RC Rocks Memoirs Memoirs - October. 2013 | Page 4

The Purple Bicycle

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It was a hot summer day but not a classic ‘‘beautiful, amazing summer day’’ it was sad, boring and full of headaches. I was very sad that day because father will turn back to the city: İzmir. I can call

İzmir is the hottest place in the country. I was sending him back to there. Before he leave he opened his car and he took a purple ‘’art work’’ out of his car. I was surprised -of course every girl wants a beautiful bike but I wasn’t waiting that surprise in this sad time- I hugged my father for three or four minutes. Then he kissed me and grandma who’s crying like every goodbye time (but she’ll see him after only one week, I don’t know why) he get in his car and before he step on the gas he wanted me to give him a promise: ‘‘In one week –I trust you Sandra- I’m sure that you’ll finish to learn to ride this.’’. ‘’Of course I will.’’ I said.

When we turn back to the home grandma go to her room to pray the God. Me and my beautiful purple bicycle were alone. Father was teaching me to learn to ride a bicycle with the old bicycle of my brother for one or two months. It’s something very hard to learn it for a nine years old girl. I wasn’t thin like the girls who make bale in our class. I had a big belly but very thin legs like a stork’s. I wasn’t good at sports and I was terrible to learn the bicycle actually father was attempting so hard to make me learn to ride a bicycle I was telling him I understand but I wasn’t. Now I was staring to that beautiful bike called ‘’Stella’’ (it was writing on the bike if I had a chance to put ‘’her’’ a name it would be ‘‘The Wizard’’ because I used to love the TV show called ‘’The Wizards of Beverly Place’’. So I don’t put it a name because it has already one.) with full of regret and excite. I was saying ‘’I don’t deserve it.’’. I was thinking like that but I’ll never give her back. I woke up when my grandma called me:

-Why don’t you go out and ride the bike?

I said ok and I go out with my bicycle. There was a long and right ascent what goes to the beach. I never have that courage to ride bicycle down the hill. I don’t ride it until the end of the ascent. When I arrived to the beach I tried to ride my bicycle until I’m crashed to a stroller then I stopped riding it. I went to home and I ate the delicious meatballs that grandma made me. I have gone to the bed too early for a summer day.

One week passed like a roller coaster train (too much days but time passes speed). Dad came to the summerhouse with mom! It was a surprise! I missed my mom so much I was very happy to see her! When my father came into house he took out ’’Stella’’ again. He wanted me to show what I got when they were walking to the beach. So I go upstairs very happy and wear my red swim suit and put my red glasses on. When I was nine years old I was crazy about the color ‘‘red’’. When I came back, next to my parents father asked me again: ’’Will you ride the bike?’’ I looked at my father’s eyes, I saw hope and believe inside there so I said ‘’YES!’’, I lied; I know I was lying because I can never ride a bicycle down the hill. When I said yes father pushed the bike and the bicycle started to go whit its maximum speed. I knew I will fall down I can hear the screams of my parents but I don’t I can’t stand this adrenaline anymore I didn’t want help-I don’t know why I don’t scream and don’t want help- I felt down with a terrible scream, my mom’s scream. In that moment the last thing that I heard was mom’s yelling to my father: ‘’Why did you push the kid! Didn’t I tell you! How couldn’t you understand that she don’t wants it?

I opened my eyes in a white place smelling iodine and plastic gloves. I knew this place from somewhere but where? Where was this place? I started to hear some voices father was telling something to a person called Dr. Wayne. Then I got it! I was in a hospital. I tried to move to see who was sick. When I move I understood because every part of my body started to hurt so bad and I saw terrible wound on my knees and my left bend-there’s a scar standing on my bend, this accident trailed a place on my body which is the second reason what makes this accident impossible to forget-. After some seconds of my wake up mom and dad came next to me, dad started to dress me because he’s a doctor. Now I can feel that all the smell of iodine is on me. Mom started to talk to me after she said something about medical science (I can’t understand what they were talking, she’s a doctor too) to dad. She was asking me why didn’t I told them that I can’t ride it and why, she told that father didn’t meant to hurt me and some other stuff. I can’t listen her because I was trying to pass out again for get rid of this terrible pain.

When we came back to the summerhouse I saw my grandma crying on the sofa, the first thing that she did when she saw me was hugging me, it hurt so bad but I did not screamed. After my brother came and he laughed at me and took some stupid photos. I knew he was doing them to turn on my moral so I didn’t say anything to him. Then I went to the terrace to apologize dad. When I reached the terrace I saw my dad smoking in a very sad look. I cuddled up next to him quietly and apologized. I can only say ‘’I’m so…’’. He interrupted my word and said ’’No need any apologizing my angel, I should never push you down to that ascent; but if you lie to your dad again you know what will this slayer will do to you!’’. I laughed at him –my jaw hurt again-than the tears started to fall down again. We hugged each other but this hug didn’t hurt me. It was soft as clouds and beautiful as imagine of the sunrise that we couldn’t see when we were hugging in the terrace…

END

“What happened to Stella? After the accident my purple bicycle damaged too. It’s bell broken and damaged from her aluminum body. But these little things don’t stop me to ride her. I ride her until I’ll be too tall for this small and cute bike. She’s still with us, in the storage of my grandma’s summerhouse. When the door was open we are watching each other. Parents asked me to give it away but I refused them. I’ll never forget her…

Çağla Erdoğan