Scooter

Sometime last month it became obvious to me that Scott wanted a scooter. He began hinting by reminiscing about his childhood, telling me stories about being young and riding his small motorcycle through his neighborhood. He slowly began to weave the tales of his youthful two wheeling exploits with our neighborhood routes, pointing out roads that would be fun to ride on a scooter or small bike.

 Finally, after two weeks of beating behind the bush, he showed me brochures for a scooter. Although I knew that Scott was itching for a scooter, I was (and remain) convinced that the yearning would quickly wane. If he invested in the bike, there was no doubt that it would be ridden a few times and promptly be parked in the garage assuming space and gathering dust.

He remained adamant that he would ride the scooter on a regular basis around our neighborhood and asserted that he had no interest in riding the bike on a road with traffic. The fact that he didn't want to ride the bike for a functional trip did not play in his favor. He was talking about spending a lot of money on something that we don't need and that he doesn't plan on using to save gas or mileage on the car. It would be, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than a toy. Coupled with the fact that he isn't known to spend a lot of time outdoors, is not adventurous, and prefers more sedentary activities, I was not a supporter of the scooter.

In addition to being an ill-conceived idea, it was obvious that he was going through his midlife crisis. He is attempting to reestablish his youth by reliving his childhood memories. Against my better judgment and at the urging of my friends, I finally acquiesced and agreed to the purchase of the $900 toy.

Scott was delighted and immediately began making plans for the acquisition. As he delved deeper into scooters and their various options, the base price inexplicably began to rise. Where we started out at less than a thousand, he ended up buying one that cost nearly $3,000! I was not a happy wife.

Needless to say I am less than thrilled with his purchase, but I cannot deny that he is happy. Time will tell if the scooter is a fad or if he will indeed use it on a regular basis. If it sits idol in the garage, I plan on fashioning his helmet into a bucket to catch the rain from our leaking roof. He has also been dubbed with the nickname of "Scooter." I contend that the nickname will last longer than his desire to ride!