Frances Friday: Bike Ride

"Are we going to ride on the bike today, Mummy?"

"Yep. Get your shoes on and I'll help you with your helmet."

"This is my bicycle helmet. It's pink. It has lambs on it! It's so pretty."

"I'm glad you like it. Ready, kiddo? You wait outside while I get the bike." I steer it through the front door to the path and prop it on the kickstand, which the manual says one should never ever do with a seat on the back, and always to use two people. There's only me, so I'll have to figure this out. I strap Frances in carefully, tighten it up, snap on the lap bar, and off we go. Turning corners is fun with the extra weight in the back. "I see a squirrel, Mummy!"

"Is it cute?"

"Yeah. Awwww. I'll just pretend this is a back window."

"Oh? It's good to have a back window, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but this one is just pretend."

A few minutes later we repeat the process in reverse and I walk her into her classroom, undo her helmet and hang it up on her hook with her lunch bag and jacket.

"Do you like riding the bike to school?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, good."

"Sometimes. Not all the time."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Big, heavy sigh. "I know."

Suppressing a giggle, I kiss the top of her shiny golden hair. "I'll see you this afternoon, sweetie. You have a good day at school."

"OK, Mummy." She wanders to a table where other kids are playing a Franklin game and does not look at me as I leave. She's settling in. That's good. No more crying in the morning. I peek at her one more time on my way out, and feel oddly wistful that she is once again ok to be without me all day long.

~~~~~

This weekend she is spending an extra day at Daddy's. It was written into our separation agreement that he gets one floating day per month. Frances misses him terribly, I know, so it's good and I'm glad for her that they get this time together. And I have plenty to do: a date last night, a date with friends tonight, laundry, groceries, writing, furniture refinishing, sewing, reading, all kinds of things. Maybe even sleep.

It's a good thing, too, because that apartment is going to seem very big and empty this weekend. If I didn't have so much to do I might go crazy.

Posted by Andrea at September 21, 2007 6:34 AM under Frances Friday

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