Shiny Red Bicycle

The Boy knows the rules but is not always responsible enough to follow them. “Sorry Mom, I forgot”, is heard around here often.

He had saved his Christmas money and bought himself a brand new bicycle. It’s shiny red and has hand brakes and everything. He is the envy of the neighborhood right now and he is quite proud of himself.

He was invited to a birthday party on Saturday night so we were going to take advantage of the opportunity and have a romantic dinner out.

Saturday afternoon The Boy decides he is going out to ride his bike. He tells me he is going to his friend Eric’s house to see if he could play. He doesn’t ask if he can go, he announces that he is going. I didn’t fight him because I do want him to have fun and Eric lives right down the street. There are several boys his age right on our street that play together so if they end up at one of their houses he is to call me to let me know where he is. He is also not allowed to ride around the neighborhood alone. Only down our street to a friend’s house can he go alone. And he is to let me know before doing so. Same rule applies if he wants to go to the park.

He had been gone quite awhile and I walked outside and looked down the street to Eric’s house. I didn’t see them out riding so figured they were in Eric’s house. So, I call to have him come home to get ready for his party. Eric’s mom tells me she hasn’t seen him. That he never showed up there.

Now I am annoyed, as he knows the rule. He is to call me if he is at someone else’s house. And he did not do what he had told me he was going to do.

I try not to imagine the worst.

I take my shower and Dad goes out to look for him. He drives around the block, to the school, to the park, and The Boy is nowhere to be seen.

So I head down the street in wet hair. I check all the houses for his bike and knock on a few doors. No one has seen him. One Father puts on his shoes and helps me search the park.

No sign of The Boy, no sign of his shiny red bicycle. Everyone we talk to has not seen a Boy with a shiny red bicycle wearing a red helmet.

I try not to imagine the worst.

Dad drives up and I get into the truck. It was getting close to two hours since I had seen him last and I am beginning to panic. Tears roll down my cheek as I say “We have to call the police”. Dad drives us around another block and we ask every kid we see if they have seen a boy in a red helmet riding a shiny red bike. Finally, a young girl playing basketball says she saw him ride by about 5 minutes ago. Huge relief as we figure he had made it home. We wonder what he is thinking finding us gone.

He was imagining the worse.

A lecture, a huge hug from Mom, a huge swat from Dad, another lecture from Mom and a review of the Rules and tighter restrictions.

I imagine that shiny red bicycle will remain a shiny red bicycle for a very long time, gathering dust in the garage.

In 8 years he will be 16.

I try not to imagine the worse