Quoted By:
<span class="mu-r">“Hey, Pete! Do you know how to ride one of these things?”</span> you asked.
He shook his head from side to side, his mop of brown hair flopping about wildly. His grin was still wide, and he was doing a poor job of trying to hide his joy.
<span class="mu-r">“Well that’s about to change. Come on!”</span> you said, wheeling the bike back outside and gesturing for him to follow.
<span class="mu-g">“Right now?”</span> Vicky asked.
<span class="mu-r">“Yes, right now! You come too.”</span>
Pete almost tripped trying to chase after you.
<span class="mu-g">“Oh! Be careful!”</span> Vicky shouted after you.
—----
<span class="mu-r">“Okay, so what you wanna do is grip the handlebars at all times. Don’t worry about falling. The trick to staying upright is to keep moving. That’s how you maintain your balance.”</span> you explained. <span class="mu-r">“Be sure to lean into your turns, and push the pedals backwards when you wanna stop or slow down.”</span>
Peter nodded, gripping the handlebars tightly as you checked his helmet’s chinstrap. The kid looked nervous, even though you went through the effort of outfitting him with knee pads, elbow pads, a helmet, and some sweet fingerless gloves.
<span class="mu-r">“I took off the training wheels, but that’s only because I know you can do this. You’re a smart kid, and you’re gonna pick this up real quick. You ready to get moving?”</span>
He nodded with an expression that inspired both confidence and trepidation. Yeah, he’s ready.
You helped him set his feet on the pedals, found a nice stretch of sidewalk that was otherwise unobstructed and began to push him.
Peter pedaled like his life depended on it, and you had to tell him to slow down before he ran over an alley cat. Eventually, he found a nice steady pace that he quickly became comfortable with.
<span class="mu-r">“Yeah, that’s it! You’re really gettin’ the hang of this.”</span> you said in an encouraging tone.
<span class="mu-b">“Yeah!”</span> Peter agreed. <span class="mu-b">“Don’t let go!”</span> he said, worry creeping into his voice.
<span class="mu-r">“I won’t!”</span>
You totally were.
<span class="mu-b">“You promise!?”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“I promise. I would never lie to you, kid.”</span> you said, right before you slowed down and released your hold on the seat of his bike. Without even knowing it, the kid was already riding on his own. Your eyes never left him, even as Victoria walked up to stand beside you.
<span class="mu-r">“The kid’s a natural.”</span> you said.
<span class="mu-g">“You’re getting awfully attached to Peter for someone who said they didn’t want kids.”</span> Vicky said.
You shrugged. <span class="mu-r">“Yeah? Well, I say a lot of things. He’s a good kid, and he deserves the best.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“His living situation isn’t too bad right now.”</span> Vicky argued.
<span class="mu-r">“His Dad pawned him off on his aunt and he has no idea who his mother is. We’ll be lucky if all he needs is a therapist when he grows up.”</span>
Victoria opened her mouth to reply, but she quickly shut it again and nodded. At this point, Pete had realized that you were no longer behind him, and was now beginning to panic.
(Cont.)
