Little Boys

Two brothers, 7 and 4, mom tells me “Grandpa they brought their bikes, they want to go for a ride.” A morning of yard work, the waiting, the worry of spine surgery, lightens, of course there’s only one answer “sure”.

So off we go to the park where a playground waits along with lots of wide sidewalks. Big Brother on his Schwinn 20” with training wheels, Little Brother on his three wheeled big wheel. We stand at a cross roads of four sidewalks: “Where are we going to go boys?” Three are level one isn’t.

Of course, Big Brother chooses the one that has a 2-3 degree slope up to the bathrooms for three baseball diamonds a couple hundred feet, a climb.

But first a push, enough to move the pedals, Little Brother is already off, no pedals for him he’s in classic skip toe balance bike mode (hmm, didn’t I give him one, he’s ready I think). The nudge get’s Big Brother going, up he climbs half way to a stop, another nudge and away, all the way to the top, they turn around.

“Alright boys now you get to go fast.”

They’re off and yes they both get it, downhill.

Off we go again up the hill, for Big Brother another nudge but I’ve noticed. “He’s grown” and luck is with me it’s a quick release seat bolt. I stop him and move the seat up half an inch, away he goes and no nudge again until the top. Then again down.

Then in the next up, he goes all the way, no nudge, no stop and as soon as the top, he turns and down he goes, grinning, Little brother too. Then without my encouragement up they go, down they go, up again and suddenly a memory from 61 years ago. The joy in the climb of any hill, the triumph of the summit, the moment when you pushed over the edge of your fear into the descent, to go fast, faster than ever, by yourself. Another freedom, granted by your bike, one earned, one that was yours.

Two little boys and for a moment a third, a 67 year old little boy joins them.