Wednesday August 31st, 2016

The exercise:

Write about: your first set of wheels.

Bakery had a lineup out the door at opening, as per usual on Wednesdays (people get a little antsy after the bakery's been closed for three days). But we got through everybody and still had a fair bit of stuff left, which is not at all usual. Well, for the summer at least.

Definitely entering the slow down now. And after the summer rushes, I do not mind at all.

Mine:

Hello again guys, Max here. I know it's been a long time since I took over the keyboard so I figured I was due.

Plus, you know, this is super important and super exciting.

So, you guys remember how we all went to see Nana and Pop? We got to ride the big ferry over to their island after having a visit with Aunt Geri and checking out the aquarium.

Oh man, you guys. The aquarium.

No, not now. I'll tell you all about the big fish and the really big fish and the super huge fish later. Gotta focus.

Okay. So we had a super fun visit with Nana and Pop. And I guess just as we were about to head back home, they gave Mommy and Dada some money to buy stuff for me and Miles.

Oh man, you guys. Miles.

No, no, no, no. Focus.

Anyway. When we got back home Mommy and me looked at some things on the computer to buy for me. And one of those things? It was a bike! My very first one! I've wanted one for so long, too.

I picked out a red one. Because red is the best color ever. Except when blue is the best. Or brown. Or when I like all the colors.

Anyway. Mommy ordered it for me and then Dada picked it up and brought it home and then we built it together and now I get to ride it!

Mommy and Dada told me it's called a run bike. So that's what I call it. Wanna see a picture of me on it? Here you go:


That's me riding my bike and picking Gradma and Poppa's grapes. The purple ones are the best. Except when I like the green ones best.

Anyway. I just wanted to share the big news with you guys. And to thank Nana and Pop for the super awesome gift. I can't wait to play balloon with you guys again.

Okay, time for me to go. Hopefully talk to you guys again soon!

Max

3 comments:

Greg said...

It seems almost odd now to hear you say that there was a queue and that anything was left after it had dissipated. I guess the bakery will reduce the amount they make now -- I think it's better to sell out slightly early than to constantly have stock left over with this kind of business.
Hello Max! That's a very fine looking run bike you have there, and the colour is my favourite too (except when gamboge is. Or vermilion. Or burnt sierra. Get your dad to show you those colours :) ).
@Marc: it's a good picture! And it sounds like it must have been Max's favourite holiday so far :)

First set of wheels
The terracotta tiled floor was so greasy that his feet slipped on it as he walked in even though he was wearing muddy trainers. He caught his balance easily though, feeling muscles tired from his early-morning run protest just a little, and walked a little more carefully to the counter. The familiar smell of old fat, just-cooked fries, roasted onions and the odd, chemical tang of molten American Cheese (as orange as his first wife's summer tan) made him salivate, and his hand unconsciously rubbed his stomach.
The diner -- Piglet's -- was quiet still, the crowd of sweating, obese regulars with red faces, broken veins and statins wouldn't be in until 7. Right now it was the much thinner but still sweaty scattering of runners and athletes needing a quick carb-and-protein fix from something closer to real food than a shake or disciplined thinking. Val was at the counter, as she was every morning. He was pretty sure that she'd never missed a day in her entire life.
"Hey Val!" His greeting had the sincerity of long familiarity and he smiled broadly. She looked up from the tabloid newspaper she'd laid on top of the slices of cheese, tomato and ham and her face broke into a smile as well.
"Omelet over-easy, chicken-fried bacon, exploded green tomatoes and a biscuit?" she said. He nodded. He'd found over the years that if the omelet wasn't over-easy it was rubbery enough to use as a frisbee, and that if the tomatoes weren't cooked until they "exploded", seeds and juices searingly hot and dripping over the rest of the food, then they'd be so undercooked that "raw" wouldn't do them justice.
"I'm getting my wheels today," said Val. "First set!"
He continued smiling while he tried to process that. "That's great Val," he said. "Can I get a coffee too, please?"
"Black as Satan's haunted soul?"
"Yeah, thanks Val. Hey, I was sure you had a car already you know?"
Val definitely had a car; he saw her sometimes in the evening driving around for hours rather than go back home to her parents, where she'd lived for the last forty-five years.
"Yeah, so?" Coffee was poured into a hot cup and put in front of him, and a hairy finger indicated he should go and sit in a booth.
"So -- first set of wheels?"
"Roller-skates!" Val's face lit up again. "We're becoming a roller-diner!"
The entire clientele stopped talking and stared at her: eighty pounds over-weight, the other side of middle-aged, one knee tricky enough that she always wore a compression bandage, and tried to imagine what the roller-diner was going to be like.

Unknown said...

I wish my story was as cool as yours. It's not about my first wagon, bicycle, or tricycle. It's about my first real car. Here it is, and I hope you enjoy:
When I turned 16 in April of 2014, my dad surprised me with a car. Yes, I know, it's a cliche move, but I was genuinely thankful and surprised. I did not have expectations for my parents to do anything like that. It is a 2002 Hyundai, and I love it. It's nowhere near being brand new, but it's reliable, and it gets me where I need to go. Typically guys consider their cars to be girls, but the minute I laid eyes on my car, I though it looked like a girl. I named her Gerry (female version of "Jerry"). I want Gerry to last me all the way through college at least. My dad has talked about me getting his car and him buying a new one. As much as I love driving his SUV, I think it would break my heart to part ways with Gerry.

Marc said...

Greg - yeah, they're definitely making less now. The goal is to still sell out, just a little closer to the posted closing time :)

Loved your descriptions in this one, especially of his 'usual' food and the consequences of ordering anything else, and that ending was spot on. Great stuff :D

Caroline - hello and welcome to the blog! Thanks for sharing this with us :)

Well, I think that's a pretty cool story. I hope that Gerry stays with you for as long as you hope!