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Bike Lane

Dear Diary:

One night I took a cab home from work. As I opened the door to get out, I heard a man scream, “Hey!” directly into my ear. He was on a bike trying to force his way through the narrow space between the cab and a parked car.

I pointed toward the other side of the street.

“Hey!” I yelled back. “Do you think you should be in the bike lane?”

“You’re supposed to look!” he screamed again, and then shot off.

I jumped out of the cab and shot off after him. For someone who was exhausted, I was running at a pretty good pace.

I was pleased and surprised when I caught up to him at an intersection where he had been forced to stop. I was ready to really dress him down about his complete lack of attention to New York City bike protocol.

I got right up next to him.

“Hey!” I screamed.

He looked startled.

“Yeah?” he replied.

“Are you all right?” I said. “You’re right. I should’ve looked.”

“No,” he said. “You’re right. I should’ve been in the bike lane.” Then he, motioned for me to come close.

“C’mere,” he said.

We hugged.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m having a really bad day.”

“I’m sorry you’re having a bad day,” I said. “I hope it gets better.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I hope you have a nice day, too.”

And then he rode off into the splash of car lights that swirl through the streets on a Manhattan night.

— Gail Dennison

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Originally posted by ShiroKuro:


I love reading the Metropolitan Diary entries.