bicycle

MFFFC — Bicycle Lady

Fandango6 Comments

Mai looked up the street to her right and then down the street to her left. Where is everyone? she wondered. She had been selling her produce at this address for years, and while this wasn’t the busiest spot in the city, she rarely had trouble selling most of her stock.

It was early 1968 and the Americans had been in Vietnam for almost three years, and Mai, personally, had never felt their presence. But then the North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong initiated the Tet Offensive directed at U.S. and South Vietnamese positions across South Vietnam, with Saigon as the main focal point of the offensive.

Word of mouth rumors circulated within the city about the upcoming offensive with warnings that civilians should stay off the streets. But on this day, the 67 year old woman was at her usual spot, unsure if she’d be able to sell anything, since there as absolutely no foot traffic.

No one knows for sure if Mai was simply unaware of what was going to be happening in Saigon or if she deliberately chose to ignore the warnings. But Mai went missing and her bicycle was never found since that last day she showed up at her usual spot that she’d been selling her produce for years and wondered why the streets were so empty.

Written for Melissa’s Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge. Image credit: Pete Walls on Unsplash.

#WDYS — The Theft of Joy

Fandango22 Comments

Mei was walking with her husband, Jian, when she stopped, drew in a deep breath, and started to sob. Jian saw the bicycle leaning against the wall and immediately understood. Their nine year old daughter, Sue, used to ride her bike all the time. It was almost like it was a part of her anatomy.

When Sue’s little brother, Li, turned six, Mei and Jian gave her permission to put Li on the rear rack and ride around the neighborhood with him. The kids had so much fun and watching their young children enjoying themselves so much gave an immense pleasure to their proud parents.

Little did they know, nor could they have ever foreseen, what would happen just one year after they emigrated to the United States from China. All they wanted to do was give their children a better life and more opportunity.

And then a deranged eighteen-year-old boy with a legally-purchase AR-15 assault rifle, marched into their elementary school, and started randomly shooting and killing innocent young children.

Li survived the heinous massacre, but Sue did not. He was traumatized, having witnessed the senseless slaughter of his sister and his classmates. All of the joy, including riding on the back of a bicycle with his big sister, was taken from him.

The thoughts and prayers the politicians expressed would never heal the wounds their family suffered.

Written for Sadje’s What Do You See prompt. Photo credit: Yaopey Yong @ Unsplash.

One-Minute Fiction — I’ve Been Framed

Fandango10 Comments

I was gone for only 15 minutes.

They stole my tires
They stole my rims
My front and rear brakes
My seat post and saddle
My handlebars
My front suspension fork
My gear shifter
My fenders
My luggage rack

The only things they left were
My frame
My bike’s U-lock
Lotta good that did

I’ve been framed.

Written for Cyranny’s One Minute Fiction prompt. Photo credit: Cyranny.

Truthful Tuesday — Memorable Gift

Fandango4 Comments

Frank, aka PCGuy, has published another one of his Truthful Tuesday posts. This week Frank wants to know about memorable gifts. He asks:

What gift that you received as a child still sticks out in your mind today? What made it so memorable?

My first two-wheeler (bicycle) was probably the most exciting gift I remember getting. I think it was a birthday present. I recall that I was only the second kid in my neighborhood to have a two-wheeler. It made me feel like a big boy, having made the leap from tricycle to bicycle and I took to it like flies to shit. Okay, perhaps that’s not an apt analogy, but I was thrilled.

My new bike gave me the freedom to expand my horizons, to explore my little corner of the world. I could ride my bike to school rather than walk or take the bus. I could visit friends without having to ask my mother to drive me. It was great.

Interestingly, I can’t remember the brand of that first bike. Maybe it was a Schwinn. And I don’t remember what color it was. Yet I do remember both the brand and the color of the second bike I got. It was a Raleigh 3-speed English Racer in black. Maybe that’s because I picked that bike out myself.

So perhaps it was actually my second two-wheeler that was more memorable than my first one.

#100WW — The Pizza Delivery Guy

Fandango25 Comments

52515A1B-4DDA-4369-B601-426F4F8FA376The pizza delivery guy rode his bike to the address he was given. Upon arrival, he headed to the front door, rang the doorbell, and waited.

A minute passed before a stunning young woman wrapped in just a bath towel answered the door. She explained that she was in the bathtub, which is why it took so long to answer the door. She motioned for him to step inside, closed the door, and dropped her towel. Then she handed the stunned pizza delivery guy a release form for a new reality TV show on the porn channel, “Pizza Delivery Porn.”

(100 words)

Written for today’s 100 Word Wednesday prompt from Bikurgurl. Photo credit: Cyranny.