One in a Million

Saturday Part Two

-Flash Back-

Eleven years ago-
"Daddy!!! Daddy!Daddy!" I yelled running into his stiff arms.
"Do you like my curls?" I said twirling around in my yellow dress. My neighbor Debbie gave me this dress this morning as a birthday gift and also curled my hair.
"What about the dress? Do I look like a princess?"
"You look like a brat to me." He mumbled under his breath.
"Daddy?... Daddy?" I asked trying to get his attention.
"What?" He said going to the fridge and grabbing a beer.
"It's my birthday today. My teacher told me and then she gave me a lollipop. It was grape. My favorite."
"Your teacher doesn't know shit." He spat.
"Really? Because she said that you wrote a note to me wishing me happy birthday. Thank you, Daddy!" I said with the biggest smile.
"What ever." He continued drinking his beer.
"Daddy?"
"What Adeline?!"
"When are you going to teach me how to ride a bike? The kids at my school said that their Dad's taught them already. I figured since it's my birthday you can teach me." I announced my wishes.

"WHY DON'T YOU ASK ONE OF THEIR DADDIES TO TEACH YOU?!" he hissed.

"I can't because you're my Daddy, not them," I muttered under my breath on the verge of tears.

After a few moments of silence, my Dad gave in and told me to get in the car. I ran to my room to put on my white tennis shoes with a bow. Hopping in the car I smoothed out my dress and looked out the window to see if anyone was watching. To see if people saw my Daddy getting ready to teach me how to ride a bike. I thought as I sat in the back seat that I was the luckiest little girl who was going to be able to ride a bike all around the world this time tomorrow.

My Dad drove us to Mastul Park which was about twenty minutes away. He got out in a rush and practically threw the bike out the trunk. I jumped out of the car and hurried to his side.

"Okay Adeline now I'm going to need you to listen to me very carefully because I don't have all day for this, you only get an hour and then we head home. I'm only going to say it once and once only," he said pointing one finger out.

"Okay," I gulped.

"Now riding a bike is really easy. You can't over think it because even stupid people know how to ride a bike....stupid people," he emphasized. "First thing is getting on the bike...GET ON THE BIKE!" he yelled attracting people's attention.

"OH! O-okay...um.." I uttered struggling to properly hold the handles while getting on. I kept falling until my Dad burst and forced me on himself.

"Now was that so hard?" he blurted.

"Yes."

"The next step is to learn how to balance." he grabbed me by the waist in a harsh manner I let out a little cry. My Dad kept yelling at me to keep still. I wanted to go home, but he insisted on staying since he took time out of his "busy" schedule to teach me. It felt like a lifetime just sitting on the bike. I ended up ruining my dress before even truly starting. He soon ran out of patience again and decided to start moving. He walked faster and faster to the point of running.

"Okay Adeline remember to balance!" he yelled pushing me off. I yelled for him to not let go, but by then it was too late and I was rolling. I was doing alright at first, but then it all went wrong. I started to lose control and begged my Dad to save me from going downhill. Literally, I was headed straight down the steep hill. I didn't know how to control the bike so when I rolled over a rock it set me off the path and down the hill. I did the best I could maneuver around the trees and bushes, but when a tree snuck up on me I turned to quickly and flew off the bike.  I tried bracing myself by sticking my hands out, but when I fell on the floor I felt a sharp pain on my right palm followed by a 'POP!' sound and me eating the dirt. My body was in an unstoppable motion as I tumbled down the hill. When mother nature, God, the universe, or karma decided I had enough I sat up straight crying my eyeballs out. 

The blood gushing down my nose that I could no longer breathe out of and the blood running out my mouth covered my dress in a deep red. I must have sat there for about ten minutes until my Dad decided to come to get me. When he did, he bickered all the way up saying it was my fault for being an idiot and to stop overreacting. Not once did he ask me if I was okay or if there was anything he could have done to make the pain less painful. I knew then and I know now that there wasn't, but it would have made me feel better if he did. Strangers showed more compassion and worried for a girl that they didn't even know. When he finally took me to the ER I ended up by myself once again and only had the doctors to comfort me. I went home that night with eight stitches on my palm, a fractured shoulder, and a broken nose. Happy, happy birthday to me. I thought 

-End of Flash Back-

I found Adian looking at me with worried eyes.

"...okay?" he asked to confirm.

"Yeah, I'm here," I said not knowing what he was talking about.

"Ha. I know that. I didn't ask that though. I was saying if you don't want to do it then we won't. It's not a biggy so please don't go freaking out on me. I don't know how to deal with emotional women yet." he repeated himself.

"Oh." I'm sorry I said feeling the lump in my throat. I stood blankly feeling the scare on my balm and decided it was about time I got over my fear.

"I'm fine. Let's do it." I said managing to pull a smile.

"Alright! Let's do it." He cheered. And so we did. I learned how to ride a bike. He made up for my Dad a million times over with his jokes, gentle voice, and patience. Not once did he show he was sorry for me or judged me. He even recorded me going a lap around the park without me knowing. When I caught him I got nervous and crashed into a bush which of course was caught on camera. This was a Saturday that I will never forget.