The "Christmas Trip to Eli's" Story




A bike much like my Christmas gift.

It was an ordinary day. I could hardly wait to ride my new bike to Eli's to get a soda. I can still remember that Christmas Day when I got my 26" three-speed blue bike with white-walled tires and hand-brakes. I just loved it. Think I was probably 12 years-old at the time, but my age escapes me right now. Eli's was a corner store that sold just about everything that anyone in the neighborhood could or would need. Eli was an old man to me, but looking back on it now, was probably the age I am now. Tall and thin with white hair and slightly hunched over from carrying all those boxes of groceries all the time. And, oh yeah, he always wore that white apron that went around his neck and came down to his knees. Eli's was located on the corner of East Ross and North Queen Streets in the north end of the city of Lancaster, PA. I dressed in a warm jacket (my mom made sure I had a hat and gloves on, naturally), opened the front door to our house, and off I went on my new three-speed for a ride around the neighborhood. My intentions, naturally, were to head to Eli's to get a soda and show off my bike to him and his wife. Boy did he love it. I showed him how the three gears and the new hand brakes worked. After drinking my soda, I hopped back on the bike and headed home. As I approached the alley, which was a half-block from my house, I jammed on the brakes as someone was making a turn into the alley. I had never had a bike with hand-brakes and when I grabbed the right brake, being I'm right-handed, and squeezed, I went flying over the handlebars. Landed on the stones of the alley, but didn't worry about the cuts on my hands. I was worried about my new bike. No visible damage so I was a happy boy. Never, ever told my parents about my fall for fear they would take my new bike away from me. Learned my lesson that day in regards to how to use hand-brakes. Best way to learn anything, I guess. Every time I now drive past what used to be Eli's I wonder what ever happened to him. Don't like to think the worst, but that was a long, long time ago, so I really know my answer. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.