The Boo-Boo

                        I was trying to get the bicycle that was in the garage behind an old chest.

The girl I had managed to be falling in love with was going to loan it to me. Her name

was Rene and she went from being the chick that worked at the nearby convenience store

to meaning the world to me. I thought that I was naïve but Rene made me feel that I was a

fountain of worldly ways. We shared a lot of laughter and the best part of the relationship

was she did most of the talking. By that time I’d found a graveyard shift job and was

living in a rooming house. The girl I thought I’d spend my life with had moved on and

was married to J.D.’s uncle. It was weird but I’d become accustomed to things being

strange. Anyway, Rene lived with her parents and was looking high and low for her own

apartment when we got to talking one day. After I told her about the new job’s distance

from the rooming house, she smiled and offered me the bike.

　

　

                        It was a warm July day and I was tired from work but excited to be in her

house. Her dad, John, had told me with a grin where the bike was and how to get to it.

Then we stepped to the garage and he pointed with his cigarette at the spot he had last

seen the bicycle. Hoisting me up to the rafters with a mild strain, he told me to be careful. I

sent a calming smile and replied, “I’m always careful; it’s just sometimes gravity and I

don’t get along that well.”

　

 
                       John chuckled as he took a drag from his smoke. I was amazed by all the

junk that a family of four could accumulate. There were old newspapers, clothes, sports

equipment and makeup kits. While John was having a good laugh and shaking his head, I

spotted a front tire. Then turned and told him that I found the bike. I will never forget

what happened next. He said, “Good, good Chuck now grab the front tire and tug easy.

Whatever you do don’t step,” as he was speaking about what not to do I did, “back!”

　

　

                     The next thing I knew the floor had given out and I went down. Well, my

lower half went down anyway and I could not stop laughter from bursting out of me. The

crash had brought both Rene and her mom, Joan, rushing into the main bedroom.

　

　

                   Hearing mother and daughter giggling up a storm, I peeked to where my legs were

dangling. Joan was pointing to my legs with one hand while the other held her belly. Rene was

leaning against the door with tears of laughter falling down her face. I felt my head warm and said, “I

know this may be a hell of a time to ask but is there any way to get out of this position?”

John rushed inside with a small stepladder which he placed under my dangling feet. He told me to be

careful as I did the chin-up of my life. I smiled foolishly and then bounced upward. By the time I had

retrieved the bike and was looking down at the floor of the garage, the whole family unit (Rene had a

sister named Kate) were there with goofy smiles on their faces. I grimaced as John took the bike from

me and laughed. Then I climbed down off the mountain of junk to Rene shaking her pretty head. She

was a couple of years younger than I and had just graduated high school the year before. I stopped to

take her beauty in before taking the bike.


                                          She had cropped off dark hair, a truly blessed bosom, fantastic figure and

deep brown eyes. Her nose had a slight crunch when she laughed and I always felt a breeze of

wonder as I looked into her face. The rest of the family had gone inside and Rene grabbed my shirt

front. “You are a putz, you know that? They’re never going to fix that roof you know. I’m willing to

bet in twenty years it still won’t be fixed right!”

  

                                            I felt like she was seriously threatening me for a moment. I was wiped out

from work and the ordeal I’d been through. I grinned sheepishly, “I’ll take that bet, if you promise

not to threaten me anymore.”


                                           I leaned in to kiss her and she responded by giving me a lip lock I’d never

forget. Since then, there have been 3 different presidents, a couple wars, and the reinvention of

marriage. I stopped by one day about a year ago to drive past my old haunts and be sure the town was

still there. For the pure heck of it I dropped in to see if Rene was still around. She's been happily

married for years and, after exchanging a good laugh with Joan, I was saddened to learn that I

currently owe Rene for a lost bet. Go figure.