It's moments like these ...
This should start off an avalanche of stories of life's
special moments.
When I was years younger I used to ride my bicycle to
work around the suburbs of Melbourne. This could sometimes
get a little boring and repetitious. I noticed that almost every
day another chap on a bike used to sneak up on me, and with
an air of arrogance, ride past with a wry grin on his face.
Being adventurous I then kept an eye out for him and decided
to "take him on". If I saw him stopped at traffic lights I would
time myself to race past him and get a few metres out in front.
We would then be like Olympians racing to the point where
we parted ways for the day. This went on for months without
either of us ever speaking.
One day, after ceasing work, I called in at the supermarket and
purchased a frozen chicken. I placed it inside my shirt and did
the buttons up. When riding home I suddenly saw this chap out
of the corner of my eye about to pass me. I rose off the seat
and pedalled like a madman trying to keep in front. At this stage
I was approaching a tram, parked at the tram terminus, and as
I was passing it, my shirt buttons gave way and the bloomin'
chook bounced out and slid under the tram.
I must have waited about 4-5 minutes for the tram to depart so
that I could get the chook back. In the meantime my cyclist
"mate" rode happily on with yet another wry smile on his face.
Some years later I met the cyclist at a party I was attending
and we reminisced about this incident. Plenty of laughs.
Allan