in tandem

there was a guy...

and there was a girl.

the two happily strolled along manhattan beach one early spring evening.

up and down the beachfront properties they walked, until they caught glimpse of a lone tandem bike leaning against an alleyway for disposal. 

hon, a tandem bike! exclaimed the guy. we've been wanting a tandem bike! it looks beat up, but we can make use of it.

what?! there's no way we can fit it in your car, replied the girl. and even if it is abandoned and ready for pickup, what if someone does claim it as their own?

after some deliberation, the two decided to leave it up to fate: if, after dinner, the bike was still in the alleyway, then clearly, fate had a plan for them...take it. if it was gone, then so be it.

and so, after a leisurely long dinner of lamb and squid, they made their way down the alley. and to their (hopeful) surprise, the tandem bike was still there. leaning against the same wall. alone. abandoned. ready for new owners. 

without a moment's waste, the guy and girl crammed the bike into the back of his car. how it was done will always be a mystery, a true exception to the laws of physics. let's just say an ace bandage-like wrap was used to keep the door from flying open, while the girl laid flat in the backseat holding it ever so tight.

carefully, they made it home. tandem bike and all. 

with the new addition to their bike family, the guy and girl rested well that night, dreaming of riding in tandem through the seasons.