Two years ago at Christmas, me and Shady both got a bike. We love our bikes and we ride them everywhere on our place. Shady is too little to ride his down the highway, but I am allowed because I am older, and Mamaw says I am more responsible. I want to tell you about my bike, how I got it and why I love it so much.

Uncle Muddy told me a long time ago, that Santa Claus was really him. Seems like I always knew that, but he made me promise not to tell Shady until we both get older. Shady is the funnest one at Christmas. You could give him a piece of paper with a drawing on it, as his present and he would be thrilled. He is like a cat; he even plays adventures with the wrapping paper. He tried to get me to wrap him up like a present once, but I told him he would need to get out to go to the bathroom before Christmas, and he couldn’t stay there that long.

Back to my story; Uncle Muddy took both of us to the local hardware store to pick out a bike. We were excited because he said “Santa Claus needs help this year, as to what bike each of you boys want.” Shady picked his little bike out right away, a little blue one with a speedometer, and a radio on the handlebars.

They did not have the one I have wanted forever since it came out; it was called a Dust Devil, and it looked just like a racing dirt bike. It had fancy hand grips, hand brakes and had a speaker on the handlebar where you could make motor sounds with it, if you turned it on. It had the big seat and even a fake gas tank. I wanted that thing so bad!

Uncle Muddy saw me looking at the bike, but they could not sell it to him at the time, due to the fact it was a display model and was special order, and every one of them had sold out. He said, “I know you want that one real powerful bad, Pete, but it won’t get here on order until late January, or February and that makes it after Christmas. Santa Claus won’t be able to bring it to you on time. We can wait on it, or you can pick out another one for Santa Claus to bring you.”

Needless to say I was real disappointed. I must have wanted that thing for two years! Still, being a practical sort and the fact I wanted a bike for Christmas, Uncle Muddy showed me this slightly bigger, more practical mountain bike. It even cost more, but it felt good. I tried it out; it had hand brakes and 11 gears! Big knobby tires to take me through the bushes and mud, and it was very lightweight with a small comfortable seat. It had a water bottle on it, and when I tried it out, something in me said “This is the one.”

So I told Uncle Muddy this one would do, and we left and that’s the bikes we got that Christmas. After using mine awhile, it seemed absolutely perfect for riding on our pond trail. The wide knobby tires let me go up and down hills; the light weight meant I could carry it out of a place easily if it was too overgrown to bike through. And the tires whined some on the highway, when I rode it. It had a headlight that had an extra battery; and I would ride at night down the shoulder path to the side of the road sometimes.

Well guess who got a Dust Devil bike for Christmas? My buddy Stinky, that’s who. I told y’all this because his daddy brought it over in the back of his truck, so me and Stinky could ride around our huge place together. Stinky actually let me ride it. Man, that thing didn’t ride worth a flip! It had slick tires on it, and when I tried to go up a hill it would not do it. It was also heavy; too heavy for anybody to carry because the tires were too big, and the metal frame made it hard to handle.

Even the brakes were just standard coaster brakes. No sir, it didn’t ride half as good as my mountain bike. Later that year, I went over to Stinky’s house to help him do homework, and that cool looking sissy bar on the back was actually broke off! And you could see the pedal bolts were already starting to rust, and he does take care of his stuff.

I think I made the right choice. Not everything that looks flashy is actually good, no matter how cool it is.