Looking After You

(8) Ages: 10 & 7

Ages: 10 & 7

“Stop laughing!” Jenny ordered with flushed cheeks and a firm glare.

“I can’t help it! You look like a flounder trying to learn how to ride a bike.” James commented with a chuckle.

“I am not a flounder!” Jenny argued and saved herself just as the bike started to fall to the side.

James sighed and walked over to Jenny to try and set her up on the bike once again.

“I really wish you would just let us buy him a bike. That way they can ride together and you can pay us back whenever.” Alison pleaded once again to her two best friends as they stood on the Jenson's front porch, watching the children interact.

Denise’s pride took over, causing her to immediately shake her head. “No, I won’t let you do that. You’ve already done enough and we will find the money to buy James a bike one way or another. We just need a little more time.”

Alison sighed as all four parents turned their attention back to the kids. “Jenny, let James ride your bike for a little while.” James eyes lit up at the sound of that and he turned to Jenny for approval. Jenny would normally fight but she knew, even at that young age, that it wasn’t right for her to have a bike and James to go without, so she easily gave up her bike along with the helmet and everything else. Alison smiled proudly.

James climbed onto the bike in excitement and couldn’t help but feel thankful that Jenny’s favorite color was blue and not pink. He immediately pushed off the pavement and began peddling down the block, getting farther than Jenny was able to get before falling off.

Sitting down on the edge of the pavement, she patiently waited for James to come back around the block. She picked at a bright yellow flower poking out through the pavement and eventually heard James shout in joy as he rounded the block. Jenny couldn’t help but laugh at the fun he was having and even when James offered to give her back the bike, she declined, letting him round the block a few more times.

“Jenny, come here.” James ordered when he rounded the block a fifth time and biked up to the curb where Jenny was sitting.

She stood up and walked over to James with a small frown. “I’m fine, James. You can ride for as long as you want. It’s probably good that the bike is being ridden by someone who doesn’t fall every two seconds.”

James put his hand on the space between the handle bars. “Come on. Sit up here.”

Jenny immediately shook her head. “No, I’ll fall off.”

“I promise I won’t let you fall." He said assuredly, his hazel eye peering deep into her dark brown ones. "Just hold onto the handle bars and you’ll be fine.”

Jenny glanced back over at her parents, anticipating a rule of some kind but no one said a word because James’ promise was easy to believe, even at that young age. Eventually, Jenny climbed onto the handle bars. James placed his hands over hers and she looked back at him with a smile. “Ready?” He asked.

Jenny nodded and James slowly began peddling down the block. Jenny laughed in excitement and slowly gained enough confidence to lift her hands from the handlebars. “I’m riding a bike!” Jenny exclaimed.

James snickered. “Well…technically but-“

“Jameson, leave me be!”

James rolled his eyes at the term his mother always used to say when he was picking on Jenny. He never really understood it but, for some reason, it made more sense that day.