The Flat Tire Part 1

Beautiful view, much cooler inverted

Random Observation/Comment #35: There is a minimum of 3.2 megapixel camera in phones here.5.1 megapixel and built in GPS very common as well.They are a much bigger fan of the boxy flip phones.

My heart was beating out of my chest as I tried an unnatural running motion with the bicycle.How could I have known a simple act of kindness would yield such consequences?I scanned the passing houses and shops for any sign of life, but they had long closed.I tried to use the LED screen of my cell phone as a light for the pitch black road, but holding it was too clumsy for this circumstance.

My attention was not concentrated on the acid building up in my thighs and calves, nor was it even concerned about the lack of knowledge of my surrounding streets.The main priority was the black town car following my every turn and maneuver.I glanced back every so often between catching breaths, but I couldn’t stop now.They had blood on their minds – whoever they actually were.

Maybe I need to jump back to a different beginning to explain why there was a death note on me and my bicycle’s life.

The walk through Kiyomizudera was exhausting.Arriving home at around 5 PM Saturday, I tried to find something to occupy my time.I had left my laptop at the university from the previously drunk night, so there would be nothing for me to do for the next 5 hours.Instead of taking a nap, I decided to try and bicycle (what looked like a short distance) from Toyonaka campus to Suita campus.It took approximately 45 minutes of pedaling, but I had arrived with minimal damage to my endurance.

I walked into my desk area to find a note written with cutout letters from a magazine – this person had way too much time on his or her hands to make this mysterious.The note said one word, but I oddly understood what needed to be done.I packed my things and went to GSE, leaving the well designed message that said “PaCkAgE” behind.My intuition (and also that nice little map drawn in pink glittery pen next to the original message) led me to her.

The sun had begun its descent and the vanilla sky set the mood better than any Hollywood director.The street lamps slowly turned on as I walked passed them, making me feel as if I had Jedi powers.She stood there as if posing for my arrival.Her long legs and slender body made my mouth dry, but this touch was forbidden.I knew a “konbanwa” would not be necessary, so I hovered with one hand in my pocket, and the other bracing the package.This was the important mission assigned to me a few days earlier, but I had not anticipated the receiver’s beauty.

We walked in awkward silence as she checked the contents.A trade had been made that night.My thirst for knowledge led me to know too much about the situation.She was much more than a pretty face – she was the source of all my problems.What could I say to her if she didn’t understand me?She gave me a strange-looking charm for my troubles and silently wished me the best of luck.Little did I know that this charm would bring everything but good luck.I knelt down to unlock my bike, and when I turned around, she had disappeared.

I took a closer look at the charm.It looked like it was made of jade and had some odd scriptures written inside a scroll.I held it up to the light to see the details, but at that moment, a fairly large fellow mystically appeared next to me.It was a large park area – why did he have to stand so close to me?I got a comparable feeling to when someone chooses the empty urinal directly next to me, instead of the other three possible choices where I wouldn’t feel threatened that he (or she in some odd cases) could potentially pee on me.

I placed the charm in my pocket and began to ride my bike home.When I looked back after a few cycles, the man disappeared as if he was never there.I rode merrily on the sidewalk while singing James Brown at the top of my lungs. His song was stuck in my head, so I had to let it flow out of me the right way.A few blocks away from the university, a black town car pulled up next to me and matched my speed.I thought it quite strange to see a black town car in Japan.How the heck did they get an Oldsmobile here and why the hell would someone use one with these gas prices?I was more concerned with the anomaly of this car’s existence than the fact that the man in the front seat was holding a large baseball bat.

They tried to communicate something to me, of which I translated as “Pull over so we can smash your face in!”This was motivation to speed up and make a few turns.I never understood how a car could catch a guy in a bicycle until tonight.I thought the guy in the bicycle could make a U-turn and not stay near roads.Besides, what was he going to do – run me over?

So he tried to run me over.I didn’t realize they wanted to hurt me until they started driving on the sidewalk and ramming against the barriers.What the hell did they want?!Who were these people chasing after me?!I did the only thing I could think of that didn’t follow the typical cliché movie plot.The exhilarating chase scene usually ends up with the protagonist getting away after leaving the city streets in shambles, but I didn’t even know if they wanted to hurt me.For all I knew, they could have been really enthusiastic about playing baseball.

To be continued tomorrow.(I’m okay.Don’t call the cops, Mom.)

~See Lemons Recover