BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: Shadows Of A Perfect Life

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without training wheels. I was trying to appear more awake than I felt. We lived on a quie

ny, the air warm with a refreshing breeze. Declan and I had been up since 7, and I tried not to start thinking about past we

nt of me, sliding off his seat firs

said. "I did it

nk it's about the coolest thing ever to see you riding your bike. Did you know some 4-year-

ybe I can help

to help other kids. "That'd be ni

Allie," he said. "She's a really good teacher. Hey

n't open, and there didn't seem to be any signs of life indoors. I imagined her slumbe

still on the earlier side. If we see

ide your bi

itely taken a back seat since Declan had arrived. I didn't bother to put my cycling shoes on or a helmet; I just swung my leg over the top tube, sett

o get into that zone where it felt like you could go on forever. It almost felt as though the bike-a carbon Domane-was quiver

going three times as fast as min

since I wasn't clipped in, ended up sliding off the saddle and smashing my balls right against the top tube. The word FUCK reverberated through my head as I gritted my teeth and tried to keep from falling to the ground and curling up in the fe

it up against one of the red maples. Declan was showing Allie how he

en I limped over. She tilted he

to ignore the wave of n

ride a bike like that. I'm ver

a stop in front of us

ived in the city, but I

nk maybe she'd let you borrow it sometime? Th

biking," I said. "Especially n

m like a good place to go bike riding. I like to go run

pushed off, riding back toward the e

y himself?

the end of the road. This is a pretty quie

night and that in the morning, I get woken up by the birds

from t

sto

I rather liked living in the city, tho

nitely ready for a change of pace. Anyway, I've got to run or I'm going to be late

eaving?"

h are nice and healthy." She smiled, showing him a nice row of white te