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“I wasn’t lying about the fact that the bike has been collecting dust
for the last couple of years. It used to belong to my wife,” Alex
said. “She loved that bike and she rode it all the time. Once, she
even rode it all the way to Wilmington, but of course, by the time
she got there, she was tired and I had to go pick her up, even
though I didn’t have anyone to mind the store. I literally had to
close the place up for a couple of hours.” He paused. “That was
the last ride she took on it. That night, she had her first seizure
and I had to rush her to the hospital. After that, she got
progressively sicker, and she never rode again. I put the bike in
the garage, but every time I see it, I can’t help but think back on
that horrible night.” He straightened up. “I know I should have
already gotten rid of it, but I just couldn’t give it to someone
who’d ride it once or twice and then forget about it. I wanted it to
go to someone who would appreciate it as much as she did. To
someone who was going to use it. That’s what my wife would
have wanted. If you’d known her, you’d understand. You’d be
doing me a favor.”
When she spoke, her voice was subdued. “I can’t take your wife’s
bike.”
“So you’re still giving it back?”
When she nodded, he leaned forward, propping his elbows on his
knees. “You and I are a lot more alike than you realize. In your
shoes, I would have done exactly the same thing. You don’t want
to feel like you owe anyone anything. You want to prove to
yourself that you can make it on your own, right?”
She opened her mouth to answer but said nothing. In the silence,
he went on.
“After my wife died, I was the same way. For a long time. People
would drop by the store and a lot of them would tell me to call
them if I ever needed anything. Most of them knew I didn’t have
any family here and they meant well, but I never called anyone
because it just wasn’t me. Even if I did want something, I