Why Did I Do It?

A couple blogs back (I Betrayed Her - Oh The Shame), I lamented the fact that I sold one of my Harem. What I neglected to tell you was why. That oversight was not by accident, but by design. I found myself in a bit of a dilemma. One of my own making.

For quite some time now, I knew that something was missing in my life. I have a nice road bike, a fixed gear, a mountain bike, a light roadster and had two hybrid bikes. They each hold a special place in my life. I enjoy riding them. I enjoy talking to them, though they are not much for talking back (which is a good thing!). I enjoy hanging out and drinking a beer with them, though they don't drink (which is a really good thing!!). Yet, when I was with them, I couldn't help but feel that there was a void in my life. For a long time I tried to ignore it. I tried convincing myself it wasn't, it couldn't be true. The bikes in my Harem were all I needed. Yet, deep down I knew I was living a lie.

I tried to remain true, I really did. But, as time went on, I found my eyes beginning to wander. Then in Early May, I fell in love again. I went after the only thing that could fill the void, that no bikes in Harem were able to do. I BOUGHT A "TOURING BIKE". Specifically, I ordered a Bike Friday New World Tourist. Even as I type this, it is being custom built to my exact dimensions and specifications. It is supposed to be complete by Mid-June and arrive at my door by the end of the month.

Now that I was on my way to being whole, I only had two hurdles to contend with. Number one, my wife didn't know. My new bike wouldn't be arriving for at least 6 weeks, so I took the high road and procrastinated. For most of the month of May - I wrung my hands - I knitted my brow - I fretted – I wrestled with how to tell her. One day, I was sitting in my garage drinking a beer, when I concocted a fail proof plan to call Bike Friday and have them ship the bike to my co-worker’s home. Then I could go pick it up at his house, sneak it into my garage and heck, I figured I could go almost indefinitely without my wife noticing. She doesn’t share my passion for bikes. When she goes in my garage, she doesn’t see each bike as an individual entity. She just looks up on the wall and sees this hoard of metal and wheels. I was certain I could just hang my new Bike Friday among my Harem and my wife would be none the wiser.

When I sobered up, I realized just how ludicrous that plan was. I have been married to this woman for 26 years. Our relationship has been built on mutual trust and respect. I couldn’t bring myself to undermine these important principles for the sake of a bicycle. I wish I could honestly tell you that this was my thought process. The fact of the matter is, I dismissed the plan because I knew there won’t no dadgum way I was gonna get away with that.

In preparation for baring my soul to my wife, I decided I needed to at least get rid of one my bikes in order to help defray the costs of the new one and make room for it in my garage. That’s what I did on that fateful day that I blogged about it. That blog had another, unexpected benefit. It opened the door for me to tell my wife. She read it and when I got home from work, she asked me why I sold my bike? Well – it was time – no more hiding it – no more procrastination. I simply responded, “because I bought a new one.” To my amazement, she took the news very well. We had a nice conversation. She asked questions about it. She wanted to see a picture of it, so I took her to the website. The only negative thing she said during this open dialogue was, "that's the ugliest bike I've ever seen." It took every fiber of self control to keep from blowing up. I was shocked and appalled that she could be so insensitive as to utter such a ludicrous thing. Then I calmly reminded myself - she doesn't have an appreciation for bicycles like I do.

Now that my wife knows, I now only have one more hurdle to get over. I have to figure out a way to tell my Harem. I think I'll take the high road on that one and procrastinate. I still have a couple weeks.