Throwback Thursday from Journal

Going Fishing

Labor Day, 1982  

Kevin was fourteen, Christi eleven, and we won’t go into how old Jim and I were.   This particular day was not overcast, yet not sunny either.   The family decided to go bowling and also have lunch at the bowling alley, about three plus miles from our house.   Our little convoy was four bicycles in a row, Kevin in front and me bringing up the rear, my usual spot in the line.   There was a greenway which cut off a large portion of miles and traffic.   Our day went along just fine and we were on our way back home, now entering the greenway.   We had gone about half a mile into the greenway when my bike ran over something on the paved ground.   Bump bump went the front, then rear tires.   I stopped, wondering what it was. 

“Mom, come on,” Kevin yelled back.

I just thought that little feeling was too strange, so I decided to back over it, rear tire first and then front, bump bump.   For some reason I enjoyed this little oddity, so bump bump forward, then bump bump again backward I went. 

“Come on!” The family trio called, quite intensely.

Of course, I had to bump bump to go forward and keep up with everybody.   About another half mile into the greenway, we all stopped.

“What was that?” I asked as the family laughed.

“Mama,” Kevin answered, “you just kept running over and over this man’s fishing pole.   He stared at you like he was in shock.”

“Well, why did he have that pole across the walk-way?”

“He was getting into a position to fish,” Kevin said. 

I never quite figured out whether the family thought it was funny, whether they were totally embarrassed, or if they even remember the incident.

I have also thought of how much harder that man would have stared if he had known it was an almost blind lady riding a bicycle that was running over and over his fishing pole.