes  
will, slightly tipping. The groom, ready to off-load, leaned out. The basket  
dragged over rough tufts of grass and the ancient groom rolled out.  The  
balloon, freed of his weight, bounded upward, caught a stray gust, and leaped  
skyward.
 
Like the poem says, "I heard him exclaim as they flew out of sight . . .  "  
"Come back, Eloise!"
 
We took the groom, his tuxedo only a little grass-stained, back to the  house 
for refreshment and rest. In a little while, the "chase vehicle" came up  the 
driveway with the bride and the red-faced pilot.
 
We served them a little cheese and crackers and iced tea while they  
recounted their flight  and tumble, non the worse for their  adventure.
 
I hope the rest of our life together is as exciting," we heard the groom  say 
as they left.