Along for the Ride(67)

‘Yeah,’ I said as Adam waved us over. Hollis looked surprised, which I tried not to take personally. ‘Come on.’

When we got over to them, I introduced my brother as Adam hopped off the bench, landing in front of us. ‘Okay,’ he said, holding up his hands. ‘We’re finally on the brink of a new name for the shop.’

‘Which is to say,’ Wallace piped in from behind him, his mouth full of chips, ‘that we’ve narrowed the list of possibilities to ten.’

‘Ten?’ I said.

‘But only five are any good,’ Adam added. ‘So we’re taking an informal poll to see who likes which ones.’

Hollis, always game, looked up at the bare awning. ‘What’s it called now?’

‘The Bike Shop,’ Wallace told him. Hollis raised his eyebrows. ‘It’s temporary.’

‘For the last three years,’ Adam said. ‘So, okay. The list in no particular order, is as follows: Overdrive Bikes, the Chain Gang, Colby Cycles…’

I was distracted temporarily as Eli came out of the shop, pushing a small pink bike with training wheels. He had a helmet in his free hand, and a couple with a little girl in tow were right behind him.

‘… the Crankshaft and Pedal to the Metal Bikes,’ Adam finished. ‘What do you think?’

Hollis thought for a second. ‘The Chain Gang or the Crankshaft,’ he said. ‘Overdrive is boring, Colby Cycles too corporate…’

‘That’s what I said!’ Wallace said, pointing at him.

‘And Pedal to the Metal… I don’t even know what to say about that.’

Adam sighed. ‘Everyone hates it. The only reason it’s still on the list is that it’s my favorite. Auden, what do you think?’

I was still watching Eli, though, as he bent over the pink bike, adjusting one of the pedals. The little girl for whom it was clearly intended, a redhead wearing blue shorts and a T-shirt with a giraffe on it, stood holding her mom’s hand, looking apprehensive.

‘Like I said,’ he was saying, ‘this is a really good starter bike.’

‘She wants to learn,’ her mom was saying, running a hand over her daughter’s head. ‘But she’s kind of nervous.’

‘Nothing to be nervous about.’ Eli stood up, then looked at the girl. ‘The training wheels will keep you up until you get the hang of it. And then one day, you just won’t need them anymore.’

‘How long does it usually take, though?’ the father, who had on a baseball cap and leather sandals, asked. ‘What’s the norm?’

‘Different for everyone,’ Eli told him. ‘When she’s ready, she’ll know.’

‘What do you say, honey?’ the woman asked. ‘Want to try it out?’

The girl nodded slowly, then stepped forward. I watched as Eli held out his hand, helping her onto the bike, then strapped the helmet on her head. She reached for the handlebars, carefully stretching her fingers over them.

‘All right, sweetie,’ her dad said. ‘Just pedal, like you do on your trike.’

The girl put her feet down, tentatively pushing on the pedals, and moved about a half an inch forward. She glanced back at her parents, who smiled at her, then tried again. After another incremental budge, I watched as Eli put his hand on the back of the bike, nudging it forward just slightly. She was still pedaling and didn’t even notice. But when she really began to move, she looked back at him, grinning.

‘Auden?’

I turned my head to see Adam looking at me, his face expectant. ‘Um,’ I said, ‘I don’t really like any of them that much. To be honest.’

His face fell. ‘Not even the Crankshaft?’

I shook my head. ‘Not really.’

‘I told you they all sucked,’ Wallace said.

‘He liked two of them!’ Adam shot back.

‘Not that much,’ Hollis said.

Adam sighed, flopping back down on the bench, and I waved good-bye as Hollis and I started walking again toward the Last Chance. After a few steps, though, I looked back at that little girl again. After that initial push, she’d gotten going for real, and now had passed two storefronts and was almost at Clementine’s. Her mom was trailing behind her, close but not too close, as she slowly made her way, all on her own.

The Last Chance was empty for once, and we got a booth right by the window without having to wait. As Hollis perused the menu, I looked out on to the boardwalk, watching the people walk by.

‘So, Aud,’ he said after a moment. ‘I gotta say, I’m really happy you did this.’

I looked over at him. ‘Did what?’

‘This,’ he said, gesturing around the restaurant. ‘Coming here for the summer, hanging out, making friends. I was worried you’d spend this summer like all the others.’

‘Like all the others,’ I repeated.

‘You know.’ He picked up his water, taking a sip. ‘Hanging out at the house with Mom, refilling wineglasses at her little superior get-togethers, studying for classes that haven’t even started yet.’

I felt myself stiffen. ‘I never refilled wineglasses.’

‘You get the idea.’ He smiled at me, clearly unaware that he might have offended me. Or at least hurt my feelings. ‘My point is, you’re different here.’