Crash

I

Bill was enjoying his usual late afternoon bike ride when he rounded a blind corner, building up speed to make it over the next hill. He veered toward the middle of the path to go faster. Halfway round, another bike was in the middle heading right at him. The other bike swerved, but clipped the cane of a slow walker and flipped the old guy over. The other bike crashed too, getting caught up in the cane.

Bill had moved to the right, and he sailed through and then up the hill. He heard a strangled cry, “help,” but Bill kept going. The rest of the ride he wondered if he should have gone back to help. The crash had looked pretty bad, though. Besides, he wasn’t a medic, so maybe he would have made things worse. Near home he saw the turnoff to another bike path that he always thought about taking. Bill wished he had taken the other path that day.

II

Bill came home to a nice pesto pasta dinner with his wife Alice and son Junior.

Bill retired last year, was in his early 60s, and was still athletic from his frequent biking and exercise regime. Alice had short brown hair, was Bill’s height, and loved her gardening. Junior graduated with a political science degree three years ago, medium build, and was working in a service job since he was still finding himself.

“I really had a nice ride today,” Bill said, “on a new bike path.”

“Really,” said Alice, “but you always take the W&OD trail.”

“You took a new trail?” Junior asked. “I thought that you would follow the same path until you died. Mr. straight and narrow.”

“He has been talking about trying the 8 mile path for a while,” said Alice. “I’m so glad you finally did it. How was it?”

“Very nice,” Bill said. “You start off going by train tracks and the highway near Black’s Hardware, until you ride along a creek. It is so calming to hear the water rushing over the rocks. I even saw a deer drink from the stream.” Bill had done his homework.

“Will you take the new trail again?” Alice asked.

“Yes, I may,” Bill said. “The W&OD is getting really crowded.”

Alice nodded “You have had some close calls on the W&OD. Some people bike way too fast.”

Junior’s phone buzzed.

“I thought we agreed no phones during dinner time,” Bill said.

“Sorry, Dad, but this is an emergency. Angie says that she needs to talk to me right now. Excuse me,” Junior said as he left the room to take the call.

“That boy can’t say no to Angie,” said Bill.

“They seem to be getting serious,” Alice said. “She seems like a nice girl though.”

Junior came back. “Oh my god, it’s about Angie’s dad Frank. He’s really hurt. I need to meet her at the hospital.”

“How terrible,” said Alice, “what happened?”

“He was walking on a bike trail, and he got hit.”

“What trail?” Alice asked.

“She didn’t say,” Junior said. “I know he likes the W&OD trail.”

“Thank god you weren’t there, Bill,” Alice said, “you need to take the 8 mile trail from now on.”

“Yes, dear,” said Bill. “I don’t want you to be worried.”

“Ok, but I better get to the hospital,” Junior said. “Angie is expecting me.”

“Can you drive?” Alice asked. “You seem pretty shook up.”

“Umm, I think so.”

“Bill, we can’t risk another accident. Can you drive Junior to the hospital?” Alice asked

“Of course, dear,” Bill said.

Bill dropped off Junior at the hospital, but he wouldn’t come in since this was her family time. Bill suggested that Junior text him when he was ready to come home.

On the way home, Junior explained that Frank was walking around a bend, when two bikes were coming right at each other, then one turned and hit him. The biker that hit him crashed, so bystanders made sure that he stayed and would pay for the accident. Frank was really mad about the biker who got away, even though he caused the crash. Frank had a mental picture of the bike and what the biker was wearing, and would look for him, when he was able, on the W&OD trail.

III

“Frank is so happy you are helping him,” said Angie. She was dressed in her business suit, having come over to Bill’s house directly from her marketing job. Angie was tall, with shoulder length hair, and known for her quick wit by her friends. Angie said “since Frank can’t walk anymore, you taking him on the wheelchair to the W&OD trail is one of the few things he looks forward to.”

“It’s terrible what happened, and I thought that I should help out,” said Bill. “Plus, I made a new friend.”

“How wonderful,” Angie said. “It’s so hard to make new friends when you get older. You have become one of his best friends.”

“I wish that I had met Frank much earlier,” Bill said.

“That’s right,” Junior said, “you could have explored the trails together. By the way, have you ever seen the guy who caused the crash?”

“No, not yet, but we look for him every day. Frank has quite the mental picture of that day.”

“Didn’t you used to bike on the W&OD trail?” asked Angie.

“Yes, I did,” Bill said, “but then it got too crowded. I switched over to the 8 mile trail.”

“We couldn’t believe that the old dog changed his routine. He is such a creature of habit,” Junior said.

Angie added, “didn’t he also make other changes to his routine, all of a sudden?”

“He sure did,” Junior said, “he got a new bike.”

“It went better on the hills of the 8 mile trail,” said Bill.

“He even gave away his old bike to Goodwill,” Junior said. “Usually he is such a pack rat.”

“I wanted someone else to be able to use it,” Bill said.

“That sure is a lot of changes for an old guy who treasures his routines,” Angie commented.

“That’s not all,” Junior said. “He got new biking clothes too.”

“Really,” said Angie.

“The old ones were getting worn out,” said Bill.

“So, when did you switch to the 8 mile trail?” Angie asked. “Wasn’t that around the time of the crash?”

“Yes, he did,” said Junior. “In fact, he switched the same day as the accident. Otherwise he would have been on the W&OD path that day.”

“Really,” Angie said.

“Well, ah, Alice had been bugging me since the W&OD trail had gotten so crowded,” Bill said. “I tried out the 8 mile trail that day and liked it. After hearing about the accident, Alice insisted that I switch bike paths.”

“That’s what happened all right,” Junior said.

“Hmm, wasn’t that lucky,” Angie said.

“Very,” Bill said.

“And right after that he volunteered to help wheel Frank around, a guy you had never met,” Angie said.

“It was the least I could do,” Bill said. “He needed help.”

“Had you ever done anything like that before?” Angie asked.

“There is always a first time,” Bill said.

“A first time for a lot of new things right around then,” Angie said.

Bill just stared at her.

Angie had to leave, and she and Junior said goodbye on the porch. Way too much time kissing goodbye, Bill thought.

“Isn’t she great?” Junior said.

“Ah, she’s ok,” Bill said.

“You always liked her before,” Junior said. “What’s wrong?”

“She asks too many questions. Why can’t she just give the day of the accident a rest?” Bill said.

“She just wants to figure out who the other biker was. Same as you,” Junior said.

“Yes, of course. Umm, Junior, it seems like you two are getting serious. There are a couple of things to think about before you get too attached.”

“Like what?”

“Well, for example,” Bill said, “she is five years older than you. That seems ok when you are 25 and she is 30. What about when you are 30 and she is already 35? When you are 40, she will be 45. That will make a difference.”

“I know the math, Dad,” Junior said. “We discussed it and it isn’t an issue.”

“Ok, I don’t like raising these issues, but I think that you need to think of them now rather than later.” Bill continued, “have you noticed that she is kind of heavy, especially around the thighs. That doesn’t get better with age.”

“She is beautiful to me,” Junior said. “Next.”

“She likes to take control and tells you what to do.”

“You said that she gives me direction and stability,” Junior said. “I have learned so much from her.”

“Ok,” said Bill, “”have it your way.”

IV

Bill and Angie were sitting in the sterile white hospital cafeteria having coffee, waiting for Frank to come out of his knee operation. If this one worked, Frank might be able to walk again.

Angie said, “I went on a shopping trip that might interest you.”

“Well,” Frank said.

“I went to Goodwill,” Angie said.

“You don’t need to shop there.”

“No, I don’t, but I did,” said Angie. “They have a nice bike for sale. I took some pictures. Take a look.”

“Why do you want to buy a bike?”

“I don’t,” Angie said. “It’s funny, it looks just like the bike my Dad described fleeing the crash.”

“There are a lot of bikes that look like that,” Bill said.

“Yes, but this is the one you donated,” Angie said. “I charmed a clerk to check the records and confirm that for me.”

“So what?”

“You sure made a lot of changes in your life after Frank’s injury. Do you want me to list them?” Angie asked.

“No, I don’t want you to rattle off lots of coincidences,” Bill said.

They gave each other a good long look.

Angie said “I haven’t said anything about these ‘coincidences’ to Frank or Junior.”

“Good.”

“But I could,” Angie said. “That would blow up things. Frank would be hurt to find out that his new friend Bill might have been involved. Junior would be devastated to hear that his Dad, who he idolizes, might have run away from a crash he caused.”

“It’s better not to spread rumors. Besides, that would hurt them both,” Bill said. “What are you going to do?”

“I would rather keep my mouth shut,” Angie said, “but that depends on you.”

“Why?”

“Frank really values all that you are doing for him. Keep doing it.”

“Ok,” Bill said.

“And, don’t tell Junior that I am old, fat, and bossy,” Angie said. “No girl wants to hear that. Let Junior make his own decisions.”

“Ok, I can do that, too,” Bill said.

“If we both keep our mouths shut, things will be a lot better around here,” Angie said.

They both kept their word. Angie told Frank that she tracked down the runaway biker to Maryland, which confirmed Frank’s view that Maryland drivers were reckless. Bill and Frank remained friends, which Bill valued. Bill eventually served as a pallbearer at Frank’s funeral. Angie and Junior got married, and there is a junior junior on the way.