Story Time #2 (Shock The Monkey)

I was 9 years old. I thought I was the big stink. My parents would buy me anything I asked for. They would even buy things I didn't ask for. Things I didn't know I even wanted until they bought it for me. For example, my mini-bike. I had a couple of go-carts and often took them to race with my friends. Then one day my parents walk me into the garage and show me the mini-bike. (Mini motorcycle)

I thought I was the big cheese after that. I always looked at the other kids and every time, saw what I had that they didn't have. This made me feel like I was better than them. This was how I acted. (Of course, I learned differently when I grew older) We lived right across from the school. In the medium sized town I lived, their playgrounds all had swing-sets, teeter-totters, monkey bars, slides, you name it. Heck, my school playground looked more like a mini park. I always used to ride my mini-bike on the school grounds. Next to the playground area was this huge massive field, and wide open space. All the kids from within a ten block radius would come to watch me ride and jump ramps and pop wheelies. They thought it was the greatest thing.

One day, on a Saturday, a bunch of kids were gathered about and scattered on the playground and watching me ride. Several of them wanted to ride my mini-bike. At first I wouldn't let them. Then I decided to give them a ride for a dollar. (Or whatever money they had on them, a quarter or nickel or dime, whatever they had, up to a dollar) I must have given like 20 rides when this one kid had given me a dollar earlier and then decided he didn't want the ride after all. He wanted to ride it alone. But I wouldn't let him.

So, he wanted his dollar back. I told him, "No refunds." He started to get mad. I jumped on my mini-bike real quick and sped off. He started chasing me. It turned into a little game of mine where he would get close to me then I would throttle up and create distance, looking back all the while and laughing at him. He would stop to catch his breath and then I would stop and wait for him and sometimes pretend I wasn't paying any attention to him and he would try to sneak up and then I would take back off and the chase continued. It was hilarious. And the other kids were laughing at it. (I was such a show off)

But after like 15 or 20 minutes, I slowed down again to wait for him to catch his breath. (man, this kid really wanted his dollar back) Anyhow, once he did - he tried to come at me again. I throttled the mini-bike and sped away, looking behind me at him and laughing. Then I turned back around and BAM!!!! Right into the freaking monkey bars. Made of solid steel. I didn't know what hit me. I rolled off and to the ground - too shocked to respond. I heard some girls start crying - thinking I was dead. The kid got his dollar back from out of my pocket as I laid there, silent and stunned. My brother had seen from the front yard what happened. He came to help me back home while another friend pushed my mini-bike home for me. My brother was laughing at me. "That's what you get for teasing that boy."

Luckily, nothing was broken. It bled something awful. I did have a fractured cheek bone, and chin. I needed several stitches for my lip. My face swelled up and for a week I looked like a duck. I did get to stay home from school for that week because of it. I was glad to stay home, I was nursing my ego too. I guess the moral of the story is, don't look back! You don't want to slam into the monkey bars of life.

I looked a little something like this.

Frightening, isn't it? LOL

As for the mini-bike? It survived. However, my “irresponsibility” with it meant, it survived with a new owner. My parents sold it. I wouldn’t see two wheelers again until I was 12.

My mother always said I was a monkey. I suppose it was only fitting that I slammed into monkey bars. Talk about a monkey shock.