The Ditch

Note: This was something I wrote while living at my parents after a walk around "the block". There were so many things that brought back memories from my childhood. This ditch was one of them.

"You can do it if we can do it."
"I can't do it because I'm a girl...you aren't girls."
"You said girls can do the same things boys can do."
"We can."
"Then try it, Mindy. Just do it and you won't be ascared anymore."
"Afraid. It's not ascared. Just who said I was afraid?"

He tilted his head and smiled and I heard everything he was silently saying to me. I was terrified. Nevertheless, there was no way these boys were going to see how afraid I was...I had to do it now. My eyes cut over to my little brother--now standing with his bike on the opposite side of the ditch with three neighborhood boys.

Younger and smaller in size, he was still my strength. As tiny as he was, there was little he was afraid of--my pillar of courage. Looking at him, I knew that I had no reason not to try. If he was able to do this...so was I. Somewhere inside I just had find an ounce of that faith he had in me.Closing my eyes I took a quick, deep breath and my fingertips brushed against the orange tassels as I grasped the handlebars of my bicycle. Time itself seemed to slow. Still unsure of myself (but being stubborn to a fault), I had now made up my mind and there was no turning back.

My heart beat loudly in my ears and a cold sweat broke out around my neck as my right foot left the ground. Hearing the whispers and giggles of the boys on the other side of the ditch, I began to peddle as fast as I could. They failed to realize that their mockery was all of the encouragement I needed.

I approached the bank and knew that there was no turning back now. It was now or never. Concentrating fully on keeping my balance, I didn't seem to notice when the bicycle wheels sped down into the trickle of water in the ditch below.

"Just keep going...you can't fall in front of them...it's almost over," I thought to myself as I started to roll up the other side. At that moment, I somehow lost my footing and a panic whirled over me as I did a search-and-find for the pedals below. Regaining my composure and realizing that I was back on flat ground again, my head whirled around to the group of boys now only feet away.

A smile spread broadly across my sun kissed cheeks. Beaming with pride and tossing my long chestnut ponytails over my shoulders, I turned to ride back home down the long country road. I felt the cool mud drying on my thighs against the wind and I heard nothing but the clackers on my spokes as my head bobbed with their rhythm like a metronome. Shortly, I heard my brothers' voice from behind me.

"Hey."
"Ya?"
"Hold on." Dragging my foot in the stones, I stopped along side of the road's shoulder to wait for him.
"I knew you could do it," he said, as he whirled around and headed back to the creek. Really, I knew I could too.