A Funny Thing Happened...

The pedals on my bike were loose and had been making an ominous clacking sound for some weeks. I finally took it in for service at the Dick’s in Knightdale and got the bad news from Mike the mechanic: it’s finished. The bearings have broken off in the pedals (or something like that…hey, I’m no mechanic) and it’s going to cost more than half the original price of the bike to fix. So, time for a new bike.

Dick's offers good bikes at good prices, and their maintenance plan is a winner.

I went to Dick’s on a night when I knew Mike was working. He was busy when I arrived. Two women and a husband and wife were each buying new bikes.  Mike was telling the two ladies about the features of their new bike and filling out paperwork for their purchase, while the wife was collecting a light blue helmet and a blue water bottle to match her new iridescent (her word) blue bike. She explained the importance of the matching ensemble to her husband, who listened patiently. I was distracted when Mike pointed to me and told the two women that I ride out on the greenway. We talked about places to start, some of the sights to see and how far to go on their first rides. The couple joined the conversation since they were going to ride on the greenways, too. Turned out the husband had just lost his job, so things were a little tight for them. I think they were planning to ride together (he already had a bike). Presently the women took their bike and headed to the front of the store to check out. They said their goodbyes to me, the couple and Mike. It was all very cordial and it was obvious that they had talked a lot with the couple before I arrived.

Mike asked me if I wanted a different kind of bike and I said no. I was going to stick with what worked. “Let me finish up with them, and I’ll be right with you.” “No problem,” I replied. He adjusted the seat and the handlebars, explained more of the bike’s features and completed the paperwork, all while the woman kept up a steady stream of questions. She was visibly excited about the purchase and looking forward to riding out on the trails. I was speaking with her husband about the greenways when we both noticed she had gone quiet. We turned and saw her staring at what looked like a gift card in her hand. She turned slowly to us and said, “Look at this. She left it for me.” It was a gift card, for $100. Her voice quavered and her eyes glistened as she read the message on the card. “God will provide.” I think the women left it in her purse but I’m not sure and it didn’t matter. She talked about how much the card would help, amazed at the women’s generosity. She kept rubbing her eyes, leaving tear streaks on her face. But she was absolutely glowing in the wonder of the moment. I’ve known Mike through Dick's for a couple of years and he seems pretty even-keeled. But even he could not stop smiling. We chatted for a few more minutes and the couple finally took their bike (and matching accessories) to check out. Mike and I completed our transaction (I chose another Diamondback Wildwood, a comfort bike…more on that in a later post). They’re going to take the water bottle holder and kick stand off my old bike and put it on the new one, which means I’ll come back and get it in a couple of days.  I drew quizzical looks from several other shoppers as I was leaving the store. I couldn’t figure out why until I realized I too was grinning from ear to ear.

Epilogue: I had one other stop to make that night after Dick's. We needed cereal and coffee, so I stopped at Target. The first person I noticed as I walked through the store was one of the women who had left the gift card at Dick's. We passed each other – she didn’t notice me because she was talking on her cell phone – and ended up checking out next to each other. I said hi and she smiled as she recognized me.

“They found what you left for them,” I said, that grin spreading back across my face. “That was very generous and thoughtful.” She thanked me, but I got the impression that she didn’t think it was as big a deal as I did. Come to think of it, that speaks well of her, too.

Epilogue part II: One other thing about the whole situation didn’t occur to me until I was in the car heading home. The man and the woman were white. The two women were black. I only mention that because this kind of thing doesn’t get mentioned often. It probably should, don’t you think?