CYCLING

CYCLING

Cycling is an integral part of every boy's life. Mine wasn't any exception. There was nothing unusual about it.
I started to learn cycling when I was in 4 th standard in 50th street in Rangoon. Being a precious child I was strictly admonished from cycling. I used to gape at my friends who used to ride on hired cycles and watch their feats in awe.
One day I could restrain no longer. There was a play ground two streets away and as luck would have it the hire cycle shop was just opposite. So one fine day I took the cycle for hire for the customary half-an-hour. My friends were around me, the teachers, the learners, the watchers, the ridiculers etc. I was hoisted on the cycle. As any hire cycle that cycle was typical; without brake, bell, and proper pedal. Anyway it had two wheels and it ran and that is what mattered. My friends were on either side holding the cycle and running alongside offering me last minute advice, look straight, keep your back straight, don't look down, don't lean etc.

The ground was very vast, often used to play football.
It had an iron pole on a side being one of the two used for tying the volley ball net. I stared at it and thought- “Oh God! Let it not come in my way!”
It was too far away and on one side and quite unlikely that it would come in the way, I said to myself. But as one must have guessed, to my and my friends' horror I made a beeline for the pole. In trying to avoid falling I was cycling faster and faster leaving my assistants well behind though they were trying their level best running to catch up with me.

I and my cycle collided with a bang right on target on the pole. I escaped with minor injuries. But the cycle had grievous injuries.
The front wheel was bent and the handle bar was also slightly bent. We were afraid to meet the cycle shop owner as he might [and rightly] demand damage charges. So a spy was dispatched to observe the shop, to report when the owner will take a break. When we learnt that the owner has gone inside his house we rushed to the shop with the cycle and handed it over coyly to his wife who remarked that we had returned the cycle a good five minutes earlier! That should have made her suspicious!!
Well we cautiously returned after a week to the cycle shop and to our relief found that the owner didn't remember the damage.
Emboldened we resorted back to our adventure.
But I couldn't keep my cycling feats secret any longer. Having guilt conscious, I explained to my parents that I have started to learn cycling. I assured them that I am cycling only in the ground and never on the road which was quite true. My father listened and passed the judgment. “It is all right so long as you stick to the grounds for your cycling". Then one day when I was cycling I saw him on the side watching me. He went to the cycle shop owner and asked him to let me have the cycle whenever I wanted to but see to it that I cycle only in the grounds and to confiscate the cycle if I venture outside.

A rejoinder. After we returned to India my brother had to go for work in a cycle. But he didn't know cycling. Hence my father and I had to teach him -running along the cycle and so forth and in his age and my father’s it was quite exasperating!
Running out of breath my father fumed and said “Whatever was he doing in his school
days without learning cycling?"
I replied chuckling “Paying heed to your words! Remember you were against us learning cycling."
My father glared at me." But you learnt!"
“Yes". I said. "That was because I went against your word. It seems at times it is better not to follow elder's words to the core!”
He glared at me again and seemed to retort something. Then he suddenly smiled and said “Well, you might be right, at that!!”