After what felt like hours of driving, we ended up in Santa Barbara. Oh, Barbara how beautiful you are.
A city like from Greece, Spain and France melted together but located in a smaller district in California. White houses, aesthetically pleasing small lights and happy smiles was what I could see first.
Before I could dive deeper into the unknown coast city, we parked at the motel, we were staying at. One would think motels were crappy and creepy rooms located in the nowhere, but this place was really cute. The bubbly motel manager informed my dad that we could use the quatrapelt bike and the free bikes, which delighted my sleepy mood from the hour long car drive.
My family was also down to do that, so we took a ride with the four-wheel tandem as it was already four pm and there wasn't much else to do anymore.
—
In the two seats in the front sat my dad and brother and in the back were my mom and I. Nighty was of course the Lion's King and sat in the bike's basket in the front.
We were riding up a hill, sweating and doubting we would even be able to reach the top of the not too steep but for us quite steep hill.
There were a lot of dogs on a walk along the bike lane. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for Nighty to be the Lion's King, he was always ready to jump off the basket and greet the other dogs. It was not as enjoyable as we hoped it would be haha.
We rode a bit on the hill's top and tried to make a small loop and then turn back and ride the hill down.
But of course we got stopped by not anyone more charming than an elderly woman with (for unknown strange reason) hiking shoes.
She shit-talked us about a family who was also about to ride the hill down, but ended unfortunately in the hospital. To make us believe her, she topper her story by saying she saw it sadly with her own eyes. My brother and dad just shrugged the warning off, while my mom and me got a little stressed. My mom more than me. But then after checking again the route, my worries went away because actually it wasn't that steep and totally manageable.
Here we go.
My mother's hands were glued to the front seats head lean and mine were in the air. The wind listened to my slightly nervous screams mixed with a happy giggle. My dad held our dog so he wouldn't jump off the bike at the sight of another dog. My brother was the trusted captain of the ship, careful to bring the anchor to the ground, when needed.
Screw that old lady, because this truly was lots of fun:) Besides the burning calves and my dads hyperness taking over and him trying to mess up the rhythm of pedaling.
—
Sadly, the ride finished because we arrived again at the motel.
It was way too early not to do anything anymore, so I suggested to my brother to come ride with me on the free bikes.
"Oh perfect! If the kids go out together with the bikes, we will have some time for us, honey", my mom enthusiastically told my father.
"perrrrrfect," my dad rolled the R aggressively, "we could go to the beach and walk there?"
"superrrr," my mom imitated my dad's ironic R, "we shall do that.", she smiled at the plan, followed by my dad's smile.
—-
The bubbly manager approached us with a metal strange looking key to unlock the huge lock hugging and enveloping the blue and black old modest bikes.
He adjusted our seats to my brothers tall height and my petite one. Then he set us free to go.
My family decided not to have diner, thats why me and my brother headed to the nearest supermarket with the bikes to buy some snack but ended up buying only some flavored water in cool looking cans. He has always loved food products with mango flavor, while I have always loved the flavor of berries as in blueberries and strawberries.
We wanted actually to ride to a Target, but the nearest one was 4km away, so we stopped by at Ralph's (as well a supermarket).
There was a suspicious (and without wanting to judge) scary looking homeless person. They stood there lighting their cigarette and singing loudly. Because of that, my brother wanted to drive past them as fast as possible but I couldn't follow his instructions because I bumped into a rock near the homeless person. To pretend I wasn't freaked out by them invading my personal space, I laughed it off, because to be honest, me bumping into a rock and not being able to ride a straight line, was all too typical lol. My brother shook his head and waited for me to follow up so we could continue together in sync.
It was chilly but not too cold. Maybe it was, but by keeping our muscles in motion, the cool wouldn't seek too much through our already brownish tanned skin. Besides, actually the fresh breeze of the Pacific Ocean along with the seagull's singing (or screaming) in your auricle was marvelous and together with sniffing the moist sand and spotting green palm crowns, was all together orgasm to my senses.
It wasn't that bright anymore but it wasn't yet dusk, the sky was perfectly dimmed with colorful combinations of the most expensive paint palette.
——
[ Listen to: New Home- Austin Farwell ]
"I'm so happy!" I blurted out, cheeks hurting from smiling so much
"Hahaha yea it's really nice!", my brother chuckled.
I forgot to breathe in sometimes, being too caught up in that interesting and versatile surrounding. Others would simply describe this moment as dreamy and beautiful like Pinterest's best pictures under the hashtag #nightvibe
Yet I didn't. It didn't feel real. Everything seemed to disappear, all my worries and insecurities, and all that was left was the feeling like my heart was about to beat out of my chest.
Nothing else mattered,
and nothing else could.
Not when I pedaled my bike along Santa Barbara's clean but mysterious streets during the start of the sunset. It took all my stressful weeks away, my hidden pain I felt , the things I hated most about myself and the scars I wore. My heart swelled with love and warmth spread through my chilled body beginning in my torso, ending in my tiptoes and it went around and around like a heartbeat's system.
Maybe this was just the beginning of something far greater than I could've imagined. Maybe this was the happiness I tried to find somewhere else, this bliss much better than what I saw and felt somewhere else.
I felt at peace and at home. Home may've been once a person, but it was this and now, because present is much more than what once was; the past.
I breathed in, breathed deeply in, to fill my lungs with oxygen of the current dream. It felt good, too good, to know that it's true, I really am experiencing this indescribable moment but as I took the deep breaths in, it also hurt. Hurt because I wouldn't be able to relive this moment with its happiness ever again. It will end....
...or maybe it won't?
——-
"Hey, should we drive through the college campus?", my brother asked in a concealed tone, not giving me a chance to figure out whether he's tired of all the riding so far or extremely excited and proud of himself for coming up with that idea.
"You think I'm gonna say no to that? Of course! Let's gooo", I shouted into the sky.
The college campus wasn't far away. We drove to the parking spots and instead of exploring the campus indoors, we went for the parking house next to it.
It was a little dark and only filled with a few cars but in my opinion that made the vibe even better.
We split up at one point as my brother drove to the left and I to the right. I ended up riding down a 180° curve not knowing whether this was a bad idea, whether I'm going to come down a floor lower than the previous one, whether my brother is going to meet me on the end of the solo ride..?
I screamed my lungs out, my hair flew in any way imaginable and my sweater was pressed against my chest. I knew my brother drove without holding the handle bar, but I was too anxious of tripping and cutting my knees open. Nevertheless I enjoyed myself tremendously.
We met again on the lower floor and exited together the parking house, our echo giving me goosebumps.
—
Then we rode through neighborhoods, streets and narrow paths with obstacles here and there and drove to hills no knight could reach.
The rosé sky above me with a hint of violet highlights and orange brushed background lines seemed so far away, far away from reality, but at the same time too near to touch, too near so that my blushed heart felt touched.
My brother and I glared at each other several times to read the happiness on our faces.
We loved with a love that was more than love ~ Edgar Allan Poe
