I want to meet this guy....

This is really a cute story. If you like this sort of thing. I pass a car wash to get to work. One day I noticed that out in front of the building, by where the vacuum and air hoses are, there was this little old man polishing his bicycle. I giggled about it then and it makes me smile every time I pass this place as he is there EVERY morning. He takes his bike ride for either something to do, or for some doctor recommended exercise- either way he is at the car wash EVERY morning by 8 a.m.

He takes such good care of this bike too..... I can't see any specific bags in his basket to tell me what he is off to do or where he has been before. I do look to see if I can. What is funny though, is that this just started about 2 weeks ago as I have passed this placed quite a few times a day every day for the last 3 years and have never noticed him before.

It takes me back to a time when I was a little girl. My family and I used to visit my grandparents who lived the next town over from us every Sunday. We would spend ALL day there and for a 10 year old , it became quite monotonous and mundane. My grandfathers girlfriend had allowed me to dig out her old beach bike from the shed to ride around while I was there on Sundays. I did.

The first time I dug it out, it was such an ordeal. It was way in the back and covered in all sorts of stuff. Once I got it out I wasn't even sure it was really a bike. It was so bent up and rusty. I brought my father out to inspect it and advise me as to what all I needed ti make it an actual specimen of a bike. I learned a lot that summer. I took the wheels off and propped this bike upside down and went to work on it. I removed the chain that was all rusty, sanded down the base of the bike, de-oxidised the chrome, re painted what I had sanded down. I got a new seat to replace the one that was previously on it and a pretty basket for the front.

It took me 2 months of Sundays to fix it up to where I could ride it. And did I ever do so. I rode that bike all over the neighborhood. Up to the park and back with my brother. All over the place. I could get on that bike for HOURS and simply enjoy the la la la's in my head and the same old houses I had looked at over and over again. It didn't matter as this was my way to escape into my own little world for a while. And I MADE IT. All by myself....... WHAT needed to be done was supervised by my father but the actual chore of making this bike ready to ride was all me...........

I enjoy seeing that little old guy and his bike every morning. Maybe one day I will bring him a cup of coffee and go talk to him.

We shall see..................................

Til next time

XO XO

-M