We got Punky her first bike last Christmas. A tricycle, of course. It has bars that wrap around to keep little ones from falling off, along with shoulder straps just in case. It has a canopy roof to block the sun and a tall handle in the back so we can push it like a stroller. I thought it would be perfect to take her for walks this spring and summer. And when she's ready, next summer I'm sure, all the extra pieces can be removed to turn it into a plain tricycle.
We used it a lot in the spring and at the start of summer, but now Punky prefers to walk most days. That way she is free to run ahead and pick up every stick, rock, weed, and piece of garbage along the road. It takes forever just to walk around the loop where we live. She runs ahead, finds something to play with, I catch up and pass her by, and then wait about twenty feet ahead of her till she finally drops what she has and then races past me again. That's the routine when we go for a walk.
Punky's dad was off today and he brought her bike out of the shed. It's been over a month since we last used it so in baby time it was like a brand new toy all over again. He took her once around the loop before her nap and when I got home from work she climbed on and told me, "Walk!" as she pointed at the road.
I knew we could make it all the way around in fifteen minutes rather than the hour it takes when she walks with me. I was tired, as usual, so this prospect made me happy. I was definitely in more of a "sit and read books" mood so it was a nice compromise.
We got on our way and Punky pointed out all the usual stuff along the route. The neighbor's pup, the star on the house a few doors down the road, the tent in the yard of the next house... I was walking at a nice pace as we rounded the top of the loop and headed down the other side. I glanced at the road ahead and my normal paranoia set in when I saw something in our path.
Bark. Curled bark from a tree. I have a snake phobia and right away my mind jumps to conclusions. I scoffed at myself as I pushed her bike right over it to prove to myself I'm an idiot. And that's exactly what I accomplished. No doubt about it.
Bump bump went the tires over the bark. I glanced down as the back of the bike cleared it...just in time to see the snake's head not five inches from my freakin' ankle. I shoved the bike forward as hard as I could while simutaneously jumping backwards about six feet. Holy shit! I pushed my baby right over a goddamn snake! I seriously almost had a heart attack right there on the spot!
I kept my distance as I ran past the snake and grabbed the bike...then ran like a little girl the rest of the way home. My adrenalin was racing so I took advantage of it and got the hell out of there. And fast.
Punky's dad knew there was something wrong when I rounded the corner in a sprint for the finish. He jumped off the lawn mower and met us at the edge of the yard. Poor Punky, she had no clue what happened or why her mama was pushing her fifty miles an hour...her little head bobbing all over the place as the plastic tires tackled the gravel on the road.
I'm still totally creeped out and I know snake nightmares will plague me this week. Chances are it was just a non-poisonous garter snake but I didn't stick around to study it. What if that snake would've bitten her? I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. Ever. I truly am an idiot.
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