We weren’t allowed to talk to the pilots, either. I made three jumps that week—the women do one less training jump than the men, AND they make us jump first. I don’t know if that’s because we’re considered cannier than men, or braver, or bouncier, or just less likely to survive and therefore aren’t worth the extra petrol and parachute packing. At any rate, Maddie saw me twice in the air and never got to say hello. I got to watch her fly, though.
