Easy As Falling Off A Bike part 10

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Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad.
part 10.

Stella led me out to the driveway, Simon was loading my broken bicycle into his boot. "Cor this is light isn't it?" he remarked about my bike, "carbon fibre, I suppose."

I nodded my response and smiled, let him think me stupid and himself clever, because if we get into the finer points of bike construction, I might give myself away. I saw my battered Mavic rear wheel, still with flailing spokes, as he shut down the boot lid. It had taken me a week to build those wheels, and seconds for Stella to destroy one of them.

"Nice bit of kit, do you race?" Simon turned towards me wiping his hands of any oil or water from my precious velocipede.

"Occasionally, sometimes I ride with the university club and mostly I ride on my own. It helps me to think as well as keep me fit."

"It certainly does wonders for your figure, maybe I should try it," Simon tapped his belly. He actually looked in good shape, so I think he was making small talk, or worse starting a chat up.

I looked at him, he was quite good looking, his dark curly hair drooped over his one eyebrow after he'd bent to stow my bike. Were I looking to be chatted up, I could do worse. Then I realised what I was thinking to myself, my God, what was happening to me?

"It's unlocked," he said before he got in the driver's seat. Stella, got in behind him. I walked around the back of the car and opened the passenger door to sit beside Stella in the back and was told to go and sit in the front with Simon.

I took a deep breath and got in the front, smoothing my skirt as I sat on the plush leather upholstered seats. I pulled on the seat belt and sat as close to the door as the seat and belt would allow me to.

"I don't bite," smiled Simon and recollections of my thoughts of them as cannibals came flooding back. I smiled back at him, but stayed where I was. He sighed and started the car.

I can drive but don't have a car, they cost too much money to buy and run, instead I choose to use bikes - a MTB for running about the campus or town on, and my thoroughbred, presently lame and lying in the boot of the car. The car was an automatic, I've only driven one of those once, it half frightened me to death, I kept stepping on the brake with my left foot.

Simon, reversed out of the driveway and eased the car into drive and off we went. The purring of the engine was barely noticeable and the coldness of the leather was becoming warm under my bum. "Nice car," I said and smiled at the driver.

"Yeah, a change from Beamers, I'm quite pleased with it."

Generally speaking BMW drivers, along with several other high performance makes such as Audi plus the Chelsea tractors*, are not viewed by most cyclists as friendly. My own experience would bear that out, having nearly come to grief at the hands of an Audi driver only last week. Somehow they expect you to disappear or get out of their way, so they can continue on their self-absorbed journeys. Our usual term for such morons rhymes with anchor!

So Simon was a reformed BMW driver, I wasn't sure if that boded well or badly for him, because Volvos can be just as badly driven, especially the old estate versions which handled like tanks.

Again I had to stop and tell myself off, what am I thinking. I might be a girl inside, but at the moment under all these feminine items and make up, is a bloke with tits. I shook my head at my own folly.

Simon saw me and asked me what I was thinking. I blushed and lied, "I'm wondering how I'm going to get my bike repaired."

"Look I pass a bike shop on my way to the office each day, why not leave it with me and I'll get it sorted for you?" He beamed a smile at me, unfortunately, this wasn't really what I wanted to hear. The sixteen pounds of alloy and carbon fibre lodged in his boot was my baby, I wasn't at all sure that I wanted someone else messing with it. But how do you tell that to someone who thinks they are doing you a favour? Or was it his sister he was protecting?

"No it's okay," I said, "there's a shop not far from my place, I'll get him to check it out. But thanks anyway."

"I insist," said Simon, "after all we caused the problem."

Why do men always want to argue? "Please," I said looking him sraight in the eye, "but I'd prefer to have it go to someone I trust."

"So you don't trust me?" he said looking hurt.

"Not if she's got any sense," came from the back seat.

"Pipe down Stell, this is none of your business." He scowled at her and she poked out her tongue back at him. Now I was sure they were siblings. "You have lovely green eyes," he said to me and I nearly choked.

"What's that got to do with her bicycle?" Stella called from behind.

"Never take your sister with you on a date," he said smiling at me then snarling at her.

"I wasn't aware we were on a date," I said feeling very worried, "we've only just met."

Simon looked out the front of the car and went very red, Stella laughed loudly on the back seat, "She's got you there Si, ha ha."

"I didn't mean it like that," blustered Simon, but neither of us believed him. "It's just a figure of speech." He was still red in the face.

"Figment of your imagination, you mean," called his sister.

I was beginning to feel a bit concerned at their antics and also what would happen if he managed to drop Stella off before he took me home. I would have to stay alert to all possibilities and stay one jump ahead. In fact, I had decided to ask Stella to stay with me until he took me home, that way I should be safe, or at least safer. This was all new to me and I felt a bit out of my depth.

Anyone appearing to fancy me was a new experience, as a girl being fancied by a man was almost too much, my senses were in danger of overload processing all this new info. It was all right for Stella to laugh, she was safe from this predatory male plus she had her whole life experience to fall back on. I had about two hours.

(* Chelsea tractor a pejorative term for 4x4).

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Comments

Let me see.

This is coming across as a romantic comedy with an all star cast playing lovable looneys!
Hugs!
grover

British cyclists hate Bankers?

I'm a banker, I feel like I've been insulted -- grin --

You know why they call them 4x4s? Because that's the composite IQ of the people in one.

That was a custom road bike the nurse trashed by driving too fast for conditions? It may be a funny and charming story but what if this was real life? Ha ha, what if she'd crippled or killed him? Barrel of laughs. Her brother is trying too hard for a date. What a strange guy.

It's like he's saying, "My sister nearly killed you with her carlessness so can I hop in the sack with you, Babe?"

I used to ride a lot and commute across the city to college and some drivers are killers in training.

Inventive, funny stuff. Wacky characters though I have doubts as to their sanity.

They say humor is how people deal with the absurd and what they can't comtrol. I've always wondered who *they* are?

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

Watch the traffic!

I used to ride a lot and commute across the city to college

Good thing you were never "rear-ended"!

And that crack about 4WD vehicles sounds like something I'd expect to hear from some Yankee who listens to PBS. Oh, wait, you are a . . . Never mind, nobody's perfect.

KJT

"Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." Anonymous


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

fresh air

kristina l s's picture

I own a 20 year old Range Rover, otherwise known as a Nth Shore tractor...similar derivation to the Chelsea no doubt. Oh...Nth Shore of Sydney...regarded as somewhat affluent relatively. Yeah well...I'm a mis-fit, as usual. I also used to ride a sub 20 pound Trek aluminium (yes that's how it's spelt!)MTB, sold it to pay the rent a few years back... so I do notice cyclists and seldom run them over. Shimano and gripshift and hand built(not by me) wheels, in case you're wonderin'.

I like the slightly exagerated paranoia...I can relate. I notice a few use the looney word, I just nod in sympathy... it does often sort of fit... and not just me I think.
Kristina

Trying hard to keep up.

RL has this annoying habit of interferring with important things. With 2 of my favorite authors off travelling, and a summer drought of liked reading (for me), this tale has become addictive and enjoyable. The reading delays mean that I get several chapters at once, and that adds extra.

A, please keep posting, and many thanks.

You know it is good

If it is just chapter ten and you're delighted to know there's an entire Kilobike ahead of you!

Faraway


On rights of free advertisement:
Big Closet Top Shelf

Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!

Faraway


On rights of free advertisement:
Big Closet Top Shelf

Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!

Such a Quick Read

Well what a nice story and so much to look forward too. problem is it feels so addictive will have to be careful not to read all night.

Goddess Bless you

Love Desiree

Goddess Bless you

Love Desiree

I guess finding this

I guess finding this wonderful story as late as I have means no waiting for chapter updates. Ill be busy for awhile.


I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Driving

Aljan Darkmoon's picture

The car was an automatic, I've only driven one of those once, it half frightened me to death, I kept stepping on the brake with my left foot.

I prefer a clutch pedal under my left foot, too. Bloody automatics waste petrol, and never shift at the right time.

Generally speaking BMW drivers, along with several other high performance makes such as Audi plus the Chelsea tractors*, are not viewed by most cyclists as friendly. My own experience would bear that out, having nearly come to grief at the hands of an Audi driver only last week. Somehow they expect you to disappear or get out of their way, so they can continue on their self-absorbed journeys.

That is because the manufacturers run advertising campaigns that appeal to people’s (both men’s and women’s) animal instincts, namely aggression and dominance. “Emerge from the freeway victorious, not victimized. Our latest model has 20% more power; if you are not getting one, prepare to eat 20% more dust.” Here in the States, what we call Sport Utility Vehicles are enormously popular among women, ostensibly to transport large families, but also because women feel safer in something massive. The way these “armoured tanks” inspire women to let loose their own aggressive instincts has become so notorious that Matt Groening did a Simpsons episode about it.

Agree on the transmission choiceq

Diesel Driver's picture

I much prefer a manual transmission equipped vehicle compared to the same vehicle equipped with an automatic. I haven't tried one of the new paddle shifted twin clutch transmissions but I suspect I would find it great for upshifting but not so great for grabbing the right gear for hills when pulling a heavy load. My pen name should tell you why. I drove large trucks for awhile mostly with 20' doubles and a 10 speed manual transmission. That was so long ago that the 8.1 liter diesel engine didn't even have a turbocharger. I wish I had a 10 speed in my current diesel powered pickup instead of the 6 speed manual it has. But it's still more fun than driving an automatic version and better at pulling a large trailer.
I don't go fast and always ALWAYS watch out for cyclists, engine powered and human powered, especially the latter.
In my opinion they are the bravest of the brave.

Chris

Manual transmission vs automatics

Diesel Driver's picture

"The car was an automatic, I've only driven one of those once, it half frightened me to death, I kept stepping on the brake with my left foot."

Drivers should be better trained. Not being able to drive either type is a silly way to limit your own abilities. I drive both interchangeably. When driving a manual transmission equipped vehicle I use my right foot for power and stopping. When driving an automatic equipped vehicle I use my left foot for braking and my right foot for power. It's become automatic for me. (Pun not really intended.)

Chris