Feb 18th - Bicycle Man

You know him well. He's the little old man who zips through traffic on a rusted-out pedal bike; the kind chumps like us throw away when we get a new one. He looks a bit deshevelled and probably under-fed, but that's his business. He likes to travel light. As he darts out into traffic you see that his bike doesn't have any breaks. How the hell does he stop? Well, I don't think he really wants to. He has work to do.

We all dream of retirement at 65, a nice summer home and a hammock, stretched out with a glass of lemonade, and a boat in the garage we're in no hurry to fix up. The Bicycle Man doesn't think about these things, he will probably never stop working. If he does, he'll shrink away and starve to death, then he'll become food for the rats. It's the year of the rat now, so it's only fitting I guess.

As he rides, he bangs on an overturned plastic bucket resting on the handlebars of his 10-speed. His splintered drumstick would probably trash my soft hands, but calluses have taken over his paws. He doesn't even wear gloves in this -20 degree weather. He's drumming away like Ginger Baker, but there's a method to his madness. As he passes the apartment buildings, the beat of his rubbermaid drum brings out housewives who have been waiting for him. Boy, if this method worked back home, there wouldn't be a single man in Canada. But no, they aren't coming out to throw themselves at him. Instead, they throw bottles at him.

Recycling is big business, and he knows it. Bicycle Man is pitching in to make the world a little cleaner, and his pockets jingle. He piles the empties on the bicycle rack first, then fills a garbage bag that's probably older than I am. Pretty soon he's balancing a bag the size of a hot-air balloon on top of his head, still somehow managing to beat his drum and ride along. I worry about him. Does he have a home? Will he eat anything tonight? What about water? I bet his water is polluted. If he's worried about all that, he doesn't seem to show it. He just keeps pedalling on to the beat of his bucket, never stopping, never complaining. Retirement? Ha!
Bicycle Man doesn't have time for retirement. He's just one bottle away from a hot meal tonight. Just let him work in peace.