Now, let us go half a kilometer to the right from the house. We have come to Canton Center road. Another kilometer is Sheldon road and then running very close to Sheldon and almost parallel to it is the Michigan Avenue, the state highway which runs through the state of Michigan north to south. Canton center, Sheldon and Michigan Avenue are again perpendicular to Geddes and parallel to each other. Take a left on Canton Center and go for a mile, and you will touch a large area containing the hospital, library, municipal offices and Heritage park. I know the place now. You are seeing me in Heritage park.
I am good in geometry, I can retain a good mental picture of locations and I easily remember roads and places that I pass through. If you have a geometrical bent of mind too and are as good as me in remembering these things, come along further. If you care to continue with me but can not get these parallel and perpendicular things, please take time off to go to your son’s/daughter’s geometry book and come back. If you neither care for geometry nor for my story ( which I fear is not going to be short), please go back to the TV, Book, Garden or kitchen or where ever you were before.
Having finished with our topography and geometry,we will now come to the story.
My son, who is crazy about motor bikes and cars befitting his age,(I think they come after cricket and foot ball but I do not know whether they come before, after or along with girls. I seem to have missed this stage in my youth or my senile brain has conveniently forgotten all about it) located this Dick Scott’s Bike shop on Michigan Avenue in Canton MI (on the web)and sent me a mail asking me to go over there if I can. He asked me to see the revered bikes for him, take pictures, put a garland of flowers around the handle, light an incense stick if permitted (with out activating fire alarm), prostrate before them (I believe that’s what he did when he came across a Rolls Royce Phantom on a Chennai road) and then consider every penny spent on the trip, well spent.
I estimated Dick Scott’s bike shop to be about five kilometers from our house and since the bicycle was back from repairs and operative, thought of making it on my own, with out bothering Bhanu or Vishwa. My legs do protest mildly when exerted but I thought ten kilometers on the bicycle (up and down) should not worry them much. So, I started after breakfast, around ten one morning and reached Michigan Avenue. Having learnt to ride the bicycle in Bangalore, where every other vehicle is trained to attack you, it was not difficult to handle the Michigan Avenue vehicles which were only interested in going ahead ( though very fast ), and I rode on towards Dick Scott’s bike shop. I reached it in about twenty minutes and went in. The salesman or manager or whoever it was behind the table, got up and came forward.
“Hi, how are you doing this morning?”
“Fine,( but tired) thank you. Can I have a look at your bikes?”
“Go ahead. You interested in bikes?” (Incredulity painted thick across his face)
“No, my son is.”
“Oh. Its your son (relief).Interested in bikes is he? Whats he doing?”
“Engineer” (I promoted him)
“Engineer, good, wheres he?”
“India”
“We can ship to India. OK, go ahead”
So, I went ahead and looked at the bikes. They were as tall as if not taller than me and my legs needed to grow by about a foot, hands by about four feet each and my pocket, hundreds of feet before I could even dream of straddling them and holding the handles.
“Can I take pictures?”
“Oh, you want pictures? Sure, go ahead”
I took pictures and since the chromium parts gave a glare that my Cameras could not handle, enquired if he had any photographs or Catalogues. He gave me some catalogues and photographs of his “Indian” (that’s the brand name) bikes and I turned to leave. He handed me his card.
“There you are. Ask your son to contact me. Have a good day”
“Thank you. You too.”
Where ever you go, shops, air ports, library, offices or any where, the dialogue starts with “Hi, how are you feeling today” - “Fine thank you” and ends with "There you are, have a good day” - “Thank you. You too.”
I came out and turned towards home.
See, actually this is where the story that I wanted to narrate starts. But as I have mentioned before I get carried away with lots of unwanted stuff and it turns out to be too long. I lose my goal. If I could head towards the goal straight away, I should have been better off in my life. Any way, please bear with me and remember whatever has been told for whatever it is worth. I will proceed in no time.
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