When You Don't Stop to Say Hello

[favoritebean_writes]

The first thing you should know is that I love bikes.  I love everything about them.  The chewiness of the tires, the grease of the bike chain.  I even love the expressions of the people on these bikes.  Especially when I chase them. 

 

The fact that bicycles are about three times my size does not deter me.  Unlike cars, which roar when they come to life, bicycles make little clicky noises, and people pant as they ride up the hill near my house.  I simply cannot get enough of those little people carriers. 

 

I’ve ridden on a bicycle, of course.  When I was a wee pup, I was placed in a front basket.  It was on Easter Sunday.  Beatriz took me for a ride, but she and the bike did not get along.   After riding for about a block, a squirrel popped its head down from the branch, and I yelped with excitement.  Beatriz lost control, and next thing, we were on the pavement.   I meant to comfort Beatriz, whose tears betrayed a scraped knee.  But the bicycle came back into focus, and putting two and two together, I decided it was the bicycle’s fault that we were in this mess.  So I did what any good girl would do.  I howled, and barked at the thing, until I heard, “Mija, stop your barking!”  Mama had come, scooped up Beatriz, and it was time to go back home.

 

Unfortunately, I did not see any bicycles for a while, and I moved away from Beatriz and Mama.  I stayed in a shelter for a while, but in a few short weeks, a new family adopted me.  I was given a new name, Lily. 

 

 They had a grassy yard, and a kitten to play with.  But best of all, they had bikes!  Three huge bicycles!  This family went for rides when the sun shone, and the roads were clear of ice and snow. 

 

Sometimes, I would ride in a backpack, but I was a little big for that.  Eventually, the youngest, a girl named Sunny, took me with my leash, and I ran alongside as she rode her bright red bike.  I searched and searched for squirrels, but this new neighborhood did not provide.  Bored, I tried to cross to the other side of the street, dragging Sunny and the bicycle with me.  

 

That was the last time I got to run along with the bicycles. 

 

I never stopped daydreaming about them though.  In the summer, many bicycles would coast past our house, and I would always bark, “Hello!” when I saw one.  Yet the bicyclists never seemed to want to stop and humor me.  How I longed to chew on those skinny tires and spiky pedals.   So I would sigh from my yard, and daydream.

 

One day, luck was on my side.  Sunny and I went for a walk.  Sunny and I could walk for hours, and I didn’t mind, because the further we got from home, the more there was to see.  Squirrels, trees, and of course, bicycles.  This time, one of the bicycles that coasted past the house daily crossed our path only a half block from home!

 

I was delighted.  I gave a quick bark, ‘hello,’ as surely the person would recognize me.  The bicycle came and went, gliding past the STOP sign without even a glance.   I took this personally.  I greeted this person daily for weeks all summer, and not even a nod, or a “Hey, doggy, what’s up?” 

 

I was pretty upset about this obvious snub, and I really needed to know why that person wouldn’t give me the time of day. 

 

So I tugged on my leash.

 

I broke free from Sunny. 

 

I began to run after the bicycle, with the speed of a cheetah.  I really needed to – sniff the tires, or bark at the person.  I needed some sort of validation. 

 

 

“Lily, wait!”  Sunny called after me.   Sorry, kid, I need answers.  Not even Mama could calm this puppy down.  I ran.

 

And ran.

 

The roar to my right didn’t faze me. 

 

“LILY!” I heard Sunny yell, but at that point, a very large machine was above me, and I suddenly felt like I should run much faster.   I bounced off of a wheel, and came out to the curb.  Sunny had caught up with me, and she grabbed me, her face full of worry.  

 

The bicycle was long gone.  As I felt hands gently caress the fur along my back, I watched as the largest car paused, then continued down the road after the bicycle.  It made a very loud noise as it roared down the street.   My back stung a little, and I realized that perhaps my pursuit of the bicycle wasn’t worth it. 

 

“Lily bounced off of the bus wheel!” Sunny said a few moments later.   I looked at Sunny and my human parents.  My ears perked up. 

 

What’s a bus? Actually, I didn’t want to know.  Their wheels weren’t at all chewy like bicycle wheels.  I would be careful going forward, but not before enduring six months of obedience school training. 

 

Now, I know how to ‘heel’ on walks with Sunny and the others.  I am not allowed to be distracted by the bicycles or squirrels when I’m on leash.  But I do still think about that bicycle that never bothered to stop and say hi to me.  I think about the bus too.  I never want to go near one of those again. 

 

Not even once. 

*** *** ***
Author note:  This is fiction, but based upon an actual event from my childhood. 

Thank you for reading.

Comments

[adoptedwriter]

Awwww...I am so glad Lily is safe!

[dsrmousey]

People don't realize obedience training is truly needed with puppers. I do wish Lily had got her dream of having a biker stop to greet her, and I'm so glad the bus didn't hurt her. I loved this! Peace~~~D

[favoritebean_writes]

Absolutely true. In this case, Lily was based on my dog growing up, who was reportedly two when this run in with the bus happened. She did live to be eighteen, but it was a frightening five seconds there.

[roina_arwen]

This was very sweet!

[favoritebean_writes]

Thank you!

[erulissedances]

Oh my, such an obsession with bicycles. I'm glad Lily was OK after the bus, and that she's managed to find and fit in with her forever family.

- Erulisse (one L)

[favoritebean_writes]

Me too. She's based on the dog I had growing up, who stayed with us for sixteen years. My dog eventually stopped chasing bicycles, but she had other strange misadventures.

[mollywheezy]

So glad Lily wasn't hurt badly! So clever to write from the dog's point of view. I loved her indignation that the biker didn't stop to say hi to her. ;)

[favoritebean_writes]

I often wonder if that is why dogs chase cars and bicycles. It was a lot of fun writing this story.

[banana_galaxy]

Gosh, what a rough way to learn a lesson. I felt really sad for her in the beginning in particular - didn't feel like there was a valid reason for the original family to give her up the way they did. She deserved better.

[favoritebean_writes]

Honestly, it seems like a lot of dogs and cats are dropped off at the shelters for very odd and sometimes petty reasons. Since then, our family tries to adopt adult dogs and cats, giving them a second chance at something.

[ofearthandstars]

Lily has such an adorable viewpoint - this is a very sweet piece of fiction, and a great take on the prompt - I'm very glad everyone was okay in the end.

[troof_therry]

Whew my breath caught it my chest there for a moment. I felt pretty certain you just laid waste to poor Lily. I'm glad they just bounced off the wheel. Very lucky. Pretty effective writing for a dog narrator too, I picked up on that pretty quick.

[dadi]

Oh dear <3

[gunwithoutmusic]

Oh my goodness, I was so worried when she hit the bus! I'm glad the story had a happy ending. Lily seems like a sweet girl. :)

[alycewilson]

Oh, my goodness! I'm glad that Lily was safe. I'm a big fan of this sort of POV piece. One of the most important parts about storytelling is figuring out from which perspective to tell the story, and I think this was much stronger than if you'd told it from the girl's POV.

(I'm going back and commenting on some of my faves from last week before starting to read this week's entries.)