“I am so excited!” Little Biker Boy kept saying, as he
yanked my arm and hurried me through the store. “I keep thinking this is a
dream. I'm worried I'm gonna wake up.”
We walked through to the back of the store, where the racks
of bicycles were. Within seconds, Biker Boy had picked out the bike he
wanted.
“See? It’s got pegs!” he yelled, pointing to the wheels.
“It’s a Mongoose. That’s the one!”
Tall Salesperson adjusted the seat while Biker Boy jumped up
and down next to the bike, talking fast. “Can you move the handlebars too? Can
I have that little tool? Can you take the tags off? Can I try it now?”
“I’m going to teach you how to adjust the seat,” said Tall
Salesperson. He knelt down on the floor and patiently showed Biker Boy how to
adjust the seat and the handlebars.
“I love bikes!” said Biker Boy.
“Me too,” said Tall Salesperson. “I put this one together
yesterday.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Biker Boy as he rode
the bicycle across the linoleum. He turned at the end of the aisle, circled back,
and stopped to throw his arms around me. “I love you! I love this bike!”
I felt embarrassed by his gratitude. All I had done was
drive him to the store to buy a bike I could easily afford. My husband and I
had stopped at the store the day before, and we found out we wouldn’t even have
to assemble the bike. We just had to walk in and buy it. Biker Boy’s gratitude
was way out of proportion to the effort I’d put into the gift, but it was fun
to see how enthusiastic he was. Tall Salesperson smiled at me as we watched
Little Biker Boy ride in circles.
We paid for the bike and drove to a nearby park, where Biker
Boy tested the bike out. He pedaled across the pavement as fast as he could,
then circled back.
His last bike had been orange. He’d found the bike in our
garage a couple of years ago — it had belonged to my son Shaggy Hair Boy when he was
younger — and he’d adopted it. He and the orange bike had been inseparable
until a few weeks ago when it was stolen from his front yard.
The new bike was blue and black, and it was just the right
size. “This bike has to get used to me,” Biker said. “Just like my old bike was
used to me.” He grinned at me and pedaled off again, yelling with excitement as
he went.
20 comments:
To a kid that age, a new bike is very, very exciting.
It may not have been much effort on your part, but on the part of his parents it might have been a much greater effort/expense. So I think his gratitude is just about right. :) Great story!
Sometimes life's events take us by surprise and we forget that they have to "get used to me," just as we have to get used to them. His enthusiasm is amazing. Beautiful story.
This makes me smile.
I love your posts about biker boy and this is a beautiful story. I love bicycles just as much as he does and even though I'm 30 years old I understand his excitement! There are just so many places to go on a bike.
you're so awesome.
(did you get him a lock?)
What a wonderful reminder of appreciating the variety of life's pleasures that we can enjoy or gift to others. :)
helmet, i know you remembered that.
his parents can't do this for him. but he needs it so badly. xoxo
You rock.
Whatever happened to his sister?
Magpie - I was thinking the same thing.
Yes, I bought him a helmet and a lock. I warned him, though, that the lock won't stop most bicycle thieves, so his plan is to wheel the bike into his bedroom and keep it there.
I haven't seen his sister since June. Neither has he. She's been living with her father so I don't have any access to her.
Gifts are not about effort. They are about rightness. You did exactly the right thing at exactly the right time. That is even rarer than effort.
I think the effort on your part doesn't really factor into his gratitude, because to him this is a REALLY big deal. I bet it is one of the childhood memories that vividly sticks with him his whole life.
I love his enthusiasm.
As with everything you write about Little Biker Boy, this seems beautiful but sad. Once again, I'm happy he has you in his life.
Wonderful! I am so glad you could help him like this!!!! Could you get the bike vin etched against theft?
Etched? What do you mean?
VIN Etching is used on automobiles. The car's VIN is etched onto all of the windows to discourage their theft and resale apart from the original automobile. Bikes have (or used to when I was a kid) a Serial Number embossed in the steel under the crank. Unfortunately most people never write down their bike's serial number, also bike theft isn't always a high priority for the police. To make a quick record to prove ownership take some date stamped digital pictures of LBB on the bike as well as a picture of the Serial Number. If there is a problem that record (as well as your receipt) should convenience an officer the bike belongs to you.
Thanks, Anon!
Why were you embarrassed? It might not have been a effort for you, but isn't that what the best gifts are? Effortless? This child needs more people like you.
I have been reading these posts for awhile and I can see how much he needs YOU in his life to make it a stable life so he has a real chance to become all that he is or can be, we all do at any point in our lives. He was expressing what he feels in the only way he knew how. Accept it and appreciate it. AND thanks for sharing this story.
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