Almie Rose
It was at least two months before Chirstmas when
nineyear-old Almie Rose told her father and me that
she wanted a new bicycle. As Chirstmas drew nearer,
her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade, or so we
thought. We purchased the latest rage, Baby-Sitter’s
Club dolls, and a doll house. Then much to our surprise, on December 23rd,
she said that she “really wanted a bike more than anything else.”
It was just too late, what with all the details of preparing Christmas dinner
and buying lastminute gifts, to take the time to select the “right bike” for our
little girl. So, here we were -Chirstmas Eve around 9:00 p.m, with Almie
Rose and her six-year-old brother, Dylan, nestled snug in their beds. We
could now think only of the bicycle, the guilt, and being parents who would
disappoint their child.
“What if I make a little bicycle out of clay and write a note that she could
trade the clay model in for a real bike?” my husband asked. The theory being
that since this is a highticket item and she is “such a big girl,” it would be
much better for her to pick it out. So he spent the next four hours
paintstakingly working with clay to create a miniature bike.
On Chirstmas morning, we were excited for Almie Rose to open the little
heart-shaped package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note.
Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud.
“Does this mean that I trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?”
“Yes.” I said beaming. Almie Rose had tears in her eyes when she replied,
“I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me. I’d rather
keep this than get a real bike.”
At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every
bicycle on the planet!
- Michelle Lawrence
