The Girl
      (Part Two)
Fiction by Scott M Thompson

She was the most beautiful girl in the world and she was crying.  Jack Miller was a thirty-six year old,
married father of two.  His five year old daughter Lisa was standing at the end of the driveway with tears
running down her cheeks.  She was dragging her bicycle and holding a scuffed helmet.  At first, Jack thought
Lisa had fallen and been hurt while riding her bike.  However, after looking at her closely,
he didn’t see any sign of injury.  The tone of her crying however indicated that something was
seriously wrong.  She wasn’t crying just to get attention. 

Lisa was a beautiful five year old little girl with shoulder length blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. 
Her two front teeth had fallen out on the same day about a week ago.  Lisa was a very social little girl. 
She had a lot of friends.  There were several girls Lisa’s age in the neighborhood.  They were constant
companions.  Lisa and her friends played together every day.  They rode bikes, jumped rope and played
the typical games five year old girls enjoy.  One of Lisa’s favorite activities was riding bikes
in the cul-de-sac with her friend Gabby.  They would ride for hours while laughing and singing. 
Lisa and Gabby were happy playing and riding together.

On this day, after riding bikes, the girls went over to Gabby’s.  Gabby was also five years old and
she lived two houses over.  They parked bikes in Gabby’s driveway and ran inside for snacks.  Jack knew
his daughter was at Gabby’s house and her mother Angela was at home.  The girls were being supervised
and should be safe.  So then, why had Lisa come home alone crying?  What happened? 

Jack looked closely at Lisa’s bike as she approached.  He noticed that the front wheel was horribly bent. 
Instead of being round like a donut, it was warped like a taco shell.  The handle bars and frame
were bent too.  Something heavy had run over the bike.  Jack also noticed that Lisa’s helmet was
not only scuffed, it was cracked in half.  With tears running down her face, Lisa said, “Daddy,
Gabby’s grandfather ran over my bike while I was inside playing.”  She was heartbroken.

Jack felt a rush of anger.  Why was his five year old little girl walking home alone, carrying her bicycle. 
It was only two houses over, but Angela or the grandfather could have helped her.  Angela could have at
least called.  Jack knew Gabby’s parents and they were decent people so why didn’t they help Lisa home? 
Jack’s anger faded as he thought of a similar experience from his childhood. 

When Jack was ten years old, Grandma gave him a new pocket knife as a birthday present.  Jack’s family
lived in a semi-rural area of Florida.  There were creeks and swamps all around.  Jack and his friends
spent many days playing and exploring in the woods and swamps.  When she gave him the knife, Grandma
said, “Jack you are growing into a young man and I think you can handle a pocket knife.”  Jack was so proud
to be called a young man.  Grandma was right, he was getting older.  He promised to be very careful
with the knife.  It wasn’t a toy and he would take caution when using it.  Jack cherished the knife
and the responsibility that went with it. 

One day a few months later, Jack was sharpening the blade of his knife.  He decided to try it out on
a few green twigs to see how sharp the blade had become.  While cutting a particularly thick branch,
the blade became stuck.  Jack twisted hard to pry his knife free and the blade snapped.  His prized possession
was broken in an instant.  Jack’s heart sank.  Later that night, Jack told his mother what happened. 
Mom was sympathetic and said “Jack, I’m sorry about your knife.  I know how much it meant to you.” 
The next day, Jack’s grandfather found out.  Grandpa Bill was a stern man.  He had married Jack’s grandmother
when Jack’s mom was a teenager.  He was Jack’s step-grandfather, if there was such a thing.  Bill looked at
Jack and his broken knife and said “I knew that boy wouldn’t take care of it.  You were just throwing
money away giving him something like that.”  The words hurt more than the broken knife. 
Grandpa Bill was good to Grandma but he made Jack feel worthless.

Now, Jack was looking at Lisa.  Tears on her face and upset because her bicycle and helmet were broken. 
She explained that she didn’t see Gabby’s grandfather run over her bike but when she came outside,
it was broken.  She had parked the bike behind his car in the driveway.  Jack imagined what Grandpa
Bill would have said.  “You should have known better than to park your bike behind a car.” 
“That man may come over and ask me to pay for the scratch on his car.”  “Sometimes I just don’t know about you.” 
Yeah, Grandpa Bill would have criticized Lisa for being irresponsible with her bicycle. 
He would have let her know how much he disapproved of her behavior and how she was a constant
source of disappointment. 

Gabby’s grandfather must have backed over the bicycle when he went home.  This explained why Angela didn’t call. 
She probably didn’t know it happened.  Gabby’s grandfather visited about twice per week. 
He never waved or said hello to the neighbors.  Jack was pretty sure the man couldn’t see well
enough to drive.  He was also a bit senile.  But, this is Florida and drivers that don’t see or hear very
well are abundant.  Jack figured the guy probably knew he ran over the bike but didn’t know how to
handle the situation.  He was probably afraid Jack would call the police.

For an instant, Jack thought of telling Lisa that she shouldn’t have parked her bike behind a car. 
She had to be more responsible with her toys.  But thinking about his pocket knife and the hurt of
his grandfather’s words changed Jack’s outlook completely.  Jack picked-up Lisa and hugged her and
said “Don’t cry sweetie.  Tomorrow we can go pick out a new bike and helmet.  I’m glad you’re okay.” 
Jack carried the broken bike into the garage and he took Lisa inside so her mother could clean her up. 
Lisa was already upset.  She did not need a lecture about taking care of her toys.  She needed to know
that no matter what happened her father would always love and support her. 

The next day, Jack took Lisa to the store and she picked out a new pink bicycle and matching helmet. 
When they got home, Lisa ran over to Gabby’s and they rode bikes in the cul-de-sac for the next hour. 
After a while, Lisa and Gabby came inside and Lisa said, “Dad, something’s wrong with Gabby’s bike.” 
She can’t peddle.  Jack walked out to the garage to look at Gabby’s bike and he saw that the
brake shoe hadn’t been secured.  The back wheel had seized up and had to be replaced.  Jack looked
over at Lisa’s broken bike.  The front wheel was smashed but the back wheel was fine.  It was the same
size as the seized wheel on Gabby’s bike.  Jack thought, “It wasn’t Gabby’s fault that Lisa’s bike
had been broken.”  Her grandfather might be an old scrooge, but that was no reason to punish Gabby. 
Jack opened his tool box and made the switch.  He put the good wheel from Lisa’s broken bike on
Gabby’s bike.  Within about twenty minutes, the girls were riding in the cul-de-sac again. 

Later that evening, Gabby’s father Tony knocked at the door.  When Jack answered, Tony said,
“Jack, I heard my father ran over Lisa’s bike and I’m sorry.  Let me pay for the damage.” 
Jack refused.  He said “Tony, my little girl is happy and she is enjoying her friend Gabby. 
I appreciate you’re coming over.  Is your father okay?  Tell him we are sorry if we caused him any trouble.” 
Jack knew Tony and Angela were good people and Gabby was one of Lisa’s best friends. 
Jack speculated that Gabby’s grandfather might have panicked and feared losing his license if the police
were called.  Jack felt no ill will towards the family.  At this point, seeing his daughter smiling
and happy was all he needed.

As he looked out at the girls riding bikes, Jack thought, “I am lucky to be the father of the most
beautiful girl in the world.”


Scott M Thompson
Contact: scott_m_thompson@yahoo.com
Copyright 2009 Scott M Thompson
Reviews and Comments requested
Posted 9/28/2009