“Wizard Afloat in El Paso” Photo by Guy Biederman
A wrench arrived in the mail one day, followed by a bike frame, wheels, handlebars, sprocket, seat, chain, and horn.
I spread the parts on the living room floor and the wrench fit everything perfectly as slowly the bike came together — a shiny Spitfire Schwinn.
Bundles of Herald Examiners appeared on my porch, along with a Folger’s can of rubber bands and a canvas sling that the mailman had to step over.
Hands inky from the folding, I started my route, practicing a sidearm delivery, a submarine toss, an underhand lob with the wrench dangling on a string like St. Christopher from my neck. News of the day improved with my throws, except in a distant neighborhood on the downside of the horseshoe that was the shape of our burg where a guy I’d known from little league lived. I mailed him the magic wrench, sorry to see it go, but the next day a glow arose on that end of town where the luck always ran out, and the morning forecast read: sunny days ahead.
Guy Biederman divides his time between a houseboat, an adobe casa caretaking cats, a cabin, and the road in between. He favors strong coffee, scotch on the docks, and the desert’s wabi sabi beauty. It’s all true, especially the fiction.
