Two years ago, I gave in and agreed to the purchase of a high-end tandem bike for Lee and I. Usually, bike riding with Lee on individual bikes was never much fun. His legs and lung capacity are double in size to mine so as I’m nearing a blackout from exhaustion pedaling up a hill, he is rounding back down the hill to “wait” for me. We couldn’t chat, which may have been a good thing since I usually didn’t have anything nice to say, nor could I – even if I wanted to – never being able to catch breath. I thought the tandem would be perfect as long as he didn’t go overboard with his enthusiasm. If you have read ANY of my previous posts, you know exactly what I’m talking about. He scares me with anything involving health.
We have taken out our new and impressive bike only a few times because we crashed a lot. Really, a lot. I didn’t mind too much; I actually got to brag and show people that I exercised and had the scars to prove it. I was always ready to try again but Lee began to feel hesitant as the last outing prompted not only us to crash, but people riding bikes behind us. But on Sunday, it was the 2nd anniversary of Nick’s death, and we decided to take on the challenge of staying upright on our bike for a significant amount of time.
It was a picture perfect day! The temperature was about 80 degrees, blue skies with no wind. With water bottles, helmets and first aide kit loaded in the truck, we took off for the bike/walk path that runs parallel to Legacy Highway – a fairly straight and flat road about 13 miles long. We hopped out of the truck, started to unload the bike when I asked, “Where is the front tire?” Lee looks at me, then at the bike. He stops unloading and we head back to the house to get the front tire. Forty five minutes later, we are on the bike path!
We had a blast! Lee is my perfect bug screen and human air bag. While I hear him cough out bugs, I am thoroughly enjoying the scenery and my thoughts of Nick are sweet and tender. I am very proud to say we made 17.5 miles without tipping over once! Our confidence is growing and I predict more rides throughout the summer.
We had stopped by Nick’s grave on the way to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing Sunday morning, mainly to clear off the old, cruddy flowers left behind from Memorial Day. The grounds were to be cleared the following day so we didn’t bring any new flowers. However, later that afternoon, one of Nick’s fairy godmothers had dropped off a huge balloon bouquet. She also ran into several of Nick’s friends who were visiting him, too. When we went to visit Nick again before it got too dark, we saw the balloons, flowers and a shot of whiskey all on his headstone. It was wonderful to see! I also received many emails and texts from friends and family that shared memories, all making my heart happy and full. My meltdowns occurred periodically throughout the past week, but today was a great day!
