New glasses and a really slow pedaler
By Ginna Young
Last week, I finally got to Chippewa Falls, to pick up the new glasses I’d ordered about a month before. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to squeeze it into my busy schedule and kind of combined it with a trip through Cadott, to pick up some paperwork from the school on graduation.
Although it was past midday, I actually found a spot right in front of the eye doctor’s building and bopped in. They hustled me to the back, handed me the glasses and I peered at myself in the small desk mirror. I liked what I saw, they fit good and were kind of cute.
More importantly, I could see 100 percent better with my adjusted prescription. I’d already paid for the new eyewear at my eye exam appointment, so after shaking my head a couple times to make sure the glasses fit correctly, I was out of there.
Wow, under three minutes. This day wasn’t going too bad.
Yeah, I know, I should never allow those thoughts to enter my brain.
I decided to take the back way to Cadott, instead of fighting the fast movers on 29. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Once I got closer to Lake Wissota, I started seeing road construction signs, warning that delays were possible. No big deal, I thought. I’ve already been behind a tractor today, and things like this have to be done.
There goes that thinking again!
When I reached the point of stoppage, a road construction worker had the sign turned to stop and was looking behind him to watch for the oncoming traffic.
OK, someone hit me on the head.
About five minutes later, the guy is still watching the road and talking into his walkie-talkie. By this point, I figured there was no traffic and that they were intent on fixing a section of the road. Finally, I spotted a slow-moving object coming into view.
A bicycle, with a 13 to 14-year-old boy atop it, pedaling very, very slowly. He kept on coming, albeit slowly, then stopped, about 10 feet from the guy with the sign. By now, I had a line behind me, practically back to Micon Cinemas.
As the sign guy and I watched, the kid in the road took off his backpack, found his water bottle and took a couple swigs from it. He then rummaged around in the backpack for something, dropped it – twice – and proceeded to search through it again.
The sign guy was just staring at him and would look at me once in a while. I know our thought patterns were on the same wave length.
Geez, kid, wouldja hurry it up!
After he got through rummaging, the teen then tried to get the backpack on, with little success, as the straps were twisted, and struggling threw him off balance, thereby almost tipping the bike over.
The sign guy just stared, the guy behind with the boat had glazed over and I was admiring the nearby house’s lovely blooming lilacs, and contemplating turning the car off, as I had depleted most of my full tank of gas.
Eventually, the boy got everything situated and began pedaling again, at a much faster pace than before. Now, fully hydrated, he zipped by those of us stopped, with a jaunty wave and smile. The sign guy watched carefully as the teen was in the “safe zone,” then whipped the sign from stop to slow.
As I crept by the guy, we nodded to each other, bonded by our shared traumatic ordeal. Driving the rest of the way to Cadott, I reflected on the whole escapade, and while I am extremely glad I can see well again, I do wish I hadn’t worn my new glasses home.
Maybe then I wouldn’t have had to watch that whole painful thing unfold before my eyes.
Good, this won’t be a long stop, then.
