My First Bike Ride
It all started in the summer break after my graduation from senior kindergarten. The sunny and beautiful weather outside inspired me to play and make more friends. In a very friendly and generous manner, I greeted the kids next door. I intended to make friends with kids who were older than me because I wanted to become more mature and sociable before I stepped into the elementary school. Thankfully, I was the youngest of the bunch. We decided to meet in the garden beside my apartment to play every day.
In my group of friends, I was closest to Yang, one of the oldest kids in the group. Yang acted like a big brother. He always brought me treats and always took extra care of me. His behaviour motivated everyone in our group to respect and regard him as a role model.
My friends and I loved to play hide and seek and collect flowers in the garden. As we played together every day, our relationship and the bond between us strengthened. The days I enjoyed playing with my friends continued until one day, Yang brought a weird metal-structured toy to the garden. “What is it?” we asked Yang. “It’s called Bicycle. My dad bought it for me yesterday. This is what all the older kids play now,” Yang replied with an expression of pride on his face. Without a word, he hopped on his bicycle and rode it around the garden. Our eyes sparkled with admiration and jealousy. As he rode along the sides of the garden, we chased behind Yang’s bicycle and asked him if we could try it. Yang hopped off his bicycle and generously allowed everyone to ride it. My friends, one by one, rode the bicycle rhythmically and effortlessly around the garden. After waiting for everyone to finish their turns, it was finally my turn to ride. I carefully sat on the seat of the bicycle and tried to reach the foot pedal. As I had expected, the bicycle was too big for me. I used all the strength in my legs, and I finally touched the foot pedal down the frame, which seemed to be a bottomless pit. I carefully and slowly pushed my leg down to the foot pedal and precisely adjusted the direction of the bicycle. I held the handles tightly and I could feel my hands oozing with sweat. As I was about to proceed, I could hear my friends cheering for me, “You can do it! Just step down on the pedal and focus on the road.” Despite the sound of the cheering, I could still clearly hear the rapid pounding of my heart. I took a deep breath and started to manipulate the bicycle. In a matter of seconds, I lost my balance and fell hard to the ground. I could feel a burning pain on the sides of my knees; they were bleeding. In front of everyone, without hesitation, I cried. I didn’t cry because of the pain I felt in my knees; I cried because of the humiliation and the embarrassment I felt in front of everyone for being the only loser.