Page 44 of Vandal Unbound

“Well, drive safe,” the mom says, looking a little concerned. “Elsie can bring the helmet back to camp.”

I nod. “I’ll make sure she does.”

“I was only going to tell them how you smashed up their music,” Elsie says as I crouch to put the helmet on her head. The straps are fiddly and small to my large fingers.

“I know. But it’s better that we keep that between you and me and your mom.”

Elsie sighs. “Okay. Can I get on your bike now?”

“Sure thing.” I lift her up and perch her on the back.

“Take a photo of me,” she says, wriggling forward to put her hands on the handlebars.

I tug out my phone and get Elsie in the frame, and something deep in my soul tugs hard. I don’t know how this kid ended up where she is, but I know none of it could possibly be her fault. And I want to fix it, almost more than I want to fix myself.

“Let me see,” she shouts when I go to put my phone in my cut pocket.

So, I open it and show her, and she throws her hand on my arm as she leans close to look at it. “Can I ride it by myself?” she asks.

I shake my head. “Not for at least twenty years. And even then, maybe not.”

She shrugs as if it’s no bother. “I’ll just ride on the back of yours with you.”

I smile at that, thinking about her fighting with Daisy for that spot. “Speaking of, let me get on there. Wiggle back.”

She does as I ask, and once I'm seated in front of her, I take the bungee cord and wrap it around the two of us before fastening it in front of my stomach. I have no idea how wriggly she's going to be on the back of the bike, and I don't want her falling off by accident.

"Okay, Elsie, I want you to make sure you keep hold of me all the time. I'm going to go really slow so that we don't have an accident. Are you ready to go?"

She presses herself to my back and wraps her arms as far around me as they'll go. I feel her little hands dig into my T-shirt, and I pat them once before I start the bike.

When the engine rumbles beneath us, she lets out an excited cheer, and I can’t help the grin that plasters my own face.

Because I remember the joy of sitting on a bike for the first time. I still feel it. At least, I had until the accident. But there’s something about re-experiencing that feeling with Elsie that makes it even more special.

It’s a reminder that something I thought I’d lost was capable of being found.

So, I ride…at half the speed limit. I rev the bike. I accelerate then slow down. We pass cypress trees and marshes with sawgrass. Elsie shouts when she sees different birds and an alligator crossing the road.

Her laughter is audible above the bike engine. She stretches her legs out wide, she wriggles, but she never lets go.

“Go faster,” she shouts.

I do, but I’m still not even close to the speed limit.

North passes me headed in the opposite direction. He salutes as he rides by, and Elsie repeats the action back to him.

When we pull into the parking lot of Daisy’s apartment building, Sunny and Ridge are just dropping her off. Her car is on the back of the truck, and she’s squeezed in the cab with them, Sunny sitting in the middle.

“Momma,” Elsie squeals as we pull up next to them and Daisy steps out. She looks pretty in loose, floaty pants and a white T-shirt that hugs her perfectly. However, the expression on her face tells me she’s not as excited about the bike ride as Elsie is.

“You picked her up on your bike?” she asks, cooly.

“Didn’t really think about the alternative until I got to camp. The whole ‘picking up kids’ thing is new.”

“Connie’s mom let me borrow her helmet,” Elsie adds helpfully as I unfasten the bungee cord from around us. “And we had the best time, and Vandal went fast.”

I raise my hands in surrender. “From ten to twenty miles per hour and back again. I stuck to back roads, and we were half the speed limit the whole time.”