Evil Bike. It had to be hard. I might as well quit. “No!” I tell myself. Because I can’t quit. I have to go! My best friends Lauren and Jazzie are going to ride bikes, so I have to, too. If I ride in the trailer, I am a baby. And I can’t be a baby. So I try again.

Last Friday, Daddy invited Lauren and Jazzie to go bike riding with us to the American river. We are going in in two weeks. It’s already Monday, so I only have eleven days left. Mommy says I could just use my training wheels. But she doesn’t understand. Lauren and Jazzie don’t use training wheels anymore.

I look at my bike. It’s purple and red with white streamers on the handles. It almost looks like a peppermint. I like peppermints. Why can’t I like bikes? Everyone makes it look so easy. All they have to do is jump on and the bike takes them anywhere. At looks so much fun! With the wind blowing your hair, it’s just…wow. I heard that a kid named Tyler in my class could ride a bike without his hands. I wish I could do that. But first, I need to stop falling off.

“Daddy, can you push me one more time? Please!” I beg.

“Ok ‘londra, but just one more time. I have some papers to correct.” Daddy says.

Yes! I know I will get it this time. I just have to. I hop onto my bike and my daddy starts to push me. I peddle and peddle and then Daddy lets go. I’m flying. The wind in my face in the hot sun feels great. Then I start wobbling. I hear my daddy yelling at me to keep peddling. But I can’t, it seems I forgot how to. I was just focusing on staying on the bike. I fall. Ahh! That hurt. Daddy starts to run over. Then I realize the bike is on top of me. Once Daddy gets the bike off of me, he sees I have quite a few cuts. Some are on my leg, there are a few on my arms, and a scratch on my cheek. Suddenly everything starts hurting. Daddy makes me go inside. Great, how am I ever going to learn how to ride a bike now?

It’s Saturday now. I only have 6 days left or it’s the crib for me. I am all better now. “No more cuts,” I say. But I keep thinking, “What did I do wrong?” I was fine until I fell. Lauren and Jazzie never fall like that. Well, whatever it was, I wont happen today. I was wrong. Every time, I wobbled. The same thing happened on Sunday and Monday. 4 days left. Today is Tuesday. I have come this far. I will keep going. On my first try, I fell. On my second try, I fell. On my third try, I glided. Suddenly it all clicked. Peddle! I kept peddling. I flew. I felt so free and happy; I fell off the bike anyway!

“Oh, ‘londra, you ok?” Daddy asked.

“I’m great! Can we do that one more time?”

“I don’t know, you keep falling.”

“Please!”
“Alright, but if you fall one more time, we’re done for today, ok?”

“Yes sir!” I get on my bike and my daddy starts pushing me and then he lets go. And I ride. The winds on my back, my hair is just blowing everywhere. I love it. I keep peddle to the end of the street. Then I have to use the brakes. I stop. I look back, expecting to see Daddy right behind me. He’s not. He’s all the way on the other end of the street. Later I found out he never pushed me on the last time. I had taken off without him. It must have been the wind.

Daddy was so proud of me. He said I learned a great lesson. I had never given up. I guess he was right. I mean, I can’t go around falling off bikes. 1. It hurts and 2. I’d be a baby. Babies are little, and I am seven. Big difference.