I see Chico turn the corner to our house. He is a young man who rides his bicycle from the farms to bring us eggs and milk and vegetables. I wish I could ride a bike.
We have only one bicycle, my mom’s. I can’t even reach the pedals. There is no chance of getting a child’s bicycle until the war is over.
I try getting on my mom’s bike. I can stand on the pedals and ride without sitting on the seat. But I haven’t learned to balance myself on a bike. I look down the long slope, which is paved with cobblestones. If I stand on the pedals and go down the slope, I can turn on the road at the bottom and the bike will just keep going. I will be riding the bike!
It is working. The bike speeds up, but the cobblestones slow it enough that I don’t have to use the brakes. It is exhilarating! As I get to the bottom, I hear a chorus of cheers and whistles from the high wall of the barracks. I turn to the left, and just as I hoped, the bike keeps going. I pedal it around and circle back.
I see who was cheering. The soldiers applaud and wave. If I were surer of my hold on the handlebars I would wave back at them. I hope they can see me smiling as widely as I can.
Taking the bull by the horns
Military barracks. Our house was up the long slope to the right.
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