Well, slap me in the back of the head for not keeping up with my monthly story. Every time I write one it brings back some very fond memories. Over the past several months the mood of the country has been pretty glum. So, I think it's about time for a bit of levity.
When I was a young boy of 4, my family lived in a typical Baltimore neighborhood except we had grass, hedges and a front porch. My maternal grandmother who died at a very young age seemed to enjoy gifting me and my older sister. She got a cat and I got the bicycle with no brakes
Can you imagine giving a 4 year old kid a 14" bicycle with no brakes. Well, actually, she didn't give it to me, my step-grandfather was the wise guy. Nevertheless, I was determined to enjoy this brake less bike so one day, off I went. To younger people these days it may seem quite odd that a 4 year old boy, who lived near a hill, would be allowed to take off on his bike unsupervised. But, then again, I was no normal 4 year old. I was a free spirit who loved a challenge. To fully enjoy the ride that I am going to share with you we need to step back and take an admiring look at this masterpiece. The frame was yellow with hard rubber tires. I think they may have been spoked but who can remember all the little details. Now to the mechanism that was about to propel me and my brake less bike down a hill. This bike did not have a conventional chain. In place of the chain was a belt very similar to a fan belt that is used to drive the fan in your car. Now you can see why this beautiful yellow bike was brake less. A solid rubber belt required me to pedal continuously.
Slowly I drove the bicycle on flat surface past several homes. When I got to the intersection that I was warned never to cross I stopped made a right turn and briefly examined the hill I was about to descend. As you probably know, a 4 year old has no concept of death or any ability to understand risk. All I knew was the fun I would have barreling down the hill. I paused for just a moment and then off I went. Okay, now I must keep pedaling even though I am going down hill. The pedals were turning faster and faster to the point that I could no longer keep up with the circular motion. I lifted my feet and was immediately beaten each time the pedals rotated past my feet. I was coming near the end of my ride and didn't know how I was going to stop. Remember, a 4 year old isn't too bright. I decided that I had to somehow stop the pedals from spinning. I made a failed attempt to stop the pedals and when the end was nearing I made one last effort to stop the pedals and was thrown from the bike. Wow, what a way to stop.
I continued to ride that bike for a little while longer. I think my parents recognized the danger in my new bike. I don't know exactly what happened to it. As I get older and look back on this event, I wonder just how much my step-grandfather cared for me
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