Chapter 55

Sunday would have been one boring day, had it not been for Gus's bike. I took the bike to the park. The park had a designated bike trail. It was not one of those walking tails, which allowed bikes. It was designated just for bikes. I checked with the Tryon Parks and Recreation department before I drove to the access parking lot. I found that Gus's bike qualified as a bike, not a motor vehicle.

So I put on my thermals, then made myself a bowl of cereal. First I added about an ounce of raisins to the big serving bowl I used for cereal. Then I added a few dehydrated banana chips to the raisins. After those I poured in several ounces of a cereal mixture, which I made myself. The dry cereal was corn flakes and brand flakes mixed in equal parts, I really don't care for the taste of either alone. I topped the mixture with sprinkled cinnamon and an ounce or so of sugar free maple syrup.

Then I ruined it all by adding rehydrated milk to the mix. It was the only kind of milk that didn't spoil in my refrigerator. I seldom ate breakfast at home, so it was only a minor inconvenience.

I had purchased a riding outfit just for chilly days like it was that Sunday. I wore thermal long pants under my tightly woven cotton twill hunter's pants. Those turned the moving air better than jeans. They still had the look of a real person look about them. On top I wore a thermal tee with long sleeves and a light weight but still slightly lined nylon pullover. The pullover was at least two sizes too large. When the weather really turned cold, I planned to pick up a lightweight thermal vest to wear under it. I drove to the office.

There I put a 42oz bottle of premix where the biker's water bottle would ordinarily go. I topped off the tiny gas tank on the bike's engine, then loaded it on the cruiser for the drive to the bike trail.

I parked the cruiser in the parking lot meant for bike riders only. It was the place to leave our real rides. Once I had the bike off the cruiser, I looked at the next group of riders ready to leave the staging area. None of them spoke to me, even though they were friendly with each other. I had no idea whether they were a riding club, or just snobs.

Marty had always talked about the bike purist. They seemed to feel that he was raping the sport. They were in it for fun and exercise, Marty was in it for transportation and profit. I could see a place for both. I'm not sure the spandex group in the parking lot that morning could fit the Marty's vision into their mindset. I didn't really care that they were less than friendly and probably wouldn't until I had a breakdown twenty miles from the parking lot. Well chances of me actually making it twenty miles, were about as good as me competing in the Olympics.

I studied the map at the trail's entrance. There was a parking lot 5.5 miles down the trail. That parking lot was the next staging area for riders to join the trail. The trail continued, but for a first day's ride, I decided that 11 miles was plenty.

The motor started right up. I checked all the connections before I hefted my soft ass onto the hard seat. "‬This seat has got to go, ‭" I said aloud.

I revved the engine just to make sure the clutch was going to work. It was probably the weakest thing about the bike. When it engaged, just as it should, I felt a lot better about the ride.

I pedaled out of the parking lot, around and onto the trail. The trail was filled with ups and downs. I used the motor sparingly. I tried to pedal as much as I could and rely on the engine just to help me up the hills. The five miles to the second staging area just flew by. I arrived at the second stage at the spandex crowd with their fancier bikes. I was just as sweaty as they, but not as exhausted as I would have been without the engine.

I felt so good that I decided to go to the next staging area. I left the second parking lot on the pedals. I had stopped to look around. The spandex guys must have ridden the trail regularly, because they just kept going.

The second staging area was 12 miles from the point where I entered the trail, so I called it a day and turned the bike for home at that point. I was hot and sweaty at the end of the ride, but I wasn't worn out. It had been a good ride and even better it had been fun. The asphalt trail was in bad condition, so I had to be constantly vigilant. Because of that I stayed in the game and it didn't get boring at all.

I drove back to the office, where I left the cruiser again. I used the bike to explore the town. I had lived there until I was eighteen, but then I was gone a lot of years. I had been home for over a year now, so I shouldn't be finding new things in such a small town. Even so I did that morning. I found a dirt street about five blocks from the courthouse. There were only four small houses, all of them were abandoned. I filed that away for future reference. Sometimes that useless information proved valuable later.

I had spent the whole morning on the bike. It was great fun tooling around town on the bike. Kids loved it and I enjoyed the attention. Rather than eat lunch, I went back to the cruiser. Once the bike was loaded into our safe room, I drove home for a nap. Why not I thought, I might be staying busy for the next few weeks. Sleep when you can, it was a lesson I learned early in my career.

"‏Maxine this is Gwendolyn, how are you, ‭" she asked after waking me with the phone call.

"‏I'm just fine Gwen how are you‭?"

"I am good. I'm glad that you changed your mind about the TV thing.‭"

"Well honey, to be honest, mostly I'm bored. I was hoping you might keep me entertained for a while.‭"

"Oh we have a quote from you already to go, if you say it again, ‭" Flopsy said.

"‏What quote is that, ‭"

"One of the people we interviewed said you once told her, "‏You can kick me, you can beat me, you can even kill me, just don't bore me.‭"

"Ah that had to be Jennifer. Jennifer is a trip all by herself.‭"

"I'm sure she is going to be in the show more than once."

"Good, she and Bob really do need the money, ‭" I said with great sarcasm.

"‏You chose her for a friend Maxine, not me.‭"

"So was there some reason you called, or are you just flirting with me‭?"

"The meeting is tomorrow at 9AM in Jennifer's office," she said.

"‏I'll be there‭; I would suggest you bring your own coffee. Her receptionist can't make coffee for shit.‭" That pretty much ended the conversation.

I called Lucas on his cell phone. I noted immediately that the background noise was the same as with Mopsy. They were either watching the same TV show, or he was with her. My vote was the boy was getting his wick trimmed.

"‏So if you want a voice in this negotiation, be at Jennifer's office at 9AM tomorrow. You might want to pick up some coffee on the way. See you in the morning.‭"

I wondered if the two of them had my surveillance cameras running in the background. Just in case they did, I masturbated laying on top of me covers. Might as well start the filming with a bang.