When
you are four years old, there is only one thing you must learn before you are
considered a “big kid” and that is how to ride a bike without training wheels.
If you still have training wheels you can’t join any biker gangs or go on any
bike excursions. I practiced like a fiend usually before lunch and after nap
time. These were the perfect times for practice because then I was fully
energized and ready to pedal. I rode continuous circles around the green belt
in the town homes where my family lived at the time.
One
night I was on my last lap without the training wheels everything I had ever
done had all led up to this. I surpassed a different member of my family as I
rode around the giant complex and they kept me going, cheering me on with
encouraging words. Almost finished, I could see my front door and
accomplishment was building up. I heard one last cheer from everyone, and in a
swift moment of distraction, lost all control then collided head first with a
hanging metal “for sale” sign that was posted in the neighbor’s lawn. The beast
knocked me right off my bicycle and threw me to the floor. It was an unforeseen
enemy. Low clouds had overcast the arena and a sudden wind began to kick in. A
slow trickle of rain fell onto the ground landing onto my cut knee and face. My
mom ran over, and I no longer knew if I was crying or if my face was wet from
the rain. Helping me up from under my red bike she said, “Let’s get you cleaned
up, bubba.”
I trudged along till we reached the steps, “I did so
good, huh, mom?”
“Yes you did! I’m so proud of you, in fact once we get
you cleaned up there’s a Butterfinger in the fridge for you.”
The following week my mom thought it would be a good idea
to take a bike ride outside of the confines of the townhomes. I have not ever ridden
on the street before so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was very excited. I
just had to be sure to follow any directions my mom gave me and to always stay
on the sidewalk. It was mid-April and everything was in bloom. The trees swayed
like monkeys moving vine to vine which caused leaves to fall and get crushed
beneath my tire. Sometimes they would get caught in my wheels spoke and make a
noise that I imagined a motorcycle made when starting up.
Bright
oranges, vivid pinks and blues illuminated the dessert sky until it all cast
over to an ominous purple that was caressed by glowing city lights. Once the sun
set, we headed for the streets. Starting with a quick warm up, we circled the
green belt, then we headed off out towards 23rd Ave. I had never
been there on my bike before. It was a place I had only seen from the booster
seat in the car. Other kids were playing across the street kicking around a
soccer ball. The tantalizing song that every child knew crept up behind me. I
looked back and a line had begun to form in front of the big white ice-cream
truck.
It
only took a few minutes to finally leave our complex behind and enter a whole
new world! I was keeping a steady pace, but every now and then I had to duck in
order to avoid getting hit by low hanging tree branches. The street was desolate,
and my brother rode into the middle of it, which my mom didn’t seem to mind
since there were no cars coming. It was as if we were the last people on earth
and everyone else had been exterminated in a zombie apocalypse.
“CAR!” I belted out, to my mom, as an oncoming car sped
towards my brother.
“Joshua Anthony get back on the sidewalk!” my mom only
used his middle name if she meant business! “Okay so I want you two to listen
to me, we are going to reach an intersection up here, okay?” Both my brother
and I continued to ride and listen. “When the light turns and the sign says we
can go, I want you two to just ride across Josh you go first I will go in the
middle then Jonathan, you follow me.”
“Why does Josh get to go first? Why can’t I go first?”
“Because Josh has known how to ride a bike longer then you
have! Just follow me Jonathan this is very important!”
We approached the intersection of 23rd and
Camelback no more than a minute later and were at rest for only a little while
to review one final time what my Mom had told us. Right across the street was a
Burger King. I had never eaten there, but I had always watched it pass by in
the car. Everything was a vast change, all the bright lights and reckless
noises. I was a bit dumbfounded. My head was spinning.
Just then the light changed to red and all the cars to my
left came to a sudden screech. Across the way the mechanical light said “WALK.”
“Okay, Josh, you can go!” my mom shuffled him along and
he rode across without any hesitation. Then she bolted right after him. I was
still trying to get a hold of the pedals and get a good grip on my handle bars.
By the time I left the sidewalk they were in the middle of the crosswalk vastly
approaching the other end. We were
headed northbound on the left side of the intersection. I kept looking to my
right at the mesmerizing red light. When I reached the middle of the
intersection my mom and brother were on the other side and I was lost. Half way
in the intersection, I began to turn left, heading west bound into traffic.
There I was a tiny four year old riding next to a colossal silver monster truck
that had the letters 4x4 stamped on the back. Once my mom saw this, she dropped
her bike and sprinted into traffic to come save me. When the light turned green,
the man in the truck called her a “stupid idiot” and loud horns began to honk.
The next thing I knew I was on the sidewalk in my mom’s arms crying, and my
bike was there too. For all I know my mom’s super human maternal senses tingled
and she stopped time, kicked that guy’s ass and brought me back to the sidewalk
safe and sound.
My mom held me in her arms for what felt like a lifetime.
“Mom,
what did that man call you?” I asked
picking my head up from her soaked shoulder, “A very bad name!” she said.
I
forgot my brother was even there until he said, “Can we get Burger King?” She
thought it would be a good idea to go in after what just happened and take a
break, “I can see if they’ll let me use their phone to call dad.” My mom was
still a bit shaken up.
