Bike Shop

Thursday night (12/27/07)

I was shopping with my 5-year-old nephew, Dominic, when we happened upon a bicycle shop and walked inside. I said, "If you could have any bike in the shop, which one would you pick?" He didn't answer; he was too caught up in looking at all of the varieties, which covered the walls. At one point I handed Domi to one of the workers behind the counter; he held him as I stood on my tip-toes to get a better look at an older bike which was out of reach. (Domi wasn't too thrilled to be handed to someone he didn't know.) A little while later I was done looking at everything, and I carried Dom back outside. I was surprised to see that Domi was starting to cry. He was upset that he didn't get a new bike. I said, "We can't go home to seven brothers and sisters with one new bicycle."

*****

Dom is old enough to walk on his own, but he still likes to be carried. I suppose that it wouldn't be fair to bring a little kid into a bike shop and leave empty-handed, but what do you do when that kid has so many siblings? You don't go to the bike shop in the first place...