So I Rode My Bike Like Lightning

First Bike
I spent a lot of time on my bike when I was a kid. My first bike was this old yellow, rusted, ghetto thing that just about ended all my bike riding fun for life. My very first bike, the one I attached my training wheels to, didn't have plastic over the handle bars. Just raw, uncovered metal. Which normally wouldn't have been a big deal had I not over estimated my bike skills at age six and took off down the big hill, post training wheels. About half-way down the hill I face planted it into a ditch and learned a valuable lesson in the importance of plastic hand grips on bikes. Well, I actually learned about 120 or so lessons since that was the number of stitches required to sew-up my upper lip. I also ruined one of my favorite outfits. Yes, at six I had favorite outfits and I happened to be wearing my favorite at the time. My yellow jersey knit Izod tank top with identical matching yellow shorts, Crissy from Three's Company style. Both sported a green Izod alligator on the front with white racing stripes down the sides. Unfortunately they were soaked in blood seconds after the crash. I must have screamed loud as hell because it wasn't but a few more seconds and my sister was racing down the hill to check on me. Considering she hated me most of my existence, her speed to save her blood gushing little sister was quite impressive. I walked back up the hill in total panic with my sister but once home, I tried to act calm and convince my mom that it really wasn't that bad, even though the skin between my nose and my lips on the left side of my face was barely attached. Needless to say, my mom rushed me to the emergency room and I have forever a scar on my face to remind me of my fearless flight down the big hill.

Second Bike
But the wipe-out didn't deter me from riding and I got a new bike shorty after my crash. My new bike was a brand-new Huffy banana seat bike. It was beautiful. The frame was painted a cornflower blue, the shiny metal handle bars were covered with white rubber grips and the seat, it was a banana seat decorated with a mix of stripes and butterflies of golds, browns and blues. And to top it off, a white plastic wicker basket. I thought it was the most beautiful bike in all the world. Luckily, my love for the new bike was greater then my fear of bikes and I hopped right on that thing and never looked back.

My sister, number four in line of five, was too old and too cool to hang out with her little sister so I played most days with the neighbor boys riding bikes. We would ride up and down the road for hours without a real destination. The road we lived on was like one long drive way. It was straight as could be and about 3/4 of a mile long. The Boys and I lived on top of the hill so if you wanted to go very far you had to head down. I guess I got over that fear quickly after the fall because I don't remember it being an issue of riding or not riding down the hill. I do remember how much it sucked to ride back up the hill after flying down with your legs off the peddles and brakes for over half the way down. Going up was a different story and admittedly, sometimes I got off and pushed it up.

We also found ways to entertain ourselves by staying close to the house and by the cul-de-sac. Sometimes, when we were bored and wanted to do something different, we would just ride around our driveways pretending that each car was a different drive-thru window. Although now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure we didn't have multiple chains in our little street of fast-food restaurants but just multiple McDonald's. I think we were obsessed with McDonald's. At the time, Claremore was just big enough for a Sonic and a Wendy's and if we wanted a Happy Meal we had to beg our parents to stop when were in Tulsa. Oh, what a cool kid you were in school if you had your birthday party at a McDonald's in Tulsa, especially the McDonald's by Bell's Amusement Park that had a caboose train in the front where you got to celebrate with the best cake ever. Anyway, like 98 percent of the kids growing up in the 80s, we were desperate to have a McDonald's of our own in our hometown. With our envy of the city kids for their anytime Happy Meals and playground time, us College Park kids had to create our own world of fast-food heaven. Sadly, this wasn't just a one or two time game. We played this silly game often. Trading off who would play the role of the window operator that took the order and the lucky person driving through for the food. I always thought it more fun to give the order then to take the order.

But I got to say, I think the most fun on the bikes was when we rode in our Underoo's. Playing superheroes on our bikes was nothing shy of pure awesome. We would ride from driveway to driveway dressed in our superhero underwear and talk about what we would do if we were indeed superheroes. We didn't really play superheroes as much as we just rode our bikes dressed up in costume talking about what superheroes would do in given situations and scenerios. It was like we were always writing the script or next scene for our heroes to act out but we never followed through with the action. I guess we were more of the idea guys then the doers, but all the same, we were entertained. And yes, my Wonder Woman Underoos rocked!

Comments

[THE Niece]

Your bike tales are inspirational to all of us.