So the second time, when Gopal had enough courage to ride the bike by himself, he took the liberty to borrow a large framed rusty bicycle from Kaka whilst Kaka was enjoying his afternoon siesta.
Gopal paddled through the crowded bazaar keeping his eyes attentively on the road. After a few rounds he was little more brave and decided to head towards the train station which acted as a landmark where their small town ended.
Putting pressure on the peddles, he gained momentum and felt the adrenal rush for the first time.
Tring! Tring! Make way for the bike!
There was a blind turn at the end of the road and Gopal knew he should have slowed down but lacked the practice of actually making that decision. The fall was inevitable. Panicked and with little experience of this situation, he simply decided to jump off the running bike, which maintained its balance for a distance and went straight into the gutter.
The crowd amused at the scene had a good laugh but offered to help him recover the bicycle. With heavy heart he walked back and from a distance could see Kaka furiously looking for his bicycle. Kaka was not happy knowing that his cycle fell into a sewer and it implied that Gopal could never borrow his cycle again.
After this incident, Gopal gave up his desire, except when he saw boys riding their own bikes in school.
One fine day when he returned home after school he saw a shiny piece of blue metallic machine standing tall on its wheels at his door step. Awestruck, Gopal looked around to locate the owner.
Kaka approached him and handed him a key chain made with the same blue metallic finish. Written on it was his name.
Gopal felt the adrenal rush once again. Putting pressure on the peddles, off he went.
Tring! Tring! Make way for the bike!