A small man with wheels

Mom was a strong believer inheritance, and she believed German heritage of our family has established two things: hard work and stubbornness. The gene for the hard work lay rather low we kids while we were growing, but stubbornness kicked in quickly.

So you could say that what happened one summer evening at the end of 1940 was all our ancestors' doing.

Papa was preparing to go to a board meeting of the church. Four years Davie wanted to go to the board meeting too. (From the beginning, Davie liked to go places, while the mom, dad, and I liked to stay places.) We explained that Board meetings are for adults only. He still wanted to go. We explained that Board meetings were only members of the board. He still wanted to go. We are all standing around the bedroom while dad knotted his tie and combed his hair, and we take turns explaining what a miserable time Davie had a board meeting. At that point the conversation was always warm and the tears began to flow, but at that time Dad was ready to leave and it was time to leave, so he left.

I watched the cloud of dust as the little black Chevy coupe sped up the hill near our house Montana. And then I noticed the back of the dust cloud a small figure. Davie was on his bike after riding bravely. Evidently he intended tricycle five miles to the board meeting.

I watched him for several minutes. Rose bit 'pretty good speed on the slope down to the stream. But then began the hill, and the bottom of the hill was almost vertical. The wheels of the tricycle moves slower and slower, but Davie legs were still pushing. Davie did not surrender.

About that time I thought I'd tell my mother, and knew what I had: if a car was beaten down that hill, it would mash Davie and his bike plate before the driver even saw them. Mommy off like a shot and I could see the result of two objects with the same trajectory traveling at different rates of speed.

Davie was surprisingly docile when Mom landed on him, and seemed to have been defeated, but did not. His views were unchanged. He thought the course was still better than staying and going places on wheels was better than anything else.