25 minutes

We had thought we might just be contented with being '甜蜜蜜'-style pillion riding on one bike till we get our motorised transport. Alas, it was not to be.

It was first discovered that the rear wheel was kinda, flat, when we wanted to take off to top up groceries and get some dinner on a Tuesday evening. And we had just pumped both wheels up over the weekend. With the assumption that it was punctured, we took it to a bike repair shop 20 mins away on foot. 

The obaasan at the shop tried to understand what we were going through, and pumped up the wheel for us. And then an ojiisan joined her and cleverly changed some puny mechanism on the pump hole and charged us 100yen for that.

I took the bike the following morning to the station to catch a train to a nearby town for an interview. The 25 minute ride started off fine, then increasingly became difficult. I figured it was the last lap of a LONG stretch of road that I was cycling on, hence the change in the 'feel' of the ride. It felt somewhat, different. And more intensely difficult. But I was focused on my destination. I did not want to miss the train and wait for another hour for it.

On that last stretch of cycling that lasted short of an eternity, I was reminded of my own Christian road. Many a time along this road, I've felt it was way too long. I could never seem to reach my destination! But I still keep on cycling, I don't stop. Because I know I WILL reach my destination on time, as long as I keep on cycling. If I wanna sweat it out, I cycle faster. If I wanna arrive prim and proper in my white work blouse and black pants, I can take my time to reach my destination because I have factored in enough buffer to be on time. 

It was another 25 minutes ride back from the station after the interview. It was still hot, humid and sweaty. Except that this time round, I stopped to make a quick check on why the riding still seemed so tough. Turned out the rear wheel was flat again! Resigned to my fate, I paddled slowly and painfully back to the apartment. That same night, the Spouse returned with another 2nd hand bike.

As we had to go to the city yesterday, the plan was to cycle both bikes to a bike shop nearer to the train station, get it fixed before we head to catch the 9.44am train to be on time to meet a car dealer at 10.01am at another station. We arrived at the shop at 9am only to find that it opens at 9.30am. Plan B then surfaced for us to leave the bike with the shop for them to repair and either deliver it to us when done, or leave it outside the shop for us to collect in the evening. While we were waiting for the shop to open, I playfully knocked and knocked on the metal shutters, as if to arouse the attention of anyone possibly inside. As the Spouse gave me sharp annoying looks, the metal shutters suddenly opened. I excitedly grabbed my Eng-Jap dictionary and managed to get across our message to the owners. Off to the station we were!