Dog Tag

Around my neck, dangling inside my jersey is a red plastic dog tag on a lanyard with my house key. It's engraved with my name, the hospital I work at, my insurance number, and a request to take me to that particular ER in the event of an accident on my bike. Sometimes I think a jersey with "Decrease Intracranial Pressure" across the chest might be appropriate as well.

It had rained, and I was looking forward to a cool evening as I left the hospital about 3PM today. Once home, I laid down to read a bit. I awoke at twilight. Damn. I decided to clip a headlight on the Armstrong, don a white jersey, along with my reflective helmet with the blinky light on the back. As I rolled the bike out onto the porch, the coming night air gave me a welcome greeting.

It was a good ride, regardless of the bugs splatting against my face. I was taking quiet but well lit streets when the inevitable happened..... I noticed the headlight getting dimmer. I placed my hand in front of it. A faint glow illuminated my palm. About right. I placed the headlight on blink instead of constant illumination. It promptly went out. I did not have much of a choice, but to press on, as I was at the halfway point of the ride. I heightened my vigilance and slowed my pace to give myself a shorter stopping length in case I was not seen by a car entering an intersection.

Then, without warning.......Bow wowoowowowowo!! A white fuzz ball came charging into the street, the shrieking woman who was walking it off it's leash running behind it screeching "Oh No! No!" It was a simple matter to increase spin to propel the lightweight bike past the vicious little nuisance. It's amazing how quickly a one speed lightweight bike can accelerate. I really don't care if she ever caught the stupid thing. That's her problem for taking it out off a leash. I left the woman and her silly white guardian in my wake as I sliced the night air ahead.