It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon when wifey and I decided to go
bicycling. We have a beautiful park rich in scenery, hills and turns
close to our home; well within a few minutes drive. We aired up our
tires, set our seats to the proper height and took off. The sky was so
blue and our matching mountain bikes whizzed along side each other. As
you may know, mountain bikes have the handbrakes so your feet can
pedal backwards without any braking taking place. We laughed and
pedaled along. She proclaimed that she wanted to at least make it 16
miles. I really hadnt anticipated she would be successful; but hey,
what did I know.
As she pedaled ahead I just enjoyed the view and began weaving left
and right, feeling the wheel grind against the asphalt trail. We were
at the eight mile mark and descending a long hill. I slowed down so
she could get way ahead. I had plans for this hill!
I dont know about you; but when I was a kid, we used to zip down hills
while we struck aerodynamic poses so we could really pick up some good
speed. Instantly transported back to my "used to do" days, my eyes
narrowed and my smile broadened as I stood into a pointed crouch and
lurched down the hill. The wind was whizzing by...not fast enuf. I
leaned over the front wheel so I could cut through the wind even more.
YES! I was REALLY moving now. I could see her trying to pedal up the
other side of the hill. At the bottom of the hill were two S curves;
no problem! I got this! Not only will I do these curves at full speed;
but pass her going up the hill!
I was going really fast and began squeezing the hand brakes. The curve
was coming up way too fast and I wasnt slowing down at all. The strong
wooden fence on the other side of the trail flirted with my eyesight.
No sweat! Why am I not slowing down; my grip was tight? As I glaced
down, it became apparent during my loss in yesteryears that I was only
gripping the handles and not the brakes! By the time I looked back up
speed and gravity were deep in carnal bliss and one of us was about
to be reproduced. I never gripped the brakes in time. My eyes were
glued open; but inside I couldnt panic. I refused to scream. There I
was making an L out of an S and fighting the inevitable. It was like a
movie scene. The movie screen only filled with the immediate scene.
First it was a rocking sky and top of trees; then it was rocking
trees and ground, then ground and grass and a dull thud, darkness
(brief but dark). Suddenly I wasnt moving now.
Despite wishfully thinking that I could silently crash and get up
unnoticed were completely thwarted. Suddenly everybody's watching and
horrified with overly concerned questions and dashes in my direction.
I think I got up really fast. I waved them all away and gave smiling
thumbs up as my brain raced over my body doing a status check for
breaks, scrapes and/or bleeding. From the corner of my eye, I noticed
my right knuckle dripping a little. The right side of my face felt
warm but I dared not touch it. I was actually amazed that I was moving
and obviously not visibly damaged. Standing up my bike which wasnt
easily rolling anymore, I noticed that the chain was off now. Not hard
to fix...but surely it was knocked off after the crash. The brakes
wouldnt let the wheels spin freely...but I wasnt going to acknowledge
that I might not be able to make the 16 mile goal. It wasnt until 2
miles later that I discovered that my front wheel was turned around
backwards pulling the cables tighter, making the brakes engage. Simple
fix had I noticed right away. The scrapes were beginning to burn and
my right pinky finger was throbbing; but I wasnt going to quit now. I
could hear the dull head thump playing over and over in my head. I
remember thinking how empty it sounded as I attempted to laugh at
myself. Of course I did go back to that hill .... because you know
why! It had to be done.
Still amazed at my lack of injury, I noticed a long bruise on my left
thigh distinctly purple from the soft brown tones. I smiled. It had
been so long since I had seen any damage on my body. It felt great!
No, I wasnt indestructable; but I wasnt afraid of the pain. My nights
are dotted with the scenes of the rocking movie I deemed my last
flashes before the crash I walked away from to tell. Even now, it
generates an old smile from the days of a scraped knee and a mother's
kiss; not long followed by a father's glare that declared enuf of that
and get back on the bike. It's funny what makes us remember the
smallest of things or what things really make us feel alive.
Inveribly, it is our memory from the past that makes the present just
a bit more bearable and our futures a bit more hopeful. Sometimes I
wonder if memories are our only hopes of forever.
2 comments:
Glad you're allright but...well, I have nothing else to add.
One thing: odd how excruciating memories can sometimes be our favorites.
I too am glad you're okay. P.S. You shouldn't have added the pictures because it makes the story way too funny. I couldn't stop laughing at the PRIDE picture (that was classic).
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