Joy Ride

by shz

Its an amazing thing to realize that you still have the ability to surprise yourself. Especially over something small, something silly, something that is nothing.

I did mention in my last post that I wanted a bicycle right? Well, I got it last Saturday. It was one of the unplanned moments when we called our good friend, Qadir for advise. Well not advise really, what I wanted was way out of his turf. Qadir is a hard core cyclist who owns a super road bike, who would cycle from Serdang to Kajang, stopping at my place for a drink and then back to Serdang. Well, that is an understatement – I’m sure he has cycled way further. That is probably just a warm up for him.

Anyway. It was a gloomy Saturday afternoon by the time we got to the shop. Qadir had told me before that there’s a shop in Serdang that sells this one white classic looking bicycle that he had put a deposit on. I immediately shouted “Aku naaaakkk!!” through the speaker phone, disregarding the fact that he already paid deposit for it. It was so weird because this shop sells all those thousands of ringgit of these road and mountain bikes, and there was only this one bicycle that was so out of the place, the one I fell in love with.

Qadir actually is such a sweetheart. We may have our disagreements sometimes but you gotta love that guy. I couldn’t believe that he just let me have it. He even bargained it for me and didn’t even seem to care to ask me to pay back the deposit. RM50 is a lot to me, so I was quite touched. But I plan to pay him anyway. Soon. Haha.

By the time I made what Qadir would describe, a sublime purchase, it was pouring like mad. We even had to sit at the curb waiting for the rain to subside. The shop only had this one black carrier that looks so plastic, I wasn’t sure it would hold Daisy securely. So I had to go to this other bike shop in Bangi to get this better looking carrier I had seen before to complete my purchase. The carrier costs more than the bicycle itself, but it would so go with the white frame. So Qadir offered me to send the bicycle to my place later in the evening. Everybody now – Awwwwwwwwwwwwww….!

Later that evening Qadir arrived with his brother at my place and helped Fakhrul put the bicycle and the carrier up. Fyi, the bike was parted to fit in his car, it was like a home service yo! Then, in the dark of the dust I excitingly took my first ride in a long time, I thought I forgot how to ride a bicycle. Then we put Daisy on and she was soooo happy, even though the ride was just a stone throw away and back. Like a little child, I had a hard time sleeping that night, too excited to go for a ride the next morning with my baby.

In the morning as I was getting ready for my bicycle stroll, I received a private message from Qadir. The title was Value(s). This is what he wrote:

Today I saw a sublime value of purchasing,

The story begin when I passed to Sara my booking cycle (a beautiful white pashley-alike cycle). I just wondering if it is going to be a good buying for her or not,

Comparing to my rides and others that i know, we have a very fast-machine, we always bragging about how fast, light and expensive it is, and narrate of distances we cycle on it.Sara cycle is a simple machine with minimum requirements and just OK to ride.

After we finished assembled her cycle and carrier, Sara did a test ride.At first it feels normal, it was just a smiling satisfying feel and Yeah! The effect I got when I managed to pull a newcomer into this suffering sport. but for Shaliza case, it’s not sport, a recreational activity.

Then it’s time for Daisy and her to ride together,
Everyone is feeling anxious, it was Maghrib time (dark) and the road is still wet, with Sara just about to learn cycling, and her ride is not properly balance caused by the kid-carrier at the back, i’m really worried…

But the moment sarah begin pedaling with Daisy sitting at the back carrier, it feels different, : ) Ngan muka sara yang tersenyum-senyum tu, tak tau la dia tengah cuak ka, or gembira sangat-sangat,and Daisy excited je holding bar kat carrier tu..macam tau ja kena pegang benda tu, and tak lepas-lepas..

Sara did ride short, just 200 meters back and forth,
she did not ride fast, just 9 km/h which is snailing slow,
I always do 40-50km/h, sometimes 60 km/h and over,
and I thought numbers do matter.

But, I am wrong sometimes and always,
It seems like the JOY of sharing the experience together (Sara and Daisy) with significance bond on her simple machine destroyed my doubt and thinking,
I saw JOYFUL, meaningful and Love in a different perspective that I always seen,thought and experienced in cycling. : )

Cool lar sara and rozie : )
Love will always in the air.

Disclaimer: Rozie is Fakhrul as his name is Fakhrul Rozy. Damn Qadir for making me sound like a lesbian.

What a great friend writing something so sweet at 4am in the morning, knowing it would give a good start for my day. And yes, I felt exactly that – the joy of riding a bike as if it was my first. On wet road again I went this afternoon. Strolling my village neighborhood, passing the bumps, went through bridges over the river with cool breeze sweeping, drying my wet armpits and all the trees seemed to be greeting me. And most importantly with Daisy just a turn of the head away to share it with.