Page 8 - LIfesOuttakes2

barn. We rode to Lenny’s house, and each of us took our bikes and made the jump. We all watched Rod to see what he would do. He rode away about 50 yards, turned, and flew down the road toward us. He sailed off of the jump, air born for much longer than any of us, and then slid to a stop in a shorter distance. We all whistled our admiration. The other boys kept nudging me, so finally I asked. “Can I give it a try?” Rod was new there, and he paused, his reluctance apparent, but he didn’t want to give up the chance to make new friends. He hesitantly handed it over. To the other boys’ cheering I went down the road about a hundred yards, turned, and headed at full speed toward the ramp. I had never felt such speed and power. As I launched into the air, I felt as if I truly was flying, and I sailed farther even then Rod had. When I landed, I started pedaling backward to bring myself to a stop, but nothing happened. The barn was approaching fast and fear choked the scream in my throat. Just seconds before impact, I heard Rod yell “Squeeze the handbrake! Squeeze the handbrake!” After the collision, Rod came over and grabbed his bike, which was snapped in the middle. He yelled at me, 3