Family Memories
Riding a Bike with No Training Wheels
"Stella come ride your bike with me," Jack asked my daughter as she and Tom sat on the porch. Jack was six and the twins were five. Jasmin came up behind him with little two and a half year old Olivia. I had Liam in my lap and he was almost two.
"I can't ride without training wheels," Stella told him.
"I can teach you," Jack offered.
"I want my daddy to teach me," Stella protested, throwing her little arms across her chest.
"I'll ride with you, Jack," Tom hopped up off the porch and went to get his bike. Tom already knew how to ride his bike without training wheels since he had me teach it to him last week.
"Stella, you should go play with Jack and Tom," I told my defiant five year old. She became a trouble maker after Alex left for the last tour he was on right now.
"I don't want to," Stella huffed before she stood up and went inside.
"She misses Alex," Jasmin told me as she sat down on the chair next to me before she took Olivia out of her stroller, "Oli here has been all sorts of attitude since Jack left. She doesn't play her favorite toys and gets into trouble every chance she can because Jack's not here to play with her and make her laugh."
"Stella doesn't sing to Liam. Alex had taught her a new lullaby to sing to him and after he left, she refused to sing to Liam. So now Liam only cries because Stella and Alex aren't here to sing to him. He settles on me but he's a grumpy baby every morning," I told her.
"When Alex and Jack come home next week, everything will get better for us," Jasmin replied.
I was just about to drift into deep sleep when I felt a weight shift into my bed and I felt a pair of familiar arm snake around my waist as a pair of loving lips touched my neck. I opened my eyes and rolled onto my back to see my ragged and tired husband next to me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me so I kiss him tenderly. God I missed him so much.
"How were my three little babies and my lovely wife while I was away," he asked as he pressed his forehead to mine.
"It was so hard to juggle them all, Alex. Liam's been fussy because he missed you, Stella won't sing, and Tom is the only one riding a bike without training wheels," I told him.
"I'll talk to Stella tomorrow and see if I can teach her," he replied.
"She actually wants you to teach her," I told him.
"Then that works for me. Let's get some sleep and then I'll surprise the kids in the morning with breakfast," he kissed me again before he got up and changed for bed.
That afternoon, I was in the backyard with Liam, teaching him how to roll a ball while Tom was playing on the play-scape Alex and Jack built together for the twins to play on when Jack and Aubree came over to play since Jack had a similar one at the Barakat house. Alex was in the driveway with Stella, teaching her how to ride her bike without her training wheels.
"Alright Stella, I'm going to hold onto the back of your bike. I want you to pedal so you can keep your bike moving. I will not let go until you have balanced your bike," Alex explained to her.
"Don't let go, Daddy," Stella sounded so scared.
"I won't let go," Alex promised.
Stella started to pedal her bike forward and Alex walked with her. He let go of her bike when she had it moving enough for her to keep balance. She went maybe six feet before her bike wobbled and she wiped out. I heard her scream and Alex ran to her. Alex came back into view carrying Stella in his arms, her elbow and knee on her left side were scraped up and she was bleeding, and she was crying from the pain of falling over.
I took Liam inside for his afternoon nap and I found Alex in the upstairs bathroom with Stella on the counter, trying to clean her wounds and calm her down.
"You promised to not let go," she screamed at him.
"I'm sorry, Stella. I didn't know you would fall," he apologized as she screamed as the peroxide stung her scrapes.
"I don't want to learn to ride my bike," Stella cried.
"Stella, in life you have to fail and fall at times to succeed. We learn from mistakes and grow from them. I did it with the band when we had a falling out with Interscope. We didn't do well at the major label game and we had to leave. But then we went to Hopeless and we've been successful ever since," Alex explained to her.
"I'll try again, but you have to hold on to my bike longer this time," Stella held up her pinky finger.
"I promise," Alex linked his pinky with hers.
Alex and Stella went back out, this time Stella got her bike to stay up and she didn't fall. I could see Alex beaming with pride at his daughter now riding her bike with no training wheels.
"I can't ride without training wheels," Stella told him.
"I can teach you," Jack offered.
"I want my daddy to teach me," Stella protested, throwing her little arms across her chest.
"I'll ride with you, Jack," Tom hopped up off the porch and went to get his bike. Tom already knew how to ride his bike without training wheels since he had me teach it to him last week.
"Stella, you should go play with Jack and Tom," I told my defiant five year old. She became a trouble maker after Alex left for the last tour he was on right now.
"I don't want to," Stella huffed before she stood up and went inside.
"She misses Alex," Jasmin told me as she sat down on the chair next to me before she took Olivia out of her stroller, "Oli here has been all sorts of attitude since Jack left. She doesn't play her favorite toys and gets into trouble every chance she can because Jack's not here to play with her and make her laugh."
"Stella doesn't sing to Liam. Alex had taught her a new lullaby to sing to him and after he left, she refused to sing to Liam. So now Liam only cries because Stella and Alex aren't here to sing to him. He settles on me but he's a grumpy baby every morning," I told her.
"When Alex and Jack come home next week, everything will get better for us," Jasmin replied.
I was just about to drift into deep sleep when I felt a weight shift into my bed and I felt a pair of familiar arm snake around my waist as a pair of loving lips touched my neck. I opened my eyes and rolled onto my back to see my ragged and tired husband next to me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me so I kiss him tenderly. God I missed him so much.
"How were my three little babies and my lovely wife while I was away," he asked as he pressed his forehead to mine.
"It was so hard to juggle them all, Alex. Liam's been fussy because he missed you, Stella won't sing, and Tom is the only one riding a bike without training wheels," I told him.
"I'll talk to Stella tomorrow and see if I can teach her," he replied.
"She actually wants you to teach her," I told him.
"Then that works for me. Let's get some sleep and then I'll surprise the kids in the morning with breakfast," he kissed me again before he got up and changed for bed.
That afternoon, I was in the backyard with Liam, teaching him how to roll a ball while Tom was playing on the play-scape Alex and Jack built together for the twins to play on when Jack and Aubree came over to play since Jack had a similar one at the Barakat house. Alex was in the driveway with Stella, teaching her how to ride her bike without her training wheels.
"Alright Stella, I'm going to hold onto the back of your bike. I want you to pedal so you can keep your bike moving. I will not let go until you have balanced your bike," Alex explained to her.
"Don't let go, Daddy," Stella sounded so scared.
"I won't let go," Alex promised.
Stella started to pedal her bike forward and Alex walked with her. He let go of her bike when she had it moving enough for her to keep balance. She went maybe six feet before her bike wobbled and she wiped out. I heard her scream and Alex ran to her. Alex came back into view carrying Stella in his arms, her elbow and knee on her left side were scraped up and she was bleeding, and she was crying from the pain of falling over.
I took Liam inside for his afternoon nap and I found Alex in the upstairs bathroom with Stella on the counter, trying to clean her wounds and calm her down.
"You promised to not let go," she screamed at him.
"I'm sorry, Stella. I didn't know you would fall," he apologized as she screamed as the peroxide stung her scrapes.
"I don't want to learn to ride my bike," Stella cried.
"Stella, in life you have to fail and fall at times to succeed. We learn from mistakes and grow from them. I did it with the band when we had a falling out with Interscope. We didn't do well at the major label game and we had to leave. But then we went to Hopeless and we've been successful ever since," Alex explained to her.
"I'll try again, but you have to hold on to my bike longer this time," Stella held up her pinky finger.
"I promise," Alex linked his pinky with hers.
Alex and Stella went back out, this time Stella got her bike to stay up and she didn't fall. I could see Alex beaming with pride at his daughter now riding her bike with no training wheels.
