Flat Tire

I suppose it was bound to happen. After logging almost 800 kilometres on the bike this month, I had a flat on a training run last night. I was about 15 kilometres from home.

I carry a spare with me but the weather was very hot and humid and the flat was on the rear. In other words, I really didn`t want to go through the hassle of changing a tire on the rear wheel when I was stranded on the side of the road relatively close to home.

I take a number of precautions when I cycle. I have my personal contact information labelled in my cycling helment. I let my wife know how long I intend to ride and the route that I will be following. And I carry a cell phone.

Perfect. I will give my wife a call and ask her to come rescue me.

I call home. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. No one answers. No problem. She must have gone out. I will call her cell phone. Busy. Must be talking to someone.

I call back on the home line to leave a voice mail message just in case. I give my coordinates and then go back to trying her cell phone. Still busy. Must be an important discussion.

I do not enjoy being stuck so I inflate the tire with my hand pump and pedal a couple of kilometres. By then, the tire is almost flat again. I had to stop. I get off the bike. And I try her cell phone. Still busy.

Doesn`t she know that I am in trouble? What if I had been involved in an accident?

Inflate the tire again. Ride a few kilometres. Stop. Get off the bike. Try the cell phone.

Still busy.

Doesn`t she know that it is expensive to use the cell phone? Has she no appreciation for the value of brevity in conversation? Why is she on the phone for so long?

Inflate the tire. Ride the bike. And then, out of nowhere, my wife`s car appears.

“Why weren`t you answering your cell phone?” I asked.

“Because you have it.” She replied.

Before my ride, my daughter had taken my cell phone. And, as a result, I took my wife`s celI phone on the bike. 

I was calling her cell phone on her cell phone.

Busy.