My Best Friend's Older Brother

Chapter 4: The Bike Ride

Saturday was Katie's favorite day of the week. Every Saturday, the Graham family did something entirely different and fun. This Saturday was no different.

That morning, as Katie ate her breakfast, Mr. Graham proposed, "Well, everyone, it looks as if this will be a pretty morning! How about a bike ride?"

"Where?" asked Katie.

"Down the Moonshine Trail," responded Mr. Graham.

"Oh, that's a beautiful trail!" Mrs. Graham breathed dreamily.

"Ooh, can we invite Eileen?" Katie requested hopefully.

"What a splendid idea!" bellowed Mr. Graham.

After breakfast, Katie skipped to the landline. She dialed Eileen's number. "Hello?" called a robot voice.

"This is Katie," Katie indicated.

"What is it?" Eileen wondered.

"Listen, my family and I are going on a bike ride up the Moonshine Trail. Do you want to come?"

"Hey, I've gone bike riding up that trail with my family. I'd love to come. Let me go ask Mom."

Katie heard some distant conversation before Eileen squealed into the phone, "Yay! I can come! We'll all bike to your house and then go."

Katie slammed down the phone excitedly. This was going to be an awesome Saturday. She ambled into the garage with Mr. and Mrs. Graham to ready their bikes.

They opened the garage dorm so Eileen's family would see them. Mr. Graham helped Katie pump up her bike wheels. Her bike was shiny salmon pink. It had rubbery white handlebars. The front wheel was black and the back wheel was white. Both wheels had little animal accessories attached to the spokes.

Finally, Eileen, her brother, and her mother arrived with their bikes. Katie was enchanted by Eileen's light blue, ten-speed bike.

Eileen's mother wrapped Mr. and Mrs. Graham into a bear hug. She puckered up and left pink lipstick marks on each cheek. Eileen and Katie hid their faces and giggled.

The two families strapped on their helmets and climbed onto their bikes. As Eileen's family pedaled off, Mr. Graham said a short prayer: "Dear God, please bless this trip and keep us and the Loach family safe. Amen."

"Amen," agreed Mrs. Graham. The three kicked down their bike stands and pedaled down the sidewalk. After a few turns, the Grahams caught up with the Loaches. Once they passed the suburban streets, Katie rode her biked next to Eileen.

"How come you started way after us?" Eileen interrogated Katie.

"My dad was praying for our trip," Katie replied.

"Oh," Eileen murmured. "So, are you religious?"

"Well," Katie pondered. Religious could mean a lot of things. "I guess so."

"Hey, me, too!" exclaimed Eileen happily. "I'm Jewish!"

"I'm a Christian."

"Hey, our religions are very similar. Are you going to have a Bat Mitzvah?"

"I don't know. What's that?"

"A Bat Mitzvah is a party for thirteen-year-olds. My brother's going to have a Bar Mitzvah at the end of July. I'm going to have a Bat Mitzvah in four years."

"I hope I have a Bat Mitzvah," Katie said. The two girls were silent as they enjoyed the view. On either side of them, rolling green hills touched the bright blue sky. A few puffy clouds depicted objects. Lining the trail, lizards and salamanders crawled on dusty rocks. Katie thought lizards were fascinating. She hoped to own a Gila Monster and Comodo Dragon when she was an adult.

Just then, Eileen hissed, "Check out my brother." Katie looked away from the lizards and up ahead at Derak. His back was turned to her, but he pivoted his head around to face the girls. When he caught them staring at him, he quickly faced forward. The girls waited. Derak glanced at the again.

"Why does he keep looking at us?" Katie asked in a low voice.

"Beats me," Eileen shrugged. "Maybe he's in love."

"In love?" Katies was puzzled. "With you?"

Eileen wrinkled her nose. "Not me, silly. I'm his sister. I bet he has a crush on you."

Now Katie was even more befuddled. Why would an almost thirteen-year-old boy like her? She was nine. Derak was creeping her out. "Your brother is strange," Katie whispered.

"I know," Eileen replied. Derak glanced at them a third time. Eileen and Katie giggled.

The girls did not talk anymore. Soon, Mrs. Loach discovered a comfortable looking spot by a creek surrounded by eucalyptus trees to set up a picnic. While Derak and the adults spread out the blanket and food, Eileen and Katie skipped toward the stream. Eileen showed Katie how to skip stones across the creek. It was quite a challenge, and Katie was delighted to find several little flat stones surrounding the water.

Then Eileen whispered to Katie, "Let's cross the stream on those steppingstones. We might find some treasure on the other side!" That sounded cool to Katie. Eileen was so much cooler than she.

Eileen carefully placed her dainty feet on some steady stones poking out of the water. Katie trailed after her, stepping on the same rocks Eileen used.

On the other side of the stream, there were cattails. Eileen and Katie each grabbed one and shelled off the fuzz. "You know," suggested Eileen, "I bet we could use the cattails sticks as chopsticks."

"I don't know how to use chopsticks," Katie replied disappointedly.

"I'll teach you," Eileen offered. "It's easy."

Just then, a glimmer in the reeds caught Katie's eye. "Eileen, look," she whispered mysteriously. "There's something shiny in the cattails. Let's go get it."

"What do you think it is?" Eileen wondered curiously.

"It might be the treasure you were talking about. We could be rich!"

Eileen pulled aside some reeds. Then she threw back her head and laughed. "Katie, look at your 'treasure'!" Katie rushed over to see. It was a glass bottle that read Corona Extra.

"Ew, a beer bottle!" chuckled Katie. Then her jaw tightened up uncomfortably when she noticed something else.

"Eileen, let's go back to the picnic," Katie mumbled.

"Why?" Eileen asked excitedly. "What did you see?"

"I saw a sleeping bag and a blanket. I want to get away from here."

"Wait, I want to see it." Eileen craned her neck above the cattails. Then her eyes grew big and round, and she splashed through the water to the other side.

"What??" Katie ran beside her friend in the water.

"I saw a homeless guy. He barred his yucky brown teeth at me. It was disgusting!" Eileen and Katie giggled.

By the time the girls reached the picnic, their knees and lower legs were soaked, but they were laughing hysterically.