A Shiny New Bicycle by Lee E. Shilo
It was in the last good days of that summer, and I was riding my bicycle back home. We lived three houses in from a busy intersection. I was making a left-hand turn at the traffic light, when both tightening levers from the wheels decided to loosen suddenly.
We had not been in Victoria long after and moving away from my abusive father. My mother was only getting part-time work at the General Hospital, and I so badly wanted a bicycle like all the other boys, as I was constantly being made fun of for not having one. As everyone can remember, being teased was the worst thing that could possibly happen to a child that age. As money was tight, my mother shopped around for weeks, trying to find a good deal on a cheap used bicycle. I guess she could not take my whining any longer, and finally bought the cheapest bike she could find. Okay, now most of you are thinking a normal, typical bike, right? Wrong, this is where it gets interesting! This was a fold-up bicycle. The front tire folded back to the left, and the back tire folded to the right, just like an accordion. The handle bars were a facsimile of the Banana bar type on normal bikes, but much more stupid looking, and smaller. They came out from the front prongs, for easy storage, and there was nothing to keep them tight when they were in. Each tire had a tightening lever to keep them from buckling once they were deployed. Then, it was a simple matter of just shoving the handle bars in, and away you go! I can't really say I was popular, but I was most certainly noticeable to the other kids. At that time I did not care, I had a bike to ride like everyone else, and that was all that mattered to me. I enjoyed my bike, and not getting teased, right to the end of summer.
Trying quickly to adjust and regain my balance, I pulled up hard on the handle bars. Yup, they came right out in my hands! Cars came to a screeching halt, horns began to blast from every direction, and obscenities were hurled at me as if they were supposed help me get out of the way sooner. So there I was, in the center of the intersection, with my legs trapped between the folding wheels, and the handle bars flailing in my hands, doing a balancing act trying not to fall over. I did eventually manage to extricate myself from the evil clutches of my bike, and hobbled to the side of the curb with the pieces in my hands.
I would like to point out, no one actually left their car to try and help me. I curse them to this day! Anyway, once I got the pieces home, I threw them with disgust into the garbage, and explained to my poor, hardworking mother, why I was not going to ride the bicycle anymore. Thank goodness she understood, and I never complained about not having a bicycle to ride ever again. Since then, I have walked or jogged everywhere, and consequently became one of the best at track & field runners in my school because of it. My popularity grew and no one made fun of me anymore for not having a bicycle! ŠLee E. Shilo-All Rights Reserved-2010
51