My First Bike


I didn't get my first bike until I was seven. Any older bikes we had Steve ,Geno and John had destroyed by repeatedly crashing into each other , or seeing who could ride into walls the fastest. So when I turned 7 all I had for bikes were a bunch of mangled twisted wrecks. In early spring of that year we drove by a yard sale that had a red bike for sale. I pleaded and begged my parents for that bike. The fact that it was a girls bike with 2 flat tires and a busted chain didn't deter me. I wanted that bike.
Dad feeling particularly nice that day , let me have it. When we got it home Dad took it to a man that lived a few doors down and ran a makeshift bike repair shop. Dad asked if he could repair it. The repair man smiled and said ," Your little girl will be riding this in no time."
"It's for my son."
The repair man looked a little sheepish. "Oh sorry. Hey for an extra dollar I'll replace the pink seat for something less girlish ."
Dad agreed. A week or so later Dad called me out to the backyard. There gleaming in the sunlight was my repaired bike. The repair man had put two new tires, a new chain , and a cool new black banana seat on my bike. It even looked as if he had painted it.
With everyone watching , I got on the bike. I moved the kickstand up and put my feet on the pedals. I then promptly fell over. It seemed in all the excitement of having a new bike I had forgotten I didn't actually know how to ride one. Geno and John laughed , and went back in the house. I could hear Rose ask mom if she could have my bike.
Dad helped me up. With a small frown on his face he told me, " I'm not buying you training wheels." He turned and followed my brothers in the house.
I looked over at Rose and realized that if I didn't learn how to ride this thing soon, she was going to get it. Doggedly I spent the next half hour trying to get it to go more then 2 feet without falling over. My 17 year old brother, Steve saw me doing this when he came home from his girlfriend Kathy's house.
"Why are you on a girls bike", he asked.
"It's mine."
"Do you even know how to ride a bike?"
"No." I explained to Steve that I was afraid if I didn't learn soon Rose was going to get it. I asked him if he could help me.
Steve looked at the bike for a little bit. "But it's a girls bike" he said almost whispering.
"Please?"
Steve clearly looking like it was against his better judgement agreed to help me. He took me to small hill by our house. I climbed on the bike. Steve held me steady for a second then pushed me down the hill. I made it 10 feet before I fell over. I got up and walked back up the hill. We did this all afternoon. Steve looked like he was having great fun shoving me down this hill.
I was covered in scrapes and bruises , but amazingly by the end of the day I could ride a bike. To show off and prove to Rose I knew how to ride a bike ,I rode it around my house for the rest of the evening. Mom looked very happy for me.
"I taught him", Steve said clearly proud.
For the next few weeks I rode that bike everywhere I went. I would ride to the woods by our house , and I rode it to school every day. All the local boys my age would race our bikes. I couldn't have been happier.
By that summer I was riding it to a nearby creek almost every day to go fishing. One day, as I was coming back some boys I didn't know jumped me. They roughed me up a bit and stole my bike. I ran home crying.
The only people home were Steve and Geno. Steve wanted to know if I was hurt , and why I was crying. I told him that some boys I'd never seen before had stolen my bike. Steve wanted to know which way they had went. Sobbing I pointed the way. Steve and Geno got into Steve's car and drove off.
About 5 blocks from our house Steve saw some kids he didn't recognize riding bikes. In the middle of the pack was a boy riding a red girls bike. Steve drove his car a little ahead of the boys and pulled over, waiting for them to pass by him and Geno. They both grabbed a couple long sticks from a nearby tree.
I was sitting outside the front of my house when a shortwhile later Steve's car pulled up. The trunk was open and I could see a bike sticking out. Steve and Geno got out. Geno's shirt was ripped a little. Both looked extremely pleased with themselves. Steve went to the back of his car and pulled a bike from the trunk. He rolled it over to me.
" Here you go." He looked even more proud then when he was shoving me down that hill.
I was very touched Steve would do this for me. First he helped me learn how to ride , and now this. I stared at the bike for a moment , then looked at Steve.
" Um......... That's not my bike Steve."
The smiles faded from their faces. Geno began to look nervously around.
" It's not yours? Are you sure?"
I looked at the bike. Other then it being a red girls bike it bore no resemblance to my bike at all." Yeah that's not my bike."
" How many boys are riding red girl's bicycles ?!" Steve was clearly not happy. Geno looked as if he was about to have a heart attack.Steve banged his head against his car.
"What are we going to do", Geno asked.
" Let me think", Steve said. I stared at the bike. Mine was better.
Steve made Geno roll the bike over to the nearby basketball court and leave it there. He then pulled his car over to the side of the house where it would be harder to be seen. Geno spent the better part of the night looking out the window. Even though they got the wrong bike I was very grateful for what they had done. I went up to Steve and thanked him. I also spent the night torturing Geno by saying" Is that a police car" every time I heard a car.
Two days later the police did come to our house. As they pulled in front of our house , Geno began to run back and forth as if trying to find a place to hide. When they knocked on the door , my Dad answered. The police had found my bike. The cop told my Dad that it was the second girl's bike stolen in one night. I thanked the officer and put the bike in my backyard. I walked in the house and headed for my room.
As I passed the bathroom , I told Geno it was safe to come out.