I have no idea how this all happened, but it just happened. We were down in Wallingford and it was the weekend of Buy Nothing Group. People had all kinds of furniture, clothes, toys, and electronics out on their front lawn. I saw a bike in the front yard of a house and I got excited. Right on the handlebars was a piece of paper that had the letters FREE. It was a TREK, Antelope, Michelin bike tires, and looked pristine. I couldn’t believe it. That had been my next goal, a bike, and possibly a canoe or paddleboard. She’s so dang athletic and smart that I have to keep thinking of new things to stimulate her super scary smartness. I wanted to ride and run Charley out a bit without making it so taxing on me. It gets old using the foot leather express every day and taking the bus when everything can be reached by bike. Right next to it was a blue/red little trailer that tows behind it, marked FREE as well. I used to have one for my children, but I remembered my friend Nick who has a set-up just like that but uses it for his dog, Brandi. Maybe, Charley, could one day ride in the back if she is tired, as she tends to towards the end of our main outing. She can’t understand that however we got to our destination, it is going to take the same time and way to return back home. That is when she starts acting out, and to be honest I was getting really worn out dealing with a tired Charley. This is going to be perfect. This was the answer. I felt like an angel put it there just for me.

I wanted the bike. The only thing is Charley freaked out. She has seen bikes and usually watches them and might try to bark and run at them, but that is about it. Now I was pushing a bike AND a trailer. She was doing everything to get away. She was making it so difficult, but I was dead set on at least getting the bike. The trailer may be later, but I wanted that bike. She ended up getting away, slipping out of her collar, and I had to sit down and just collect myself and my thoughts. Try to calm her. Still determined about the bike.

After calming her down, we started our journey down the hill to the bus stop and passed by Dick’s Burgers. Smelled so good. I was starving. I ended up ordering 2 Deluxes, and 2 Hamburgers, 2 fries. $28.

That’s when I tried to get on the bike and ride it. I couldn’t get my leg over the middle bar. I thought that maybe I was having issues from not riding a bike in a while, but I knew exactly what the problem was. It was too big. Way too big. I even tried to get on from a higher point than the bike, but it felt like I’d be riding a unicycle. No, no, no.

I was able to get the whole train and caboose over to Nick’s house, hoping he had a bike and we could swap. He is way tall, and it would fit him. Turns out he loves it, including the trailer, and yes, he did have a bike.

And a kitten.

I had been thinking of getting Charley a kitten for the company because I think she might like it. But I wasn’t seriously thinking about it.

The bike I got was an expensive bike. He offered me his bike, and the kitten. He had just gotten a new bike, purple, and it was too small for him. I agreed, watched wistfully as he walked the TREK away with Brandi in the back, and tried to think how I was going to manage a kitty, Charley, and a bike when I had a few buses to go. Turns out I didn’t fair too well. Charley wasn’t minding me riding the bike, and the kitty was in my cloth purse, but I could tell she couldn’t quite understand how I was moving so fast. She kept looking behind her and did what I was frightened of. She stopped right in front of the bike, causing me to fall and rip my knee open again, and having the peddle scrap the back of my leg. It was painful. The bike seized up after that for some reason, and I didn’t have any tools on me to fix it, so I tried to stash it behind a bunch of trees. I would try to get it in the morning.

Nope. It was gone.

But Charley and I have a kitty now. I almost had a bike. (The kitty is absolutely adorable, and I just heard its first purr. Very mellow too.) We will see. Nick said he could take her back if it went bad.

We shall see…