The HEIR who lost a FORTUNE in a PARACHUTE

“Aye yo Dunzz! It’s ya momz! YO DUNZZ! You wanna get this before you take that leap?”

Melo’s words fell loudly on deaf ears. Dunston Derazu, aka Dunzz, was completely unaware that there was anyone around. Dunston was mentally walking through the aeronautical display he was prepared to give his 2.3 million social media followers – Dunzz Demons. Dunston was one half of a daredevil duo with his childhood friend Romelo Roice. Together, they attempted feats and stunts that rivaled the Evil Knievel flare of the 70’s combined with the social media appeal of Rob Dyrdek’s Ridiculousness. And yet, they managed to survive every escalating adventure without so much as a broken bone. Fall after fall, painful failure after excruciating success, the Dynamic Duo somehow managed to wrap up their exploit with their popular catchphrase “Demon’s do what the devil fears! Do sumpin!”

There was something about this trip up to the clouds that felt different for Melo. Maybe it was because he thought Dunzz should have rescheduled to be at home with his family. Maybe, Melo was trippin on the way Dunzz was boo-hoo bawlin’ about the doctor saying his dad probably wouldn’t live through the end of the month. Or maybe, Melo was just now starting to think about his own future since learning he would soon be a father to a child being carried by Dunzz’s ex-girlfriend Deniece.

In all fairness, Dunzz & Melo had been working on this jump for years. Rescheduled and cancelled at least three times due to weather, aircraft issues, and site permit problems, this trick brought together 30 other social media superstars from experienced jumpers to fashion mavens in a plane for their very first time. All total, the 32 jumpers captured the hearts, minds, screens, and fingertips of nearly half a billion people. There was NO WAY IN HELL Dunzz was going to back out of this jump. When Melo saw ‘Ma Dukes’ number flash across Dunzz’s phone screen, his heart dropped down into his stomach, and it had nothing to do with turbulence. Melo got a bad vibe from the way the phone rang. After shouting unsuccessfully for Dunzz, Melo swiped across the phone screen to peek into the cloud that shrouded this call.

“Allo mum! Thees is Melo! Dunzz – uh, Dunston is gettin dey final lookthrough on his equipment, yeah.”

Romelo could hear the pain strangling her voice. This warrior woman who stood a full 6 feet 7 inches and projected the strength and power of a legendary Amazonian spoke barely above a teary whisper. In that moment, Melo knew Dunzz’s hero was gone. Despite all of the social media acclaim and public hype the Dynamic Duo earned, Melo figured out in the 2nd grade that all Dunzz wanted was his dad’s approval and to make him proud.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Papa Derazu - or Papa D as Melo called him - had become the 5th richest person in the world through biotech and biomedical research. For every new follower the Dynamic Duo gained, Papa D gained five. Papa D’s firm had discovered a possible cure for brain cancer and the type of cancer that originated in the breast tissue. The trials were going extremely well and showing positive gains until Papa D was hit by a drunk driver in a head-on collision. The other driver died in the crash, but Papa D spent the last two months fighting for his life, recovering and relapsing only to regain strength again before falling into a coma six days ago. The rumors and social media conspiracy theories of corporate espionage and sabotage just added to the unbearable weight that the Derazu family was forced to carry.

Though not originally planned as such eight months ago, this jump had become Dunzz’s mental retreat and chance to get away from the pain of watching his hero become a shell of the legend Dunzz worshipped his whole life. Dunzz knew his mom was calling. By the time Melo saw the call, it was her fourth call since they had gone wheels up. While going through the mental acrobatics of this jump, Dunzz tried not to replay the conversation with his mother as he stood in the airport hangar . . .

“You have to know how much your dad loves you and how he loves watching you become this ‘larger than life’ personality. He used to laugh out loud watching the crazy stuff you and Romelo get into. But, he was SO SO worried about you being safe. His last request is for you to leave the daredevil life. If you agree not to do anymore wild and outrageous things, he wants to make you the heir of his company – you run it – and leave you most of his money. It’s a fortune worth over a $100 billion dollars. He believes in your creative genius and your care for making people feel seen. All you gotta do is walk away from the wild life and agree to no more foolishness . . .”

Mama D’s words stung like needles in Dunston’s heart. As he made the final check on his parachute, Dunzz was stuck on the thought that his dad never really knew him. Standing now in the wide open portal with wind pulling him out into the clouds, Dunzz pretended not to see the dread in Melo’s face who was staring at a phonescreen when he should have been staring at the very hand of God. Shouting out to Melo as he made the leap of faith into the clouds and a sea of sky-floating bodies, Dunzz screamed,

“If he really loved me, how could he ask me to give up all of this . . .”