The day the oil ran out (11)

I made plans to ride Slowy home and decided I would ring the Massey Pony Club and come up with the money once I made 400 bucks lawnmowing the neighbourhood berms.

Buffie had offered to express deliver a latte to the receptionist as thanks for all the horse manure she had taken over the years.

"How are you going to express deliver the latte when we can't drive our cars anymore?" I asked.

"Don't worry I've got some mad cyclists onto it," she replied. And sure enough one turned up right on cue in a racing lycra outfit.

"At your service, mademoiselle" said the mad cyclist.

It was Gilles from Woodside Garden! So this was his secret business. Gilles took the steaming hot latte and placed it in his pannier.

"Au revoir" he said, and rode off. He looked like he was training for the Tour de France.

Slowy and I started the trek home, while I kept a look out for my pink bike. I thought of ringing the police, but then thought maybe it will come back after it's been borrowed, like a good library book. I had taken the precaution of writing on it in a permanent marker "Selina's Bicycle. Please return to 41 Riverpark Crescent, Henderson. God Bless" just in case.

As we turned into my driveway, I saw dad waving a piece of paper and calling to me. "Can you check my powerball ticket on your ipad?" He said.

"Hold your horses, I mean donkeys" I said. "One thing at a time". I tied up Slowy to the gate and instructed her to nibble only our part of the 'berm' up to the box hedge. Then I went inside, dumped my library books, and reached for my ipad.

Dad was an incurable gambler, and spent $16 every week on these useless tickets that only ever won bonus tickets to buy more numbers. He was forever asking me to check them now I had this app on my ipad which meant we wouldn't need to go cross eyed hunting for numbers. He had been playing this silly game for over 30 years and we were always disappointed. I wish he could see that Sudoku was a much better numbers game and not one to give him false hope.  I placed the ticket under the scanner.